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ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE, GREENWICH, NOVEMBER 21ST, 1894

To Mr. T. H. Reynolds.

Dearest Reynolds, — Thank you very much for your letter. I think they are a bit unmerciful in Scotland in the way of meetings, but I trust that your strength may be equal to it and that your visit may be greatly blessed. I fear that Hull may be a very serious difficulty for I think their act of G.H. declaring Young and those with him (in a lump) as disqualified for the Lord’s table on the ground they give will be very hard for many to swallow. I try to keep out of it but Oliphant began it with me last evening at the brothers’ reading and I had a trying conversation with him. I had a regular battle with him in the reading after, he strongly contending for ecclesiastical ground and I maintaining that according to 2 Timothy the basis of our fellowship was moral (following faith, love and peace with those calling on the Lord out of a pure heart), and refusing to allow that brethren could assume to be the assembly or were gathered on the ground of any particular truth, as if so they would be a sect. I fully admitted that in our fellowship we had no guide but the light of Scripture as to the assembly. I fear that Oliphant is strongly tinged with ecclesiasticism and that this is the root of the contention. I think I had the sense of the meeting with me though I may likely hear of hints of Bethesda ground, denying the truth of the one body, etc., etc.

^[p. 94] Curiously enough in the meeting a brother came out pat with the idea that the one body was our system of meetings in intercommunication with one another. I am exceedingly sorry for the attitude of Oliphant. He is losing influence in London. Give my love to Telford and his wife and with the same to yourself.

Believe me,
Your affectionate brother,
F. E. Raven.

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