THE RISE, DIVISIONS, PRACTICE AND DOCTRINES OF “THE BRETHREN,” COMMONLY CALLED, “PLYMOUTH BRETHREN.”
The subject of my lecture to-night is “The rise, divisions, practice, and doctrines of the Plymouth Brethren.” The object proposed is not to excite controversy, but to give information concerning a denomination of Christians, who, though they have existed nearly forty years, and are most active in the dissemination of their peculiar views, and have, for this purpose, created a special literature of their own, are yet but very little and very imperfectly known. The ground they take throws upon us the responsibility of examination ; for we are told that all denominations have utterly gone astray, that they alone occupy the true Church position, that, in fact, they alone make the Scriptures the foundation of their doctrines and the guide of their practice and worship. Now it was to test these claims that we entered upon the task proposed this evening ; but we had no idea of the labour thereby involved, for there is no single publication which contains their views, and hence we have had to read a host of pamphlets, to wade through shoals of their controversial writings, to sift and winnow the chaff from the wheat, to apply to “Brethren” themselves for information, in fact, to adopt any and all possible means to arrive at an accurate knowledge of the subject.
Whether we have been successful or not the lecture itself must tell. One thing, however, we may premise. We have had but one object―the promotion of the truth; and we can, therefore, venture to give the assurance that not a single statement has been made without a most conscientious investigation of all the means of information placed within our reach. All, therefore, that we ask from your hands is a patient hearing and an unbiassed judgment, for, as the Apostle says, speaking on the authority of Divine inspiration, “we can do nothing against the truth―but for the truth.”