EXTRACTS

Not even Bezaleel or any of the wise-hearted men could have made the curtains or the coverings as they ought to be if the women had not done the spinning properly. There might be many gifts in a meeting, and much spiritual material available, but if the sisters were gossips and tale-bearers there would be a poor result for God! Spinning is binding the fibres together so that when they are woven there is a firm texture. The New Testament speaks of building together and knitting together, and we have seen in the tabernacle the thought of loops, and clasps, and rings, and couplings—the idea of all being held together. And the spinning is what we may call the fundamental process; if that is not done right, nothing will be right. Every sister can do a little spinning—can do something in the direction of getting the saints drawn together in the appreciation of Christ. To say a word or bring an influence to bear that promotes this is a valuable service. What we appreciate in Christ will characterize us. The more I appreciate what He is as the heavenly One, the more heavenly I shall be. That is the ‘blue’, and it is so with the

other colours also. All that Christ is has to take form in the affections of saints, and they have to be held together in the appreciation of Him. No other bond has any divine value.

C. A. Coates (‘Outline of Exodus’, p.307)

It is a solemn word, “Remember the wife of Lot”, Luke 17: 32 … The Lord here is warning us against making the most of our lives here, and the danger of not being satisfied with what is necessary. Perhaps we want to make a show. That is, our lives are in this matter; we are making the most of the things of the world by the use of external things here. The Lord says that a man’s life does not consist in the things which he possesses, and so He warns us here,

“Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose it shall preserve it”. That is christianity. That is the Lord’s way of pointing out a true disciple.

J. Taylor (N.S. Vol. 86, p.435)

It would be out of keeping with the Lord’s mind if we should assume to be the collective thing; it would not be according to the truth. We are on individual lines now, in the public aspect; but after all, the principles hold—they are always workable; and the “two or three” of Matthew answers to our position. But if we lose sight of the whole church, failing to own the dreadful breakdown, we shall be only a sect, and we shall not have the Lord.

J. Taylor (N.S. Vol. 29, p.300)

Published by F. C. Mutton, 22 Christchurch Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4QY, England Printed by C. Ellis, Billericay, Essex, England