DECEMBER 10TH, 1909

DECEMBER 10TH, 1909

Beloved Brother, — For a good while I felt that the custom with some to speak of the assembly in an abstract way was not right. It is utterly meaningless to me to hear of the Lord being in the midst of something abstract. It seems as if there was in the mind the idea of an abstract existence of the assembly — as if it did not refer to actual living persons moving here on earth. It is true that in the power of the Spirit we have to abstract ourselves so as to realise fully companionship with Christ in this assembly, but this is another matter; we still remain living persons although withdrawn in our spirits from the world and nature. I do not see any warrant for speaking of things as abstract which in Scripture are presented only as concrete. It would be much more seemly to humbly own the absence of the conditions which render the concrete possible. But the concrete is possible in measure, if we return to the conditions in which it was seen originally. Hence I believe John 20 presents a pattern of what may be enjoyed now in some measure, even by a very small company. As to the second meeting in John 20 I quite see the allusion to the Jewish remnant, but it would be a mistake to limit the passage to this. “Thy commandment is exceeding broad”, that is, other thoughts (besides a given one) appear in such a passage as this. As an actual fact the Lord came twice to the same company inside of eight days.

As to Hebrews 2: 12 I do not know of anything to indicate that it does not refer only to the Lord’s people as convened.

Affectionately yours in Christ.

James Taylor.