OUR DUTY IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

^[p. 129] OUR DUTY IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

First, to gather to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. For though the Holy Spirit dwells in the house and each believer is His temple, there is a very important addition to this — “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”. As the ark of the covenant or as the Urim and Thummim were essential to Israel in the days of their faithfulness, so is the presence of the Lord to those in any measure true to Him. Thus each one would be under His ordering, and worship and edification would be the result of coming together. Then everything unsuited to His house, every one practically unfit to be recognised as a member of Christ’s body, would be put away, or in the event, as alas! it has happened, that ‘canker’ was tolerated in the house of God, then there would be no option but to purge oneself from the vessels to dishonour, while following with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart, so that still there might be, as it were, a spot in the house according to the mind of God; and every one acting faithfully to Christ in separating, would really conduce to the blessing of those from whom they had thus separated.