BROOKLYN, N.Y, FEBRUARY 4TH, 1937
BROOKLYN, N.Y, FEBRUARY 4TH, 1937
Mr. Stanley McCallum.
Beloved Brother, — I have been hearing of the exercises you and those at Highland Park are experiencing at the present time in relation to ———’s visit to Westfield; also those of the dear brethren in Royal Oak. I discern godly care in all this, which the Lord values.
As you can understand, this sorrow at Westfield has weighed heavily upon me and does still; not only because of the loss for the moment of a good few saints in Westfield, but that there has been disclosed such disregard for the truth, and that personal feeling and prejudice have run so high as to lead brethren, who should be intelligent in the truth of God, and of moral uprightness, to refuse to own their part in wrong-doing,
[p. 63] which is as plainly attested as possible in such a case. ——— wrote to me that the things required of them to own by the brethren in Westfield were not proved, and I replied to him that if he could not recognise that they were proved, it would be impossible to prove anything to him of this character. Certain brothers in Westfield who had part with him in the wrong-doing, have owned their sin humbly and fully, but he and others with him refused to do so. ———’s case is pathetic, especially since he is said to be quite ill. But with the knowledge and experience he has, he could easily have prevented the whole sorrow by insisting that the brethren should abide by right principles at the outset. I called his attention to the errors made from time to time, both as to the false statements and also as to the interference with ———’s services, but with no final result; for in their long paper issued on the very day on which the discipline was administered, those withdrawn from sought to justify their whole course.
For some ten years on various occasions, ——— has been the cause of the deepest concern to me as tending in his doctrines and principles to becloud and divide the saints: first in his view of the departed saints, which came out in Detroit many years ago, entirely unscriptural, and tending to spiritism; then his view that the saints continue to grow after they are translated to heaven, which is also unscriptural; then his views on boundaries governing the meetings of the saints in their relations to one another, also found to be unscriptural; also his serious error at Chicago which almost divided the saints in America; and now this grave matter which has caused his exclusion from fellowship. It is true that most of these matters are supposed to have been adjusted, but I cannot say that ——— has judged them all as wrong. I am mentioning them only to show what a course has been pursued and undoubtedly the Lord has had this in mind in allowing our brother to pursue such an unwarranted way in the present matter. There is much personal sympathy and bias in his favour now, because of his age and bodily condition, but the Lord’s rights must come first in every case, while every true Christian will be sympathetic with one in bodily affliction, as I am certainly with ——— now.
Our brethren in Royal Oak and Highland Park are much in our hearts that all may be preserved in the pursuit of righteousness, secretly and openly, at the present time.
[p. 64] My wife unites in love in Christ to Mrs. McCallum, yourself, and all the saints.
Affectionately yours in Christ,
James Taylor.
PS ———— is under the Lord’s eye in her motives and attitude, and will not escape the consequences if she disregards His rights. The questions you have put to her should bring out where she is. So far she has not identified herself with those gathered to the Lord’s name in Westfield — where she resides for the moment — and who in the exercise of discipline have maintained what is due to Him in regard of a manifest course of unrighteousness. As loyal to the Lord and as a true Levite (Deuteronomy 33: 9) she would align herself immediately with those in the locality in which she is who are gathered to His name. — J.T.