THE FOURTH PART: THE PATHWAY OF LORD’S RECOVERY
The Course of the Church
Message Three—From Reformation to the End of the Nineteenth Century
Scripture Reading: Rev. 3:1-2; 4-5; 2:24-26
I. In the fifteenth century there were some people in the church who rose up to recover and to correct the situation; the Reformation was brought in through Martin Luther; Martin Luther, who was still a monk in the Roman Catholic Church, was raised up by God; once he stood up, many others responded, and the well-known Reformation in history exploded—cf. Rev. 3:1-2:
A. God’s recovery began with the foundational truth of justification by faith; Martin Luther expressed this matter with much light and great clarity.
B. However, those who followed Luther to come out of Catholicism were not sufficiently pure and thus were still somewhat confused; therefore, Protestantism is still complicated.
C. The recovery of justification by faith was a good beginning, but even before Luther’s death, the Protestant churches were in confusion because of their union with politics.
II. Although Martin Luther formally brought the church out of Catholicism, there were still many spiritual people in the Roman Catholic Church; Thomas à Kempis was such a person; he lived before the time of Luther; after Luther, from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, there were many spiritual people in the Roman Catholic Church—Rev. 2:24-26:
A. Some things were recovered by those in the realm of the Roman Catholic Church; Protestantism recovered justification by faith, but those in the Roman Catholic Church recovered the knowledge of the inner life.
B. Aside from these two items, in more than a hundred years between Luther in the sixteenth century and Madame Guyon in the seventeenth century, there were no other clear recoveries—only a general recovery.
C. The first recovery was justification by faith, and the second recovery was the knowledge of the inner life; Madame Guyon is representative of those who recovered the knowledge of the inner life; they paid attention to the inner fellowship with God and to living before Him; historians call them the mystics.
D. God let the recovery of the inner life take place in Catholicism in order to show that the Reformation could not meet His need on the earth and that Protestantism does not meet the standard of His testimony; the recovery of justification by faith was a great thing; the recovery of the knowledge of life was also a great thing.
III. In the sixteenth century the Reformation was fully formed, and in the seventeenth century the knowledge of the inner life was prominent; a hundred years later, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Moravian Brethren and Count Zinzendorf were raised up—cf. Rev. 3:7-13:
A. This was an important development in the recovery, which emphasized leaving politics and earthly organizations.
B. These brothers left both worldly and religious organizations; they were very living and strong; in fifty years they sent out more missionaries to preach the gospel in foreign lands than all the mission boards in the entire world had sent out in the preceding two centuries.
C. They were very strong at that time. Because they had left worldly and religious organizations, the Holy Spirit was able to work freely among them. They recovered going out into the entire earth to bring the testimony of the gospel to all people.
D. Moreover, the Moravian Brethren had many special characteristics, such as loving one another and having a condition of one accord.
IV. Although the recovery with the Moravian brethren was quite strong, God did not stop there; instead, He continued to take the way of recovery; approximately a hundred years after this great recovery, God had another strong recovery with the so-called Brethren—Rev. 3:7-13:
A. This recovery began in England in the early part of the nineteenth century, formally in 1828; this recovery was even stronger; readers of the Bible who have the light all acknowledge that this recovery was the fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy concerning Philadelphia—Rev. 3:7-13.
B. The name Philadelphia means “brotherly love;” when the Brethren were raised up, they were truly a “Philadelphia”; a situation of brotherly love was recovered and manifested among them.
C. This recovery was very thorough, and it might be said that what needed to be recovered in the church was recovered completely; every item related to the church was restored to its original condition it was truly pleasing to the Lord.
1. First, they obeyed the Lord’s word absolutely; at that time the Bible in their hands was truly an opened book, a shining book; many important truths were released at that time; the Brethren released almost all of the biblical and orthodox truths preached in Christianity for the past one hundred years, from the truth of the gospel to the deepest truths; what a tremendous matter!
2. Furthermore, their separation from the world and forsaking of idols was thorough and absolute.
3. It was not until the time of the Brethren that the hierarchy in the church was truly and thoroughly eliminated; they were brothers together; among them, they called each other brother in their preaching; when shaking hands they called each other brother; in their conversation they also called each other brother; they always addressed each other as brothers; when people first went into their midst, it seems as if they could not hear anything else; they only heard “brother.”
