# The Brethern - Kelly & Darby



## Mayflower (Jan 5, 2008)

Today i was talking with a friend of mine whom loves the calvinistic teaching alot and also the puritans. He came from a (close)brethern background, but left them a few years ago, and even though he loves the puritans, he still speaks with much apperciating concerning the writtings & commentaries of the brethen (except their eschatology) like Darby and Kelly.

Is their anyone who also like some writtings or commentaries of the Brethern ?

Any thoughts ?


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## Reformed Covenanter (Jan 5, 2008)

Mayflower said:


> Today i was talking with a friend of mine whom loves the calvinistic teaching alot and also the puritans. He came from a (close)brethern background, but left them a few years ago, and even though he loves the puritans, he still speaks with much apperciating concerning the writtings & commentaries of the brethen (except their eschatology) like Darby and Kelly.
> 
> Is their anyone who also like some writtings or commentaries of the Brethern ?
> 
> Any thoughts ?



I don't know about Kelly, but according to Crawford Gribben (who has done a lot of research into the Brethren), JN Darby was a Calvinist.


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## JM (Jan 5, 2008)

The Brethren...yes, most in the beginning were Calvinists. JND debated Moody over the doctrines of Grace.

Thread

I own a few volumes of Darby’s Collected Works and he seems to have trouble staying focused when he writes, or at least I have trouble staying focused while reading his work, he writes like he’s thinking out loud. William Kelly wrote commentaries on everything and was the editor of a magazine if I’m not mistaken. If it wasn't for Kelly collecting JND's works, including editing his synopsis on the Bible, his work would be impossible to read. 

The writings of William Kelly are free online but you can also order them new or used from here, I've ordered used and new books from them in the past and was very pleased with them.

j

[edit to add]

bio



> WILLIAM KELLY
> 
> BIOGRAPHY
> 
> ...


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## AV1611 (Jan 6, 2008)

Mayflower said:


> Is their anyone who also like some writtings or commentaries of the Brethern ?



I have a soft spot for them but I would not base my theology on them


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## JM (Jan 6, 2008)

I second RJS on that.


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## Reformed Covenanter (Jan 6, 2008)

AV1611 said:


> Mayflower said:
> 
> 
> > Is their anyone who also like some writtings or commentaries of the Brethern ?
> ...



Who among them would you say was an exceptional commentator?


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## AV1611 (Jan 6, 2008)

Daniel Ritchie said:


> Who among them would you say was an exceptional commentator?



I would not say either was exceptional but I do like their work on the typology of the OT feasts. They are online here:

The writings of J. N. Darby

The writings of William Kelly

Incidently, C. H. Mackintosh wrote a good pamphlet on false worship using Leviticus 10:1-11 False Worship. Mackintosh also said (I forget where) that the more alive to the spirit worship is the more dead to the flesh it is and that has really stuck with me.


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## JM (Jan 6, 2008)

W.E. Vine comes to mind, he published the "Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words" without a copyright. F.F. Bruce is also a solid Calvinist and covenantal. F. C. Jennings and J. G. Bellett wrote good devotional material.


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## Reformed Covenanter (Jan 6, 2008)

JM said:


> W.E. Vine comes to mind, he published the "Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words" without a copyright. F.F. Bruce is also a solid Calvinist and covenantal. F. C. Jennings and J. G. Bellett wrote good devotional material.



F.F. Bruce was a very good writer.


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## DMcFadden (Jan 6, 2008)

Daniel Ritchie said:


> JM said:
> 
> 
> > W.E. Vine comes to mind, he published the "Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words" without a copyright. F.F. Bruce is also a solid Calvinist and covenantal. F. C. Jennings and J. G. Bellett wrote good devotional material.
> ...



And a VERY productive scholar. He was the doctoral mentor to several of my profs from college and seminary days.


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## Ivan (Jan 6, 2008)

I have a couple who are members of my church who were Brethren. They have Calvinistic tendencies but are dispensational. He knew Paul Little of _*Know What You Believe*_ fame. I think Little was Brethren too.


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## RamistThomist (Jan 6, 2008)

AV1611 said:


> Daniel Ritchie said:
> 
> 
> > Who among them would you say was an exceptional commentator?
> ...



CH Mackintosh was the first major commentator I read. While I would now disagree with his material, I found him to be warm and Christ-centered.


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## DavidCPorter (Jan 30, 2008)

Neither Darby nor Kelly would have accepted the name 'Calvinist' but both were Calvinistic in their understanding of salvation. Modern brethren have not followed them in this except for the Exclusive groups where Darby is considered to be the final authority. The major difficulty with the 'Brethren' is their defective understanding of the relationship between Old and New Testaments because of their dispensationalism.


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