JANUARY 30TH, 1934

JANUARY 30TH, 1934

Mr. Stanley McCallum.

My Dear Stanley, — I am deeply grieved by what you write and cry to God for the poor erring one and for you all as having to deal with such a matter — in itself so defiling. Priests alone can do so according to God.

The responsibility of judging in such a case belongs entirely to those in the locality in which the person who has sinned resides; they alone are in the position to know fully the ^[p. 431] circumstances which led up to the offence, and this includes the general character and history of the one involved. Persons residing elsewhere may help as to principles and this is all I can venture to do.

One important principle is that the assembly, or rather the saints, have authority to remit as they have to retain sins, John 20: 23. Thus, your enquiry will be, is the sin thoroughly bottomed in true contrition as before God? Is there the sense that God has thus forgiven? To reach a safe conclusion as to this it will be necessary to determine whether the beginning of the sin was just what you mention, or was there anything of the kind earlier? Was the nervous breakdown because of this one offence? Was there anything like such a breakdown before; if so, was this last one coming on when the sin occurred? Was the confession wholly voluntary? or was the motive in confession partially or wholly because of the likelihood of the matter becoming known anyway?

According to Leviticus 13, the saints, as priests, are qualified to reach a true conclusion, and if it is certain that the leprosy has ceased to act, being not the outcome of an old unjudged root, and that the offender is free from, or superior to, the state that led to it, being conscious of forgiveness by God, according to 1 John 1 and 2, the saints may righteously have recourse to their prerogative of forgiveness, and hence there will be no need of public action. The saints are already sitting in judgment in the matter and the offender is voluntarily at their bar, as it were, and so what they do, as seeking to act for God, to maintain, on the one hand, the holiness of His house, and, on the other, to maintain the reign of grace — as in Luke 24: 34, the appearing to Simon — under these circumstances heaven will ratify what they do.

As I said, it is for the local saints to decide and the Lord will not fail you all as you brokenly and humbly seek His face in this sorrowful matter and seek to act for Him. You will have to consider as to whether there is any public effect, which would cause the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.

Be assured of my sympathy with you all in your sorrow and my prayers that the Lord may be with you in your exercises and give you a judgment which He can approve.

Affectionately in Him,

James Taylor.