4. In the beginning the Brethren absolutely eliminated sectarianism and maintained the testimony of oneness; the matter of leaving the denominations began with them; in the beginning many of them were believers who came out of denominations; they came together to maintain the testimony of the oneness of the church; this point also was stressed very much among them.
5. The Brethren were freed from organization; they had no branch churches or headquarters. So, they absolutely allowed Christ to be the Head and the Holy Spirit to rule among them.
V. In the first twenty or thirty years after the Brethren began in 1828, they had the original condition of the church; regrettably, this situation did not last long; around 1850, after they had met for approximately twenty years, some problems arose among them which led to their failure—Rev. 3:14-22:
A. The first division was between J. N. Darby and Benjamin Newton; their dispute was concerning the rapture of the believers; Darby was strong concerning pretribulation rapture, whereas Newton was strong concerning posttribulation rapture.
B. Later, there was a second split among them; this division was between the so-called closed Brethren and the open Brethren.
C. Although the beginning of the divisions among the Brethren started over a disagreement concerning the rapture, the truths that were revealed to them greatly benefited all the Lord’s children.
D. However, due to the Brethren’s overemphasis on doctrines, they were divided again and again.
Ministry Excerpts:
THE RECOVERY WITH THE PROTESTANT CHURCH—
IN THE FIRST PART OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY
We have seen the original condition of the church and how the church became degraded. Now we need to see the recovery of the church. We must realize that the original condition of the church on earth did not last long. The church was established around A.D. 30, but near the end of the first century, after only fifty or sixty years, when the apostle John was about to depart from this world, the church began to have a little degradation. At that time the desolation of the church was limited to its inward content; it remained more or less the same in its principle and ground. At the beginning of the second century, however, the degradation of the church in its principle set in; some of the basic principles began to go awry. In the first part of the fourth century, even though the church had existed on earth for only a little over two and a half centuries, the degradation became quite serious when the Roman Emperor Constantine accepted the Christian religion. Finally, in the fifth century, when the Roman Catholic Church was officially formed, it became the imperial religion of the Roman Empire in complete union with the world. It also unified the religious organization and produced the pope as the highest authority. At this stage it might be said that the degradation of the church was complete. Both in regard to its nature and principle or its testimony and ground, every aspect became completely degraded; nothing was left that had not become degraded. It could be said that the church at that time could no longer be considered the church. This situation of degradation continued for approximately one thousand years until the first part of the sixteenth century when Martin Luther brought in the Reformation. In these one thousand years, the church may be said to have been in a period of total darkness. Students of history know that this was also the darkest period in the history of Europe. History books contain a considerable record of the situation of darkness.
In the first part of the sixteenth century, Martin Luther, who was still a monk in the Roman Catholic Church, was raised up by God. Once he stood up, many others responded, and the well-known Reformation in history exploded. At that time, the explosion of the Reformation not only had spiritual power, it also had political strength because the kings of European nations did not want to be controlled by the pope. They took the opportunity and joined the Reformation, hoping to gain political freedom. Therefore, the Reformation had a political element mixed into its nature; it was not a purely religious movement. Nevertheless, there were still many who came out of the Roman Catholic Church. Gradually, they formed the so-called Protestant churches of today. We may say that today’s Protestant churches are products of Luther’s Reformation.
From that time to the present, a period of almost four hundred years, Christianity has been divided into two great branches on the earth. One great branch is the Roman Catholic Church with the Greek Orthodox Church and a remainder of the sect of Nestorians. The other great branch is the Protestant church, which includes thousands of sects and denominations. The Reformation can be reckoned as the first step, or the first part, of the recovery. Now let us briefly look at the important points of this recovery from a spiritual perspective.
Recovering the Open Bible
First, the open Bible was recovered through the Reformation. When God gave the Bible to man, it was for everyone. But in the degradation of the church, the Bible was locked up under the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church did not allow believers to read the Bible themselves. The Scriptures were read only by the clergy, a group of people specialized in holy service. Sometimes they selected some portions from the Bible and explained them to the believers, but they never entrusted the believers with the whole Bible. Therefore, at that time the Bible was locked up; the word of God was sealed. In the Reformation the first thing Luther did was to open the Bible to the public. He released the Bible completely so that everyone had a Bible in their hands to read. This is the most worthy thing of the Reformation, and it is also the most beneficial thing to later generations. Some have said that justification by faith was the first thing recovered in Luther’s Reformation, but justification by faith is not the center of the Reformation. The most important item of the Reformation was the recovery of the open Bible. Luther’s recovery of justification by faith was based upon what he found in the open Bible. Therefore, the most precious item given to us by the Reformation was the open Bible. The second item was justification by faith, which was derived from the first.
