It is remotely possible that reading about or hearing of Margaret MacDonalds alleged vision of a pre-tribulation rapture started him thinking on the subject. But there is no evidence that he even knew about this particular alleged vision. Some years ago Dave MacPherson capitalized on this lack of evidence with a book titled The Incredible Cover-up. In this book MacPherson added to the falsehood of the original accusation by claiming that Darby had covered up his contact with Margaret MacDonald. He devoted the entire book to a newspaper-like exposé to prove Darby had in fact visited Margaret MacDonalds church, which was called the Catholic Apostolic Church. This was completely false. Darby not only did not cover up his visits there, but he openly wrote about them. He called this group the Irvingites because their main teacher was a man named Edward Irving. In the following account he referred to himself as the Irish Clergyman because he had been called that in the article he was answering, which had been written by a Mr. Newton. Notice that this account specifically mentions Two brothers (respectable shipbuilders at port Glasgow, of the name of MD ), and their sister as chief speakers at the meetings he attended. So he not only wrote about his visit to Margaret MacDonalds church, but specifically mentioned her as a speaker at these meetings.
But I must here (without any reproach to Mr. N., as it is a matter of memory) recall some facts, and rectify some statements. At Pentecost the languages were universally understood by those who spoke them; the Irvingite tongues never by any one: a notable difference. And this is so true, that after first trying their hand of making Chinese of it. It was suggested among them that it might be the tongue of angels, as it was said, If I speak with the tongues of men and angels delightful idea!
Mr. N. is quite exact in his account of the report of the Irish Clergyman, or at least of what the Irish Clergyman saw and heard. There was a pretended interpretation. Two brothers (respectable shipbuilders at port Glasgow, of the name of MD ), and their sister, were the chief persons who spoke, with a Gaelic maid-servant, in the tongues, and a Mrs. J. , in English. J. MD spoke, on the occasion alluded to, for about a quarter of an hour, with great energy and fluency, in a semi-latin sounding speech then sung a hymn in the same. Having finished, he knelt down and prayed there might be an interpretation; as God had given one gift, that He would add the other. His sister got up at the opposite side of the room, and professed to give the interpretation; but it was a string of texts on overcoming, and no hymn, and one, if not more, of the texts was quoted wrongly. Just afterwards there was a bustle; and apparently some one was unwell and went into the next room; and the gifted English-speaking person, with utterances from the highest pitch of voice to the lowest murmur, with all strange prolongation of tones, spoke through (if one may so express oneself, as if passing through) the agony of Christ. Once the Gaelic servant spoke briefly in a tongue; not, if the Irish Clergyman remembers right, the same evening. The sense he had of the want of the power of the Holy Ghost in the church made him willing to hear and see. Yet he went rather as deputed for others than for himself.
The excitement was great, so that, though not particularly an excitable person, he felt its effects very strongly. It did not certainly approve itself to his judgement; other things contributed to form it. It was too much of a scene. Previous to the time of exercising the gifts, they read, sung psalms, and prayed, under certain persons providence (one of them a very estimable person, who has since seen free from all this, and a minister of an independent or some dissenting church in Edinburgh, then a church-elder). This being finished, the Irish Clergyman was going away, when another said to him, Dont go: the best part is probably to come yet. So he stayed, and heard what has just been related. He was courteously admitted, as one not believing, who came to see what was the real truth of the case. The parties are mostly dead, or dispersed, and many freed from the delusion, and the thing itself public; so that he does not feel that he is guilty of any indiscretion in giving a correct account of what passed.
It may be added, without of course saying anything that could point out the persons, that female vanity, and very distinct worldliness, did not confirm, to his mind, the thought that it could be the Spirits power. The MD s were in ordinary life quiet, sober men, and, he believes, most blameless. Their names were so public that there is no indelicacy in alluding to them. (From The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby second ed., Vol 6, pp 448-450, William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated.)
Further evidence against the accusation that Darby got this idea from Margaret MacDonalds supposed vision is Darbys opinion of her group as a whole. He wrote:
The people called Irvingites have been plainly convicted elsewhere of so much false doctrine, false practice, and false prophecy, and that by many of the Church of God, as to make it, when known, a question only of preserving Gods children against the deceits and crafts of Satan... they have been often charged with holding the sinful humanity of Christ, and many of their teachers and disciples have, to the writer of this and to other persons avowed it -- that He had the carnal mind, but kept it down or dead. Mr. Irving, bold and fearless in the statement of what he held, declared that his nature bristled with sin like quills upon a porcupine; and that the nature with which the Son of man was clothed poured forth from the center of its inmost will streams as black as hell; and that the Augean stable of this nature was given Him to cleanse; and, what was most material, the spirit which they profess to be the Holy Ghost, though it might not sanction the language, expressly sanctioned the doctrine, the doctrine to which it gave its sanction being, that the law of sin was there all-present.
Now this was so plainly wicked and evil, and contrary to Gods word and Spirit, that they have, since they have been pressed with it, taken great pains, at least the subtler ones among them, to disclaim and deny this. I say the subtler ones; because it has been not long since avowed by some of their teachers to the writer of this. The way they have gotten over the Spirits having sanctioned it is, that they were not answerable for what was said, that is, in utterance by the Spirit, before the ordinances were set up. One of these very ordinances said to the writer of this, that the Spirit might have said it through prejudice to please Me. Irving. I only mention this to shew the unhappy degradation to which men may be reduced by giving way to the leadings of an evil spirit. (From The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby second ed., Vol 15, pp 3-4, William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated.)
But it is not only the group that Darby condemned as Satanic, but their alleged prophetic visions. He further wrote that It may not be generally known that the gifts among the Irvingites were founded on this doctrine of Christ being a sinner in nature like ourselves. Mr. Irvings statement was that he had long preached the gifts, but there was nothing for the Holy Ghost to testify to; but when he preached this doctrine they came as a witness to it. His teaching moreover on the subject was confirmed by what was received as the prophetic power amongst them.(From The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby second ed., Vol 6, pp 450-451, William Kelly, ed., London, G. Morrish, not dated.)
Finally, Margaret MacDonalds own notes of this alleged vision plainly show that, although it included a pre-tribulation rapture of some of the saints of God, this was only a partial rapture. If Darby had been relying on any supposed authority behind this alleged vision, he would have made his rapture doctrine a similar partial rapture, instead of the universal rapture of all true believers in Christ which he taught, and which almost all pre-tribbers still teach today.
