EXTRACTS

If the saints are the members of the body of Christ, formed into one body by the Spirit of God, they are bound to preserve this unity in the bond of peace. They have to refuse everything which would grieve or hinder the Spirit. I cannot confine myself to my own conscience, or to the consciences of those immediately in fellowship with me. Whatever is necessarily incumbent on me, as of the one body, is equally necessary and incumbent on any other member of it as a member … whatever would defile me as a member of Christ’s body, I must regard as defiling to any other member; otherwise I do not understand the unity of the body, and that it is formed by the Spirit of God. If I understand that I am a member of the body of Christ on earth, I feel that I have a claim on every saint on the earth, and every one of them has a claim on me.

J. B. Stoney (Vol. 9, p.344)

“Is not this the carpenter?”, it says (Mark 6: 3). One is moved as one thinks of the Son of God, the Lord of Glory, the Creator and Upholder of everything in the universe; taking a plane, or a saw, or a chisel, and working. These are facts of Scripture, and they are to be taken into our hearts, that He was a real Man; and whilst here about His Father’s business, yet He worked with His reputed father, Joseph, as a carpenter.

J. Taylor (Vol. 22, p.121)

If I walk in the Spirit, if my mind is full of Christ, I have no occasion to think of myself at all. If I have not to judge myself, I can think of Him; but if I fail, then I have to humble and judge myself. And the normal state of a Christian is to do all “in the name of the Lord Jesus”. It may be the commonest affairs of daily life, buying and selling, furnishing my house, or dressing my body; but it is a very simple rule and cuts away a great deal.

J. N. Darby (Collected Writings. Vol. 34, p.302)

Neither meetings, nor any other instruction, can take the place of divine impressions in the home. What goes on in the meetings will not have moral power if it is not supported in the households of the saints … I do not believe that the oldest man can forget the impressions made upon him by the home piety of his parents.

C. A. Coates (‘Outline of Deuteronomy’, p.132)

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