BROOKLYN, N.Y., APRIL 5TH, 1916
BROOKLYN, N.Y., APRIL 5TH, 1916
Mr. R. Besley.
My Dear Brother, — I am glad to have your letter and your little book. Both are interesting indeed. I like the little book, and I may say I quite go with what you say in it. I have felt a danger existed of laying down a rule, written or unwritten, for the young men which would tend to bring about bondage. What helps, I think, is to make principles that should guide clear, so that each one should be exercised before God, and so act in his own faith before Him. There is such general weakness [p. 119] that burdens should not be imposed that some are not able to bear. The Lord’s people are found in so many circumstances that are objectionable to the spiritual mind, and yet seemingly unavoidable, that one feels the safe course, and the course in which the Lord is best served, is to go on himself with what is right, and seek to enlighten all with the truth according to one’s apprehension of it, and let God work. Otherwise there will be a tendency to set up a rule ‘what brethren hold’ calculated to govern the saints in a given connection which is sure to be narrower than the truth, and which will tend to sectarianism and bondage.
It is true that I made a remark at Bristol as to the difference between one’s body and one’s money, that the former does not belong to Caesar. This is clearly right, but at the same time I am not prepared to say that a brother should not obey the Government when it requires him to do something that in itself may not be wrong or harmful. There does not seem much difference between such service and that of a slave in the early days of Christianity. Volunteering is another matter. If a brother wishes to volunteer, the Word says, “ye have been bought with a price, do not be the bondmen of men”.
As to the actual taking of life, I think the Christian should stop there. It seems to me that God’s hand should be gratefully recognised in the provision made in the Parliament Act for the conscientious objector. In this, I believe, Satan was defeated. There can be no doubt that he is specially set against the young men. How important, therefore, that they should have right principles before them, and a right understanding with an exercised conscience.
Affectionately yours in Christ,
James Taylor.