Although the Bible was made available to the public, not much of it was opened up, interpreted. Opening the Bible to the public is one thing, but opening up the Bible is another. Reading the Bible is one thing, but reading it with light is another. In the Reformation, the Bible was opened to the public, but not much of the Bible was opened up. The Bible in black and white was placed before people to read, but not much light came out of their reading. Of course, this is not speaking absolutely but relatively.
Furthermore, even though some truths were opened up, they were not obeyed absolutely. There were certain truths which even Martin Luther did not obey. For example, after some achievements were made through the Reformation, the state churches still were produced. Although the Reformation rescued the church out of the Church of Rome, it did not rescue the church out of politics. Martin Luther saw this light from the Bible. He was clear concerning this, and he told people that the church’s fall into politics was a matter not according to the Scriptures. However, he also said that he did not have a way to reform this matter at that time and wished that others would rise up to do it at a later time. During that time there were other truths which were opened up but which were not kept. This is still the case with the Protestant churches produced by the Reformation; many truths in the Bible have been released, but they have not been obeyed diligently.
Therefore, in the Protestant churches, the Bible is still not the highest authority in many matters. For example, in today’s Protestant churches there is still the human headship and the resolutions of councils, which are frequently considered higher than the teachings of the Bible and thus have control over the churches. In many instances the opinions of their leaders and the resolutions of their councils are more authoritative than the teachings of the Bible. On many matters the teachings of the Bible are not the highest judgment; rather, the opinions of their leaders and the proposals of their councils are the final decisions. Therefore, even though the Bible has been unlocked, it seems as if there has not been much effect. It has not been opened up sufficiently, and what has been opened up has not been honored sufficiently. This is the situation regarding the recovery of the Bible in the Protestant churches.
Not Separated from the World
Second, the Protestant church was not separated from the world. The beginning of the Protestant church was the formation of various state churches; thus, the church fell into the hands of political governments. Therefore, the Protestant church was not freed from the world; it was still, in principle, the same as the Roman Catholic Church which was mixed with the Roman Empire.
Later, Protestants produced the so-called private churches, such as the Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Wesleyan Church. Although these were not state churches and seemed to be outside of politics, they still had many elements and practices that were linked to the world. These situations continue to the present time. Therefore, the Protestant church is still mixed with the world, similar to a boat being in the water and water also being in the boat. The Protestant church did not have a thorough reform in this matter.
Forsaking Idols
Third, the Protestant church forsook idols. Generally speaking, it is true that the Protestant church forsook idols outwardly. It is not easy to find an idol in any of the Protestant groups. This may be considered as a strong recovery with the Protestant church.
Not Eliminating the Intermediary Class
Fourth, the Protestant church did not eliminate the intermediary class. We all know about the intermediary class. For example, the system of priests in the Roman Catholic Church is an intermediary class. They exclusively handle things related to the service and worship of God, and the rest of the believers occupy themselves with worldly affairs. We have already pointed out that this is very much against the principle of the New Testament. The New Testament shows that every saved one is a priest, and as such, everyone can approach God and serve God directly without relying on an intermediary. But the deformed church brought the priestly system, the intermediary class, of the Old Testament into the church in the New Testament. The Roman Catholic Church has a priestly system. Protestant churches, even though they reject the priestly system, have produced other systems which in principle and nature are not much different. The state churches have a clerical system, the clergy, and sometimes those who belong to the clergy are called priests; the private churches have the pastoral system.
Having Even More Divisions
Because of the Roman Catholic Church’s promotion of the unification of all the churches around the globe, the church did not have divisions on the surface. But when the Protestant church began, there was a division into numerous state churches according to distinctions of nations and national boundaries. Later, due to the promotion of different truths, the adoption of different policies and systems, and the holding of different spiritual giants in high respect, the church was further divided into many private churches. As a result, the Protestant church presently is divided into approximately two thousand denominations and sects. The Protestant church did not have a recovery in this respect; instead, it caused an even worse degradation of the church.
Not Putting Away the Organization for Unification
The various denominations of the Protestant church also established respective headquarters for unification. Almost every denomination has regional centers and general headquarters above the local congregations. The lowest level is the local congregation, the highest level is the general headquarters, and in the middle are regional centers. All of these forms of organization rob the Holy Spirit of His authority and usurp the headship of Christ in the church.
