ON BOARD S.S. IMPERATOR, MARCH 24TH, 1914

ON BOARD S.S. IMPERATOR, MARCH 24TH, 1914

Mr. H. W. Selby.

My Dear Brother, — Please pardon my delay in answering yours of January 30th. I have been greatly pressed for time and so put off writing until now.

I do not know what letter you quoted from, but the quotation itself I hardly recognise.

I hold to the principle contended for in the Glanton controversy that the Lord has rights in each locality where His people are gathered and these were interfered with by Glanton at Alnwick, and would be interfered with by any similar action.

^[p. 115] But what I see is this, that unless we can prove that evil exists and is countenanced in a meeting, those elsewhere cannot demand that they cease to break bread. To suggest that they should do so is another matter as this would be placing things on another basis, namely that of wisdom, a resort to precaution to a good end.

But the persons who thus cease to break bread are not thereby out of fellowship, nor rendered unclean. Therefore if one of them went elsewhere and he was requested to refrain from breaking bread it would be on the same ground. It is all provisional, and based on wisdom and love, a love which admits of forbearance. We do not assume that the person is unclean and unfit for fellowship.

Whatever I may have said in my letter that you refer to above, this is what I meant.

You will see that I am on my way to your side, and I hope to land at Southampton on Friday.

Love to your wife and yourself.

Affectionately in Christ,

James Taylor.