WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, OCTOBER 30TH, 1936
[p. 53] WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, OCTOBER 30TH, 1936
My Dear ——— , — Your letter of September 17th came a few days ago and we are glad to hear all the news it contains.
The ‘brothers’ conference’ is just over and we are all much cheered by the good time the Lord granted us. Brothers were here from the different meetings in New Zealand by personal invitation, as in England, as accommodation is not available for a general invitation — about 500 brothers met at the five readings on the subject of the Spirit in 1 and 2 Corinthians. Besides these there was a reading for all on the Lord’s Day afternoon on ‘assembly procedure’ — Luke 24 and John 20. The addresses were by W.J.H., P.L. (gospel), J.T. and A.M.H. The Lord graciously helped throughout — the readings on 1 and 2 Corinthians as encouraging as any I have attended. About 70 came from Australia, including ourselves and one or two from England. I cabled above briefly to White Street. The ‘conference’ extended over four days and since then we have had an address and two readings in which we also realised the gracious help of the Lord. A good proportion of the visiting brethren have remained until today, when most, including those from Australia, will leave. We go to Christchurch by steamer tonight, God willing, for meetings there and in the South Island generally. On November 18th we return to the North Island and go North for meetings until December 12th when, the Lord permitting, we sail for Los Angeles by the Mariposa, hoping to arrive on December 26th. If meetings are arranged at Chicago, as Uncle George intimated, we shall not reach New York until about January 10th.
We are most thankful for the result of the New York deliberation as to Knoxville and yourself. It is a triumph for the truth. The attitude of Westfield is different, alas, but God is equal to this and great patience is needed. According to what you and ——— write, there is now an effort to make the partisan procedure, in the effort to restrict you, legal by making the party meetings meetings of ‘elders’ — this is characteristic, but it is a further exposure. It is in keeping with the exclusion of the younger brothers from the care meetings, also with the exclusion of Dr. Elliott. In these exclusions there is disregard of the teaching of 1 and 2 Corinthians and the addresses to the seven assemblies. Dr. Elliott is an experienced, spiritual [p. 54] brother, in Westfield at the time serving the Lord and His people, and to exclude him from deliberations affecting the assembly locally and generally was the substitution of human wisdom for divine wisdom; and the histories of Joseph, Joshua, Samuel, Solomon, Timothy, and many other young men, shows that the shutting out of young brothers from care meetings is not according to the mind of God.
Then as to the general procedure of Westfield, the New York letter of last year was an elaborately prepared indictment by an “assembly” of a brother in another assembly, i.e., an assembly entering on the province and doing the work of another assembly; whereas what is scriptural and orderly in such a case is for the brother or brothers to present the accredited evidence to the assembly in which the supposed guilty brother is and leave the disciplinary service with it. If the latter assembly refuses to act and thus refuses to judge and clear itself of evil in its midst, then other assemblies must refuse fellowship with it so as to keep themselves clear, leaving the unfaithful assembly in the Lord’s hands and waiting on Him to come in for it. Westfield received this indictment without protest and acted on it in spite of facts mentioned above and more particularly in spite of its knowledge that the indictment contained two serious unproved charges, and also knowing that Matthew 18, as part of “the law of the house” governing the matter, had been disregarded.
I earnestly hope the brethren at Westfield have met, or are meeting, as before the Lord, all these things. It is due to the Lord and their brethren elsewhere that they should do so; also the peace of Jerusalem requires it.
Affectionately,
Father.