JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, JULY 16TH, 1936

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, JULY 16TH, 1936

Mr. Arthur P. Taylor.

My Dear Arthur, — I have to thank you for two letters — most interesting. You all are constantly in my prayers. We are thankful indeed that your arm is somewhat better and that Ruth and the children are well. We thought of you all particularly lately because we heard as general news that dreadful heat had prevailed in the U.S.A., New York included, and many deaths from it. We trust you all have had mercy shown, especially Consie, who is much on our minds.

I cabled about the work in Cape Town. The meetings lasted altogether about nine days — an excellent time. Since then about nine have requested to be received into fellowship there, causing much cheer.

From Cape Town we went to Port Elizabeth for meetings lasting five days — also an excellent time. Large numbers attended, sometimes 400. At the readings we considered life in connection with Elijah and Elisha. As at Cape Town, brethren were present from most of the meetings in South Africa. After Port Elizabeth we motored to East London for two days. Mother returned from there with others to Port ^[p. 40] Elizabeth and Cape Town, and I with others proceeded to Durban by boat. A most cheering two days was spent at Durban. The meeting has grown in every way since we were there in 1925. Yesterday I arrived here from Durban and find a delightful atmosphere in Mr. Fletcher’s house. Dr. Elliott and his brother are here and others from Cape Town and the South African meetings generally, about 70 visitors. Last night a large number came together and the Lord helped. The meetings continue, the Lord permitting, until the 23rd inst. — eight days. Then I go to Cape Town to join the Ulysses for Australia.

I find more for God in South Africa than I had expected and I am greatly cheered, as you can understand. Besides able brothers in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth there are several holding for God in the outlying towns, greatly strengthening the whole position. Mother is quite well now, thank God, but Dr. Elliott advised her not to come here on account of the altitude — 6,000 feet. God is helping me, so that my health is generally good, although travelling is severe — slow trains on account of mountainous routes — and the meetings, as you can see, almost continuous. The steady interest in the dear brethren induces liberty in ministry and the Lord graciously affords supply. Through God’s good hand over us we should arrive in Perth, Australia, on August 8th to 10th.

I need not say that we are greatly cheered by the changed attitude at Westfield and trust much grace will be granted all there to move together. I wrote Mr. M——— and Mr. W——— indicating certain things that should help in the situation. I had hoped from the outset — last year — that God would overrule all that was done for good, especially to ——— , but time has brought out the existence of personal feeling and that this dominated in all the procedures rather than right principles. No effort seems to have been exerted to help ——— . This may have been difficult at the beginning, but it was made more difficult by the way he was left out of the enquiry and how matters were brought into the assembly ignoring Matthew 18. I certainly did not find ——— difficult; he readily took good advice. But if he seemed hard to others, this should have led to a turning to the Lord for the grace needed so that the Lord’s direct word as to such a matter (Matthew 18) should not be transgressed. Even making allowance for what many felt as to ———’s spirit, if grace existed a settlement could surely have ^[p. 41] been reached on the basis of his first letter of withdrawal. Instead of this severer measures were proceeded with and even unfounded charges made against him in the name of the assembly, as it were. Surely this was not grace reigning through righteousness, and so could not help ——— , but the contrary. In this I am assuming that the general ground taken in New York was based on spiritually accredited facts. Seeing ——— and ——— had just come from Miami and that they were involved in the implied condemnation of what was done at Knoxville and yet that their evidence was not sought in the early inquiry meeting — nor indeed at any time — could only tend to provoke such a letter as ——— wrote to Mr. S——— . This should have been taken into account in the later deliberations. But it was not, nor has the unfairness — although I pointed it out to them — been admitted, that I know of, by Mr. S——— and some others who were responsible for it. From what has developed I am persuaded that the enemy, through the way things have been done, has found an opportunity to discredit the assembly — the truth as to it that the Spirit has been ministering to us — in the New York and New Jersey district, and until this is seen and owned the enemy will have an advantage.

Love to Ruth and the children, also to all.

Affectionately,
Father.