THE ASSEMBLY - GOD'S HUSBANDRY

THE ASSEMBLY - GOD’S HUSBANDRY

Romans 16: 25-27; 1 Corinthians 1: 1-3; 1 Corinthians 3

WJH It might be serviceable to consider the thoughts of God for His people in any city or place, so that, while recognising the general ruin in a public way, our hearts should be revived to hold the thoughts of God definitely, and be committed to them in every city or place where God has set us. The epistle to the Corinthians is particularly in my mind as addressed to God’s people in one city; and while conditions there were very serious, evil having got in among the saints, the Apostle did not lower the level of divine thoughts for His people. Indeed, he recovers them by making clear to them what are God’s thoughts for His saints in Corinth, that they might adjust their behaviour and their associations to the thoughts of God. One hopes that God will help us to seize these great thoughts as being set here in Sydney or in any other place in which we may be. The Apostle speaks of the saints at Corinth as the assembly of God. Then he speaks of them as God’s husbandry. “Ye,” he says, “are God’s husbandry.” And then he also says, “Know ye not that ye are temple of God.” And finally, which we shall come to, please God, later on, he tells them that “Ye are the body of Christ.” Those are the four things that have come before me as helpful to us to consider as bearing on the saints in every locality. Those are the thoughts that we might take up a little together and see how far we are conforming ourselves to them and seizing their great import for us.

EE Referring to Romans, is it so, that before God unfolds to us His thoughts concerning the assembly. He establishes us in His thoughts concerning Christ? So the Apostle says, “According to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ.”

WJH I think that is exactly how it works, for through the glad tidings God secures each one of us individually for Himself, and as the glad tidings are enjoyed — Christ being the subject of them — material is prepared in each individual soul to pass into the assembly locally, into the divine husbandry, into the temple of God, and to be consciously one of the members of the body of Christ. Romans prepares for all that.

JSD So that the glad tidings ought to be looked at rather as a presentation of Christ than as simply a matter of relief out of our difficult conditions.

WJH Quite so. Because Christ is the Head of the assembly. Christ is the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God, and Christ is the Ark of the Covenant in the temple, and the assembly is Christ’s body. So that Christ is to be the Centre of everything that is secured for God in a locality, or generally. This great thought is introduced to each heart through the Gospel.

EE One feels as we approach the subject, that it is so great, we can only look at it as Christ has His place in our hearts, lest by any reason we place any creature, however blest in the thoughts of God, above Christ.

WJH Hence Romans is of the greatest importance, and, I think, is not heeded sufficiently by us, especially by the young in their early Christian life. Romans makes clear to begin with, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” That is to say, we cannot, in virtue of anything in anyone of us, have any part in that which is for the glory of God. And these four things are for His glory; that is where His glory lies, but every one of us has come short of His glory.

DJM Are these four things embraced in the revelation of the mystery?

WJH I think that Romans having prepared living material in the teaching of it in the soul, brings you to the thought of the mystery — to what God is doing secretly here on earth. It is just like the early part of Exodus — the preparation of material for the tabernacle — and without the exercises of Romans we are all deficient in taking our part in the assembly, and in the husbandry, and the temple, and the body.

EE So that the unfolding of the tabernacle system begins with the Ark.

WJH Quite so. And so in Romans, once the platform is clear that everyone comes short, and is therefore discarded, as after the flesh, then the Apostle brings in the Ark. “Whom God has set forth the Mercy Seat” — the Mercy Seat being part of the Ark — the great centre of God’s thoughts.

Ques Would that be the foundation laid at Corinth — Jesus Christ and Him crucified — in contrast to the cultured Corinthians?

WJH Quite so, the crucifixion bringing to an end in ignominy what man is in the flesh, as having no part in these great things. I feel,

and the older brethren I am sure will agree, that if we should encourage, through these meetings, the young brothers and sisters to commit themselves to the thoughts of God as being the greatest thoughts in the universe, and wholeheartedly to find their part in them — even if one brother or one sister did it — the possibilities are only known by the Lord. The crying need at the moment, in this city, and indeed generally, is for the young men to come forward and take their part. The Lord is removing many of our elder brethren, and alas, others are dropping out, and there are hundreds of young — young brothers and sisters who, one fears, may not have seized the immensity and glory and surpassing greatness of that to which they are committed, so that they give their all to it.

