JANUARY 12TH, 1899
JANUARY 12TH, 1899
... [p. 16] I will try to take your subjects in the order of their importance, and begin with those which have reference to the presence of the Lord in the midst of His saints.
In the first place, the distinction should be clearly recognised between the presence of the Lord with two or three gathered together to His Name as in Matthew 18: 20 and His presence in the midst of the assembly as in Hebrews 2, the realisation of which would be in “the holiest”. It was the latter to which Mr. Stoney referred — a privilege as exquisite as it is rare.
Matthew 18: 20 states that where two or three are gathered together to the Lord’s Name He is in the midst. That is, wherever two or three are together in His interests and, as we might say, in His behalf, He vouchsafes to them the sanction and support of His blessed presence so that “whatsoever it may be that they shall ask, it shall come to them from my Father who is in the heavens”. It is His presence in the way of support so that His interests may be maintained and furthered by His own in this world.
It is most lamentable how this precious scripture has been claimed as the exclusive property of certain companies of saints, and often the claim has been loudest where the moral conditions which might have justified it have been most lacking. No spiritual mind would dare to emulate this unholy assumption. To claim the sanction and support of the Lord’s presence if we have it not is the worst form of Laodiceanism. It is a poor thing to claim something of which we cannot display the moral evidence. The evidence of the Lord’s presence would be that the saints would be preserved from evil and worldly principles, and on the other hand there would be the ministry of the mind of God — of divine light — so that the truth and power of Christianity according to God would be increasingly known amongst the saints. I should claim nothing, but I would assert most boldly — ‘Here in Scripture is the pledge of the Lord’s presence in the way of most blessed support to those who are gathered in His interests here, and the realisation of this is what I am set for, and I am thankful to know a few others who are also set for it’. It is no business of mine to say that others have not the Lord’s presence. I cannot venture upon such ground as this. If they are set for His interests they will have His presence, and the moral effect of it will manifest itself in the maintenance of what is of Himself.
[p. 17] The great thing is to be continually exercised that we may obtain the support and good of the Lord’s presence.
It may be said that many in the sects are as much set for the Lord’s interests as are any of those in fellowship. That there is much devotedness and energy in service amongst many of these dear Christians may be most thankfully admitted, but it would be difficult to find amongst them any true and spiritual idea of the church according to the mind of God which is the great interest of Christ at the present moment. The fact is they have not sufficiently companied with Him; they have not spent their three and a half years, so to speak, under His shadow, so as to learn His thoughts and the true nature of His interests. They are eager to do what they believe is for His glory and for the promotion of His cause, but often without having been inside with Him to learn His pleasure. If we speak thus it is with the lowly remembrance that only by God’s sovereign grace have any of us been different. It was by that sovereignty that the truth concerning Christ and the church was restored to saints on earth in the early part of this century, and it is by the same sovereignty that any of us have been brought into touch with it, or have had our hearts awakened in any small measure to know its blessedness and greatness.
It may be said that there are many in fellowship with little or no idea of Christ’s interests in the sense in which I am speaking. This is true, but it does not alter the fact that they partake of the benefits of a circle of fellowship which has been formed by the truth, and according to the truth — a fellowship which has resulted from the testimony of the Lord being made known in these last days.
To get, a true idea of the whole matter one must take a general survey of what has happened. It is now over seventy years ago that the Lord was graciously pleased to make known to beloved J.N.D. the true nature of His interests here, and the paper on “The nature and unity of the church of Christ” appeared. Several hearts were at once arrested and attracted by the truth — doubtless prepared of the Lord to receive that which He was imparting through His honoured servant.
At the same time, or very soon after, it was realised that the breaking of bread was expressive of the true fellowship of the church, and Matthew 18: 20 assured several hearts that if they were in the current of the Lord’s thoughts and interests they [p. 18] might count upon His presence and support even if they ventured to break away from everything which had the countenance of men. Acting on this four brothers broke bread together in Dublin, and a fellowship formed by the truth and according to Christ’s interests was actually in being for the first time since the days of the apostles. It does not follow that each of the four brothers entered fully into what was involved in their seemingly simple act, or that each of them really apprehended the interests of Christ, i.e., what the church was in its nature and unity — but they were in a fellowship formed by the truth, and consistent with the interests of Christ, and each must have benefited to a very great extent because they found themselves for the first time where the Spirit of God was free to act, and where the presence and support of the Lord could be known.