Not Allowing Christ to Have Absolute Position
Nor Allowing the Holy Spirit to Have Absolute Authority
In summary, although the Protestant church was much improved in comparison to the Roman Catholic Church, it did not have a thorough recovery—it did not allow Christ to have the absolute position or the Holy Spirit to have the absolute authority. In the Protestant state churches, either the head of the nation or the highest bishop is considered as the highest authority. In the Protestant private churches, their councils are considered as the highest authority. The Bible, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all neglected; all decisions are made according to the decisions of councils. This causes Christ to lose His position and the Holy Spirit to lose His authority in the church. The above points briefly describe the situation of recovery with the Protestant church.
THE RECOVERY WITH
THE MORAVIAN BRETHREN IN UNITY—
IN THE EARLY PART OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
Although the Reformation was a great recovery of the church, only a small part was recovered; a great number of important matters of the church were still not recovered. Therefore, after another two hundred years, in the early part of the eighteenth century, God had a further recovery with the Moravian brethren. The Moravian brethren originally lived in Moravia, but they suffered persecution because of their love for the Lord with a pure heart. Eventually, they escaped to Bohemia. In the early part of the eighteenth century, they brought in a great revival there. This revival was a strong recovery, and it was much more serious than the recovery through the Reformation. It recovered nearly ninety percent of what needed to be recovered in the church. To a great extent these brethren returned to the original condition of the church in its nature, in its principle, in its testimony, and in its ground. Let us briefly cover the important points of this recovery.
Obeying the Lord’s Word— the Bible
First, the Moravian brethren not only had the Bible in their hands, but they also obeyed the words of the Bible. Their living, work, meeting, and worship were all according to the teaching of the Bible. Therefore, at that time the Bible was quite illuminating. They were much more advanced on this point than the Protestants.
Separated from the World
Second, they were truly freed, separated, from the world. They did not mix themselves with politics. They were citizens of a nation, but on matters related to the worship of God they did not mix with politics. This time, the matter of the church being separated from the world was recovered considerably. It could be likened to the boat being on the sea but the sea water not coming into the boat.
Not Defiled by Idols
Third, they were absolutely not defiled by idols. Concerning this matter, they were much more absolute than the Protestants.
Removing Distinctions in Rank and Stressing the Fellowship
and Coordination of the Brethren
Fourth, they removed distinctions in rank. Thank the Lord, when these Moravian brethren were raised up, distinctions in rank in the church were eliminated. They scorned rank and forsook organization; instead, they stressed the fellowship and coordination among themselves as brothers. Brother Zinzendorf, a leading one among them, once said that if he gave up fellowship with the brethren, he would not know where to find the church. What a marvelous realization! To him, the reality of the church was in the fellowship and coordination of the brethren. They paid attention to this point; therefore, their service was strong and living. This is evident in history.
Endeavoring to Keep the Oneness
by Abandoning Differences in Doctrinal Views
They also endeavored to keep the oneness by abandoning differences in doctrinal views. At that time, at least four different groups were meeting together: Moravian brethren, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Calvinists. These four groups were quite different from one another in their doctrinal views. At the beginning they argued so seriously that they were almost divided. Then Zinzendorf proposed that all of them make a contract in which they would agree to lay aside their doctrinal differences and pay attention only to the points that were similar among them. Because they were people who loved the Lord with pure hearts, being the so-called puritans in history, they accepted Zinzendorf’s proposal and signed the contract in May 1727. From that time on they laid aside all the differences and focused on the similarities. Later the Holy Spirit continued to work so that even the doctrinal differences were completely eliminated. In this way they became absolutely one. Hence, they greatly experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and after three or four years, they went in groups to foreign lands for the spread of the gospel in an unprecedented way.
Removing Formal Organization for Unification
In this recovery, they also removed formal organization for unification. They did not have a head church and branch churches. Formal organization was completely removed from their midst.
Allowing Christ to Be the Head and
the Holy Spirit to Rule among Them
In such a situation, the Moravian brethren allowed Christ to be the Head and allowed the Holy Spirit to rule among them. The recovery among them might be considered quite complete. All who read church history admit that the recovery among this group of Moravian brethren was the first serious recovery of the church since the first group of the apostles. This was a tremendous recovery.