HSE Would you say that what Joshua and Caleb did should be expressed in all the children of Israel as wholly following the Lord?

WJH Quite so. Such a sense of the wealth and the blessedness of God’s thoughts in His land filled their vision that nothing else had power over them.

NBS The greatness of these things is indicated in Romans where it speaks of “the commandment of the Eternal God.”

WJH Showing we are linked up thus with what is for eternity, and it makes living for pleasure, for lust, for business, for natural joys, appear very small or worthless. Let the light and grandeur of these thoughts come into our hearts, that we are part of God’s assembly in Sydney, we are part of God’s husbandry, where He is growing plants for His paradise, and we are part of God’s temple, and we belong to the body of Christ here. If our younger brethren could seize these things, I believe that there would spring up in their hearts a desire for this to be all to us here. Not a formal coming to meetings in an outward recognition of what is right, but an apprehension that this is everything — that there is nothing on earth like this; these things are by the commandment of the Eternal God.

OBB How would these things manifest themselves in relation to the young sisters?

WJH “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea.” She served the Lord’s interests in Cenchrea, where she lived. That was her life and occupation. She may have done other things to provide things honest in the sight of all men, but her occupation was that of a servant of the assembly in Cenchrea. And that is open to the young people, and it is immense,

and one longs to see sisters take it up as being the only thing to live for.

AC Would the secret of this lie in the sense of sovereign mercy? When we were hopeless and helpless God has come in and taken us up.

WJH Paul the minister of the assembly and the planter in the husbandry and the layer of the foundation of the temple was filled to his dying day with the profound sense of the mercy that took him up, and, says “Paul the aged,” “I obtained mercy.” That is to be retained, for Romans 1 and 2 make clear that we have all forfeited any place in that in which the glory of God is, and if we have part in it, it is entirely on the ground of mercy.

EHG So that, referring to Romans, the ground has been cleared in the death of Christ and the revelation of the mystery, but there is still required the obedience of faith to make these things living. It is all very well to have the ground cleared, but according to the commandment of God we are to make these things living.

WJH Quite so. This dispensation, by divine wisdom, is a dispensation in faith, and what we see on the principle of faith we must obey, and we do see that God has His assembly in Sydney as elsewhere, and we do see that He has a husbandry on the principle of faith, and it commands our attention; it commands our all. The Lord would not have us have these things just as a side line to our lives, but we are here for these very things.

EE So now that the groundwork is cleared and the position established as to the place the Lord has, and we ourselves vessels of mercy, I would suggest that you proceed with these positive thoughts, for we cannot obey if we do not know them.

WJH Before we do so, it might be well to say that Satan is particularly active to destroy morally young men and women in their early days so that they can have little or no public part in these great matters, and I would entreat the young men to face that by way of their lusts, by way of this world and its pleasures and by way of the love of money and unrighteousness, the enemy is especially seeking to make it impossible for the next generation to stand for God here, because of having been publicly discredited in their early days. If the young men would allow God’s great thoughts in their hearts, and allow these to govern their outlook, the Lord would safeguard them for His assembly. But the devil would have them so dishonoured that they can afterwards have little or no public part in what is of God. This matter is generally settled in youth. Our part in what is of God is largely determined in our early days.

CEJ The will of God for the Thessalonians was for their sanctification.

WJH The Thessalonians were young believers just recently converted, and the Apostle was concerned that they should be protected and maintained practically in sanctification.

NBS Do you think that we need help in seeing that our life here is not an object or end in itself, but a time of education for what is eternal?

WJH Quite so. And a time also to stand by, and have a part in God’s thoughts here, which are eternal. These thoughts I have referred to belong to eternity; and what a terrible thing for a young man if from 15 to 30, he turns away to the world and becomes dishonoured publicly so that he loses the greatest opportunity he could ever have in life of being able to stand up with the saints publicly, as standing by divine thoughts.

JSD Would the thought be seen in Timothy in a parallel way — “Keep thyself pure.” He was about to take up his part in the testimony, and the Apostle saw the necessity of the mind being maintained in purity.

