Some excerpts from "REFORMATION TOWARDS THE NEW TESTAMENT PATTERN" -
illustrating some key issues in ther Reformation, the life of A N
Groves, and the development of the "brethren movement".

"My full persuasion is, that inasmuch as anyone glories either in being
of the Church of England, Scotland, Baptist, Independent, Wesleyan, etc
his glory is in his shame, and that is anti-christian; for as the
Apostle said, were any of them crucified for you?  The only legitimate
ground of glorying is, that we (or others) are among the ransomed of the
Lord, by His grace.  As bodies, I know none of the sects and parties
that divide and disfigure the body of Christ; as individuals I desire to
love all who love Him.  Oh when will the day come, when the love of
Christ will have more power to unite them than our foolish regulations
have to divide the family of God."  (L134-5)

At first all 'brethren' believed "We were free, within the limits of the
truth, to share with them in PART, though we could not in ALL their
services..  We felt ourselves bound to separate from all individuals and
systems, so far as they required us to do what our consciences would not
allow, or restrained us from doing what our consciences required, and no
further.. and in this freedom.. should NOT force liberty on those who
were bound, nor withhold liberty from those who were free..  We felt
constrained to follow the apostolic rule of not judging another's
conscience, by our own, Rom 14."

"It is their preventing me from, or demanding from me, other than the
Lord demands, that divides me in a measure from every system... but I
would infinitely rather bear with all their evils than separate from
their good.  These were our principles of separation and intercommunion;
we had resolved never to try to get men to ACT in uniformity further
than they FELT in uniformity; .. and this for one simple reason, that we
saw no authority given us from God so to act; nor did our experience
lead us to feel that it was the best means of promoting their spiritual
blessing or our common aim of a perfect spiritual uniformity of
judgment; whilst to ourselves it (trying to compel uniformity) afforded
a ready outlet to the propensities of the flesh, under the appearance of
spiritual authority and zeal for the truth..."