THE RECOVERY WITH THE BRETHREN—
IN THE EARLY PART OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
Although the recovery with the Moravian brethren was quite strong, God did not stop there; instead, He continued to take the way of recovery. Approximately a hundred years after this great recovery, God had another strong recovery with the so-called Brethren. This recovery began in England in the early part of the nineteenth century, formally in 1828. This recovery was even stronger. Readers of the Bible who have the light all acknowledge that this recovery was the fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy concerning Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13). The name Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” When the Brethren were raised up, they were truly a “Philadelphia”; a situation of brotherly love was recovered and manifested among them. This recovery was very thorough, and it might be said that what needed to be recovered in the church was recovered completely. Every item related to the church was restored to its original condition. It was truly pleasing to the Lord. Here we can cover only the main points of this recovery briefly.
Absolutely Obeying the Lord’s Word—
the Bible Becoming an Opened Book
First, they obeyed the Lord’s word absolutely. At that time the Bible in their hands was truly an opened book, a shining book. Many important truths were released at that time. The Brethren released almost all of the biblical and orthodox truths preached in Christianity for the past one hundred years, from the truth of the gospel to the deepest truths. What a tremendous matter!
For example, before the Brethren were raised up, even though the truth concerning justification by faith was recovered, the truth of the gospel was not clear, and there was no assurance of salvation. The Brethren started from this point and released the light of the truth. Other truths were discovered by the Brethren, including the truths concerning the second coming of the Lord Jesus and the church. Biblical truths flowed out from them like torrents, and we are still being helped by them. Many famous Bible teachers in church history were brothers in their midst, such as J. N. Darby, J. G. Bellett, C. H. Mackintosh (who wrote Notes on the Pentateuch), and William Kelly. These brothers knew the Bible and opened up the Bible book by book. At their time the Bible was completely opened up. This fulfilled what the Lord said to the church in Philadelphia: “You have a little power and have kept My word” (Rev. 3:8). When the Brethren were raised up, they kept the Lord’s word. This is the reason that thel ight of the Lord’s word was especially shining among them. To this day there is still much light among the Brethren.
Absolutely Separated from the World
and Absolutely Forsaking Idols
Furthermore, their separation from the world and forsaking of idols was thorough and absolute. At that time, many among them were persons with titles of nobility, and they respectfully returned the titles to the royal family. They were reluctant even in the matter of taking pictures. They would not have their pictures taken unless it was absolutely necessary. Mr. Darby was the weightiest among them, yet it is difficult to find a picture of him. He felt that this kind of thing inevitably had the smell of the world and carried the flavor of idols as well. He did not want to have his picture looked at and adored by others. Here we can see that their separation from the world and forsaking of idols was absolute!
Absolutely Eliminating Hierarchy and Being Brothers Together and Members One of Another with Special Emphasis on Mutual Love and Fellowship
It was not until the time of the Brethren that the hierarchy in the church was truly and thoroughly eliminated. They were brothers together. Among them, they called each other brother in their preaching; when shaking hands they called each other brother; in their conversation they also called each other brother. They always addressed each other as brothers. When people first went into their midst, it seems as if they could not hear anything else; they only heard “brother.” Based on this particular characteristic, outsiders called them the “Brethren,” since they did not have a special name. This term Brethren was translated into Chinese as “Brethren church,” but actually in English it is simply “Brethren.”
Concerning the elimination of hierarchy among them, I can tell you a little story. Many people have heard of George Müller, who founded an orphanage; he was also one of the Brethren. At the Lord’s table, he always sat on the last row of seats, as if to say, “I am the same as all the brothers; why should I sit at the front?” By this we can see that they paid attention to being brothers to one another. They thoroughly eliminated hierarchy.
Let me tell another story regarding the Brethren. During World War I, England and Germany were bitter opponents. Because many British people were killed by the Germans, they hated the Germans. After the war ended and the peace treaty was signed, the Brethren in England felt that some of them should go and visit the brethren in Germany. Thus, they went, and the brethren in Germany greatly welcomed them. In one of the meetings, a brother in Germany stood up and said, “We really thank and praise the Lord that some of the brethren of England have come to visit us.” After he finished, a brother from England stood up and corrected him, saying, “We are not brothers of England but brothers from England.” Dear brothers and sisters, how sweet it was! All of the flavor of the world, all of the element of idols, and all the things related to the hierarchy were completely removed from their midst. They were purely before God as brothers and as fellow members of the Body of Christ, paying attention especially to mutual love and fellowship. Even today their mutual love and fellowship are still very strong. Although I have not personally observed their situation, others have described it to me thoroughly, and it is truly a tremendous scene of mutual love and fellowship.