WJH Quite so, and also he says to Timothy, a young man, “Flee youthful lusts.” Flee them! Do not trifle with them, but flee them; because if they got control Timothy would not be able to take up his part in the service of God.

JP Your exercise at the beginning was that each one of us breaking bread should be deeply exercised that we are really established in regard to Romans. The fact that we are breaking bread does not say that we are established in the truth of what we have in Romans.

WJH Romans would confirm to the end of the journey the sense of mercy. Romans exalts Christ as the One through whom God has approached us, and then He becomes the one Man of Romans 5. Every other man fades out. And then in the seventh chapter we are married to Him — a most important matter. We have only one husband — one object for our hearts — “That ye may be married to another.” That is not the assembly there; that is each Christian in this room married to Christ as the sole object of his heart. And then we learn the mighty power of the Spirit of God to lead us into the thoughts of God and enable us to live for Him; and then our bodies are surrendered to divine will and we are ready to take up our part in the local assembly.

AC Do you suggest that the first few years of a young man or woman pretty well determine their Christian pathway?

WJH I am sure that up to about 30 Satan marshals every force he possesses to make it impossible for each one of us to stand here for God publicly. We do not cease to be Christians, but he would so discredit us publicly that we cannot stand by these great thoughts of God, locally or generally. There are hundreds of young people growing up to take the place of the older ones, but how will they fill it?

JSD So that while in the goodness of God our past history is forgiven, in the government of God we have to accept certain consequences.

WJH Quite so, and how far we can be available in a public way depends on whether Satan has discredited us to such an extent that we are so weakened that our part must be little.

GHW Does Satan provide a counter to these things you have mentioned — the husbandry, the temple, and so on?

WJH The whole world’s system is his answer to secure the heart in relation to the assembly of the wicked, in relation to what is growing here from the seeds he has planted, and in relation to that building in which he is honoured. The Lord would impress us all with a sense of the greatness of the assembly of God in Sydney. If anyone of us belonged to the Legislative Assembly of this country it would dominate our lives, business, and home, and everything else would subordinate itself to the fact that we were members of the Legislative Assembly, the greatest body legislatively in this State. God has an assembly in this city, and each one of us, as having the Spirit, is part of it. Is it not worthy that it should command us?

Ques What is God’s great object in having an assembly in the city?

WJH That in a place of satanic wisdom He has a vessel of divine wisdom. The all-various wisdom of God is in the assembly as a whole, and reflected and expressed in each local assembly.

EE That is to say, that whilst there is immense blessing for us in being connected with the assembly, there is a greater thought still, to see what God has in it. I was thinking that it is well to let this light break in, thus forming a standard by which we can judge it and stand apart from all contrary to it.

WJH I am part of God’s assembly here. Does that not put everything into its place If that is apprehended my business will not dominate me; my home and family life will not be the object of my life; certainly the pleasures of the world are not going to be my object. I belong to God’s assembly, the vessel of divine wisdom in this city.

NBS The thought of God’s will and calling would give us some sense of the dignity and greatness of the assembly.

WJH Quite so. It is as Romans takes effect that we are fitted to be in the vessel of wisdom. As we love Christ, as we are married to Him we become wisdom’s children. The Lord indicates that wisdom has her children — they justify wisdom and they love much.

AC Would not the assembly of God stand over in contrast to the assembly of the wicked, in Psalm 22?

WJH So that in the local assembly there is a vessel where the wisdom of heaven is. Christ is the true Joseph that “binds the princes at His pleasure, and teaches His senators wisdom.” We are in the position of senators; as members of the assembly we are in the senate of God, and Christ is available as the Teacher of heavenly wisdom, so that we cannot allow that there is no means of settlement of matters — it would be denial of the assembly.

EE I was going to ask a question as to what would flow as a result of having wisdom from God in the assembly. What would be for God in it?

WJH One effect is that what is evil would not go on year after year without settlement, if we were in the truth that Christ is the Head of the assembly, and He teaches His senators wisdom. We would bring matters to the assembly for divine judgment; and who could stand against that?

JSD Is the wisdom of the assembly of the wicked seen in that they crucified the Lord at Calvary?

WJH They took counsel against the Lord, and against His anointed. It was the counsel of the wisdom of hell that put Christ there, but in God’s assembly Christ is enthroned; He is supreme.

EHG So that the assembly is not only marked by wisdom, but by authority and power?

WJH Vested there by the One Who is Head, Who has authority to bind His princes. The Lord has authority to restrict princes; and then He teaches His senators wisdom.

EE Does the thought of testimony come into this in this way, for God is demonstrating in this present evil day the principles of government that are going to control the world to come?

WJH Indeed. He is going to have glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age and ages. That is reflected in the local assembly in so far as assembly features are with us, and I think we must take it to heart that where there are difficulties protracted over months and years, it is because we are not recognising the assembly as the vessel of divine wisdom here.

DJM Is it the anointed vessel at Corinth in view of testimony?

WJH Quite so. “So also is the Christ”, is said of this wonderful vessel.

EE In relation to what you have said, have we not to confess that in being slow to adjust these matters which exist in our local gatherings, it is because we have been too sensible of the weakness that is amongst us and not of the wisdom available to us?

WJH And then, alas, often the wisdom from beneath comes in — man’s will and self-seeking and deception practised. These things are a challenge to God’s assembly, but if the Lord has recovered us to the truth of the assembly, there is a means of settlement, matters being judged according to heaven.

GHW The sense of the Lord’s presence could not be realised if these things were allowed to go on.

WJH The Lord says “I am with you while you are with Me.” That is a most important matter. The Lord is not with us just because we are formally meeting in certain rooms: The Lord says “I am with you while you are with Me.”

AC At Corinth there were mixed conditions, and the Apostle speaks of the Corinthians as carnal.

WJH Hence the importance for us to let divine thoughts come into our minds; that is the way of divine adjustment. If we are part of God’s assembly, then the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of Satan are to be excluded, and divine and heavenly wisdom are to be there, and there to be used.

AC The thought is that Christ is the wisdom of God, and in drawing from Him as Head there is a solution to every matter.

WJH This Epistle speaks of that: “Who of God is made unto us wisdom.” Christ is available to the assembly for wisdom. And if things are brought into the assembly, the wisdom of Christ is there as a means of settlement.

EHG Every company is marked by weakness; there is no perfect company. But it is as assembly conditions predominate, the authority of the Lord comes in.

WJH Whatever the weakness and the departure generally the Lord would have us cling to His thoughts and not lower the standard at all.

EE I think that is very great. Whatever may mark us in our responsible pathway, it never dims what we are called to.

WJH Quite so. So that, however weak we may be, man’s will, man’s pride, and principles of deception, are not to be tolerated where the truth of the assembly is; and the Lord will be there in power to support us in refusing these things.

JSD However conscious we are of being weak we always, through grace, can say we have a little strength, and the Lord will support that.

WJH I feel that if each one of us here decided today that we would cling to God’s thoughts for His people, the Lord would help us.

WWW Does the assembly begin with the confession of the Lord, and is it maintained on that?

WJH You mean the Apostle speaks of the assembly of God at Corinth and to all that in every place call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours?

WWW I was thinking of Matthew 16 — Peter’s confession, against which the gates of hell could not prevail.

WJH That is more than His place as Lord, it is His Person that is involved there, and what is constructed on the glory of the Person of Christ is impregnable and going through to eternity. We can stand by that, whoever goes, and whatever goes.

NBS So that the assembly of God is a wonderfully dignified thought compared with man’s puny efforts. If we get the sense that we belong to God’s assembly, it would give us another object for our lives while the Lord leaves us here.

WJH The crying need of all, but specially of the young, is that this is a matter that concerns our lives here. Christ, of course, is our object, but He is in heaven, but there is in the place where I live, be it Sydney or elsewhere, the assembly of God, and that is worthy of my all, and not merely the fragments that I may have after all else is served. Not just the bit left over when I have gratified myself. It is worthy of everything, and the Lord will help the young men if they will come forward and commit themselves entirely to the Lord’s interests here.

Ques Is that what is meant when it speaks of “our glory” — that it should be the object of our lives?