Absolutely Eliminating Sectarianism
and Maintaining the Testimony of Oneness
In the beginning the Brethren absolutely eliminated sectarianism and maintained the testimony of oneness. The matter of leaving the denominations began with them. In the beginning many of them were believers who came out of denominations. They came together to maintain the testimony of the oneness of the church. This point also was stressed very much among them.
Absolutely Freed from Any Organization
The Brethren were freed from organization. They had no branch churches or headquarters.
Completely Allowing Christ to Be the Head
and the Holy Spirit to Rule among Them
The Brethren absolutely allowed Christ to be the Head and the Holy Spirit to rule among them because they were freed from any form of organization. In the first thirty years of their history, their situation was truly wonderful. If we read their history and letters, we must say that Christ was truly their Head and the Holy Spirit was truly their authority. They returned to the original condition of the church.
THE FAILURE OF THE BRETHREN—
BEGINNING NOT LONG AFTER THEIR RECOVERY
Even though the Brethren had a good recovery at the beginning, it was not maintained for very long. It is not easy to maintain a high peak or a high water level for a long time. In the first twenty or thirty years after the Brethren began in 1828, they had the original condition of the church. Regrettably, this situation did not last long. Around 1850, after they had met for approximately twenty years, some problems arose among them which led to their failure.
What kind of problems arose among them? In the beginning they forsook sectarianism and left the denominations. When they began to meet in various places, there was one assembly in one locality. There was no problem. After a while, many of the Christians in the Protestant denominations admired their situation and wanted to join their meetings, but they could not break away from their denominations and wanted instead to meet with both groups. When these ones came into their midst, the brothers among the Brethren had different attitudes toward them. One group of brothers held the view that they should not accept Christians who were meeting with both groups. They seemed to say, “Although these Christians are brothers, they have not left the sects, the denominations. Therefore, they are ‘evil companions’ and cannot be accepted. If they want to be received by us, they need to leave the denominations because denominations are wrong. We can receive them only when they have completely left the denominations.” Another group of brothers, however, had a different opinion and seemed to say, “This should not be so. Although these Christians are still remaining in the denominations, this sin is not sufficient for us to cut them off from the fellowship of the church. We can only say that they have made a mistake, but we cannot reject them.” Thus, there was a split among the Brethren into two large groups. The group that did not agree with receiving Christians who were still joined to a denomination was strict in this matter and later became known as the exclusive Brethren. The group that was in favor of receiving such Christians was more lenient and later became known as the open Brethren. Thus, the division among the Brethren began; not only was one locality divided from another, but brothers in the same locality were also divided into an exclusive and an open group.
After a while, the Brethren became more and more sophisticated in their study of the truths, and they became increasingly different in their views. At the same time, they also had many differences in their opinions and practices concerning meeting and service. In response, they said that those with different opinions were preaching “evil doctrines” and should not remain in the group. Thus, the Brethren further splintered into many small groups. These divisions took place among the exclusive Brethren and also among the open Brethren. The exclusive Brethren were divided mainly because of arguments concerning doctrines, and the open Brethren were divided mainly because of differences in opinions. Furthermore, the open Brethren had a particular characteristic of not quarreling when they had a difference in opinion; rather, they adopted a seemingly civil way of simply leaving and setting up another assembly. In this way they could boast that they never fought with each other. In actuality, they did fight; it only looked as if they did not fight because they would leave and set up another assembly. As a result, there could be several open Brethren assemblies in a locality. This was regrettable. As a result of so many divisions, they lost both the nature of oneness and the ground of oneness.
On one hand, the Brethren were divided into many small assemblies in a locality; this was not according to the principle of one city, one church, and it also damaged the ground of the oneness of the church in a locality. On the other hand, they also went beyond the boundary of a locality and joined with brothers in various localities who shared the same opinions and same views, thereby producing an “extra-local” union. This also damaged the local nature and ground of the church. These two practices—having an “extra-local” union and having many assemblies in one locality—completely damaged the orthodox oneness of the church on the local ground. When the Brethren deviated in this manner, they failed. This caused the high level of the recovery among the Brethren to decline. (The Testimony and the Ground of the Church, Section Three: The Degradation and the Recovery of the Church, msg. 3)