WJH We have a part in what is glorious as having part in the assembly, and the weakness is that these things are only abstract things with some of us — only theories.

EE In that connection one would like to draw attention to Ruth, who seems to indicate great encouragement to us, and I would suggest that our beloved young saints might look at Ruth, and compare that which was presented to her and see the effect upon her with the limited testimony that she had, and then compare this with our day when such light is being presented to the assembly.

WJH By pursuing what is presented she reaches God, and that is what is here. Corinthians brings in this, “God is among you,” and if we give ourselves to God’s thoughts we shall find we shall reach a point where we have a conscious sense that God is there and His glory is present.

Ques Is the lack of apprehension of the greatness of these thoughts due to lack of faith?

WJH I think the main difficulty with us in our early days, and no doubt it has still to be faced, is that we have two objects for our hearts. Romans 7 provides that we should be married to Another, and the Lord will not help us if we say to Him “Baali,” but He wants us to say “Ishi.” Baali means “lord.” The Lord wants us to say “Ishi,” which means “husband.” If we are honest we may have to say that we have another object beside Him, and therefore do not reach the assembly consciously. Indeed, Israel served the Baalim, thus having several lords — as we may be in danger of having also.

Rem The things of sight and sense are much more close to us than these things which are unseen, and that is the reason that they are not apprehended in their fulness.

WJH Before the woman in John 4 is bound in her affections to Him as her Ishi, the Lord says to her, “Go, call thy husband” — bring him into My presence; I want to see him. She tries to hide from Him the fact that she has got an object that is illegal by saying she has no husband. Everyone has a husband; every believer has some object that controls his heart, and the Lord says, “If you will bring that object into My presence, then I will go on with the question of giving you living water that will satisfy you for ever.”

GHW Would Priscilla and Aquila be the reverse of what you speak of? They had one object.

WJH They had one object, and we cannot take our part in the assembly here in Sydney and be in the enjoyment of it until we face Romans 7, that we are married to Him individually. I would like to ask each one of us: Can we really say we are married to Him? We are as truly bound to Him as our only object as a wife is to her husband.

JP Would Romans 7 fit in peculiarly with your thought in connection with the husbandry?

WJH What is in view is fruit for God, which brings you to the thought of husbandry. You are married to Another that you might bring forth fruit for God. The need of the Lord’s own heart and for the testimony is that we say “Ishi,” and not “Baali.” That is to say, that He alone is our object; it is a matter of a husband’s position, and any husband would reject the idea of being one of several. It would be hateful to him; and the Lord will not be one of many. His conflict with us often is because we give Him one part of our hearts, and then we have other objects.

EE And yet, pursuing John 4, to indicate how gentle and how wise the Lord is He says, in effect: “If you have another object, well, bring it to Me and compare it with what you find in My presence.”

WJH What comes out when the Lord says, “Go, call thy husband and come hither,” is that the object she has is illegal and immoral; and if any other object than Christ is controlling our hearts it is illegal and immoral. We cannot get the gain of the living water until we face this, and thus we see why some of the young, especially, are not satisfied. They are dipping into one thing and another for their hearts, because they are not satisfied. The reason for this is they have not brought the object of their hearts into the Lord’s presence to let Him see it.

Rem The living water will not spring up on that line.

WJH The woman said, “Give me this water,” and the Lord said, “Call your husband, and come hither.” Bring your husband into My presence and then I will go on with the matter of the living water.

Rem Morally, the first husband is dead, so that we are free to be married to another.

WJH The death of Christ terminates any claim over us of anything but Christ. We are free to be married to Him. It is legal to be married to Him: indeed it is the only right position.

DJM If we are to understand what is now true in mystery, does it call for diligent exercise? Proverbs says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honour of kings to search it out.”

WJH He takes the beggar from the dunghill and sets him among his princes; and makes them to inherit thrones of glory as being part of the assembly. Kings search out what God does.

EH Does the recognition of the one husband involve the judging of everything inconsistent with that one, and the recognition of one Lord and one Master?

WJH How can we consciously be in the assembly where Christ is supreme, if we have other lords? If we really love Him do we want more than one? It is not a question of trying to force anything on anybody, but if Christ is worthy of anything He is worthy of everything. Do we want two lords? We will never realise our part in the assembly if we want other lords.

EE In the Epistle to the Ephesians where He is Head over all things to the assembly, what an honoured place she has. It says in the same Epistle, “He loved the assembly and gave Himself for it.”

WJH To all eternity there is to be One “The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” She is seen as a bride adorned for her husband. Not, Baali there, but Ishi to all eternity.

WHF Are you suggesting that calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of having accepted Him as our only Lord?

WJH In this Epistle the Apostle says, “Unto us there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by Him.” One Lord. I submit that it is a matter that needs to be faced more than anything else, whether we are calling Jesus “Baali” — one of the Baals. There are many of them in Scripture, and He is one to some, alas! but it is obnoxious to Him. He wants us to call Him “Ishi,” — my husband — that would bring us to the assembly.

Ques Is that seen in Mary at the sepulchre?

WJH Quite so. Rabboni — my teacher, or my Lord — MINE whoever else owns Him.

HSH I was wondering whether you would say that Jacob, in burying all the idols and going up to Bethel, had that before him?

WJH Very good. He was conscious that if he came to Bethel there would be only one God there. That is what Corinthians brings us to — only “One God, the Father ... . one Lord. Jesus Christ.” But that is a matter for our affections and not mere duty.

NBS Peter reached that in John 21, when the Lord proved him.

WJH Quite so.

AC Would you help us, a little on the Temple character?

WJH I think we had better leave that now. Perhaps we could have a little on the husbandry first, then the temple, then the body. So that we should just touch a little on the next feature — “Ye,” referring to the saints at Corinth, “are God’s husbandry.” A most affecting suggestion, that they were the soil God operated in, to grow what would be for His pleasure. Think of all the saints in Orange, Canberra or Sydney; according to the divine thought, they are the soil that the great Husbandman is ploughing, is watering, is planting in, and thus securing the harvest for Himself.

Ques Is that what the Apostle had in mind, in Philippians, that “Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death”?

WJH What an excellent plant in the divine husbandry! The only thing that he cared for, whether he lived or whether he died, was that Christ might be greater to the hearts of others. Not that He could be greater personally, but that He might be magnified, that is, appear greater through Paul’s living or through Paul’s dying. If we had one hundred such trees in this city, whose only object was to make Christ greater, there would be much indeed for God.

Ques Would you say that there would be no failure in this regard? It is God’s husbandry, and God’s care, so that the result must be growth — there must be fruit?

WJH On the divine side, of course, there could be no failure; but there is the enemy, the devil, and he gets in and he plants. The Lord said, “An enemy has done this.” Malice, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking, are plants all brought in by the devil and put into the soil, and they have to be pulled up.

EE Is not this thought made attractive to us, when we see that the Lord occupied this place when He was here? “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender Plant, and as a Root out of a dry ground,” Isaiah 53.

WJH And He says, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the Husbandman.” My Father is the Husbandman, receiving from that vine what made His heart continually glad. But now, here in Sydney, God has a husbandry, and it is in the hearts of the saints, and He plants seeds through His servants. He causes the rain to come down in refreshment; He sends the ploughers to plough the soil; but He sends some to pluck up what would be obnoxious to Him, and choke everything, so that there might be, in this city and every city, His husbandry.

NBS I am sure it would rejoice the heart of every lover of God to realise more that God gives the increase, and the increase is for God, and it must go back to Him for His pleasure.

WJH The thing we want to see is that we are a part of this. What is boating and shooting and spending our time in sport, and all that makes up this world, if we get into our souls that we are God’s husbandry? We belong to God’s husbandry, where He is growing plants that are for His Paradise in Heaven; growing for His satisfaction.

EHG Is this what the Lord had in mind when He spoke the parable of the Sower going forth to sow, and the seed fell into stony ground?

WJH That parable shows us how the enemy is watching to see that no harvest is secured for God; and when the seed is sown, he would take it away, because there is wonderful power in seed. The power of life is in the seed, and if it gets into our hearts, it is bound to grow, if it is not choked by something else; hence the importance of good seed, and the good seed is the Word of God. That is, God’s thoughts are the seed from which everything comes.

HG In regard to the assembly, we were speaking much of faith; in regard to the husbandry, would this be on the line of a subjective state?

WJH It is what the husbandman would secure for His own satisfaction, and that is in great variety. In God’s plantation there is a wonderful range of things that He is growing. It is worthy of giving our all to.

JSD Is the thought of husbandry to secure at the present time all these features so pleasurable to God and to Christ?

WJH Quite so. And they are so varied. If we look over the Scriptures, what suggestions there are as to what God grows in His husbandry — barley and wheat, vines, and olives, figs, pomegranates, and many other things. All are growing where He has a husbandry, and all speak of Christ.

Ques Is it that God not only finds delight in the fruit of His work, but God’s delight is in the work itself?

WJH That is suggested initially, in that God planted a garden. It says, “The Lord God planted a garden.” What for? To have the joy of it, and He saw His own workmanship in various forms, every tree that is pleasant to the eyes and good for food growing there.

EE The parable that has been referred to ends with what the Lord described as “an honest and good heart.” I was wondering if that feature should be with us in connection with husbandry.

WJH Indeed, all things begin with the individual. If I am going to be in the assembly as the vessel of divine wisdom, it comes by way of being one of wisdom’s children. Wisdom’s children justify Christ. They all love Christ, and never cease kissing Him. Then, if I am going to be in God’s husbandry, my heart is to be honest and good, the soil is thus prepared. That brings me to the collective thing — to God’s husbandry in a city.

Ques Would that be seen in what is said here, “Ye are God’s husbandry — God’s building”?

WJH That is the next thing it leads up to, God’s building. God’s husbandry is a distinct feature and most attractive, and we can understand that the Devil will get in if he can. If there is divine husbandry in Sydney, we can expect Satan, the adversary, to sow seeds which have their origin in hell, seeking to lodge them in the hearts of the saints, so that there should be no harvest for God.

EH Job refers to the rain; it says it comes for mercy, it says it comes for correction, but it says it comes for His land.

WJH The ministry that brings before us what marked the beginning, and the ministry that brings before us what God secures at the end, are like the early and latter rains, and both rains are falling.

NBS The thoughts of God are presented in a wonderfully attractive way. You were speaking of the husband — that attracts our hearts. In the husbandry, there is the thought of plants growing up, the word of God is made living by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we get a touch of that, it also will be attractive to us.

WJH Quite so. This husbandry would eclipse all other gardens and all other plantations. God has a husbandry in this city, and we are plants in it.

NBS We do not want to have the beauty of it marred by natural features coming in.

Rem I was thinking of Ezra, who set his heart to learn the law of Jehovah and then to teach it. Teaching was at the water gate.

WJH A very important matter — to learn the law and then to do it and then to teach it. Rightly doing, always precedes teaching. If we are not doing anything, do not let us attempt to teach it.

DJM Would the prayer of Moses, the man of God, have this in view? It says, “Let the beauty of Jehovah be upon us and establish Thou the work of our hands.”

WJH That is very good. You go into a divine husbandry and you see the beauty of the Lord in every plant. In the olive, spirituality; in the fig, sweetness; and in the pomegranate, unity in fruitfulness; in the lily, purity; and so on. God has a husbandry here, and He is attending to it; the labours of so many of His servants the last two or three years, show that. He is attending to His husbandry. He is ploughing, planting, watering through them, and exercising us, that weeds might be rooted up and refused; but it is all that He might have increase for Himself.

HSH James says, “The husbandman has long patience, waiting for the precious fruit of the earth”; the fruit is precious to God.

WJH Because every fig, and every seed in the pomegranate, and every flower of the lily is descriptive of Christ, and God has long patience to secure this. We can truly say the husbandman has long patience to secure the fruit for Himself.

JSD What was it that was hindering the Corinthians? He speaks of them as babes, as though there was not growth going on.

WJH One of the biggest hindrances in God’s husbandry is the bramble. Its existence is due to the evil one. The bramble wants to be king. The olive says, “I will not be king.” The vine says, “I will not be king.” The fig says, “I will not be king.” The root of many local troubles is that some bramble desires to be king. (Judges 9)