Time passed on; the truth spread in all directions, and was taken up by many — taken up spiritually by some, mentally by others. The enemy was roused to activity and sought to swamp the whole thing at Plymouth. The Spirit of God lifted up a standard against him — again using J.N.D. Then Bethesda enunciated a base principle of neutrality when the Person of Christ was in question, and adopted the idea of total independency both of gatherings and of individuals. That is, it was a complete subversion of everything that constituted the present testimony of the Lord. The nature and unity of the church was quite given up. That is, the very thing which essentially constituted Christ’s interest here was given up. Thus with those who went away at that time the moral evidence of the Lord’s presence is entirely wanting.
Since then there have been three secessions caused outwardly by the influence of certain teachers, but of which the inward cause must have been a certain degree of unwillingness to go on with the testimony, or of lack of appreciation of truth that was really at stake in each case. In result those who have separated have in different ways failed to maintain what is of God. They have not been supported in the testimony, and thus they fail to display the moral evidence of the presence of the Lord. Of course when we come to this it is entirely a matter of spiritual discernment; it is the spiritual who discerns all things; that is, it is the man who is walking in self-judgment and in the light of God who discerns what and where the testimony is. It is not a question of intelligence but of [p. 19] spirituality. The simple who are spiritual see clearly what the learned ones miss; and often one has heard simple souls say, ‘I cannot explain the truth but I know it is of God’. There is such a thing after all as the “unction from the holy one”. If it be alleged that there are meetings with the seceders with more light than some in fellowship, it only proves what I have just said — that there may be intelligence as to the letter of things without spiritual discernment. And be this as it may, it is a very great thing to be identified with the present testimony of the Lord. Those who clave to Paul to the end were much better off, I apprehend, than those who turned away from him, even though those who turned away might appear to have much more intelligence and ability. I doubt whether Onesiphorus was in the testimony to the same extent as Paul, but he was thoroughly identified with it, and with the one who was its chosen vessel. And the simplest soul may have this great privilege. There is great benefit in being identified with the testimony of the Lord, and those who are so are preserved more than they suspect from the evils and snares and corruptions which run riot in the profession generally. They are where the Spirit can act, and there is much gain in this.
As to realising the presence of the Lord in the “holiest” and as “minister of the sanctuary”, it must be borne in mind that this is the very consummation of privilege and divine favour here. The very fact that it has been so much presented to us by the Lord in ministry of late is a very great proof of His presence and favour. Do you suppose that these precious things have even been to any extent before the minds of the seceders? I very much doubt it. And not only have these infinite thoughts and purposes of divine love been brought before the minds of the saints, but it cannot be denied that there has been a very considerable awakening of heart as to them and more exercise and desire of heart after the realisation of them than has been known aforetime. Where else in christendom would you find hearts with any true idea of the divine greatness and attractiveness of these precious and holy thoughts of infinite love?
The honest persons to whom you refer have probably never had any spiritual idea of the holiest at all. Most of them would be likely to say if the truth was put before them that it was transcendental or mystical or too high to be practical! They [p. 20] have no idea of a range of things entirely outside the scope of man’s mind or body, where the saints may realise entire separation in spirit from the flesh and from everything that is of the present order of things, and find themselves in the undisturbed repose of divine love in association with Christ in new creation blessedness, and in the conscious joy of sonship before the Father’s face. Indeed, it was because these things, and others intimately bound up with them, were presented and maintained by J.B.S. and F.E.R. that the seceders withdrew. These things had no charm for their hearts, and their leaders had been for years slighting the ministry of J.B.S., which was pre-eminently a presentation of them.
If many of those in fellowship are not after these things I am very sorry for them, and earnestly desire the awakening of their souls. But so long as they do not resent and oppose the truth one loves to walk with them and to seek their blessing. They are at any rate within the circle where light is found, and they benefit by it more than may be supposed. But the true vital power of the fellowship lies in the testimony of the Lord, and in those who are in heart set for it. These may be few — they are few — but it is in them that the whole thing is maintained according to God, though many others may to a great extent get the benefit of it.
If J.B.S. had got into a wrong meeting, as you suggest, he would have felt that he had got into a place where very few were in touch with him. And they would have felt that he was a man with very peculiar ideas and expressions!
One more word as to the effect produced on a meeting by an earnest evangelist. It is precisely the same effect as would be produced in any chapel by the presence and ministry of a similar man. He comes in the freshness and power of divine grace, and infuses for the moment the warmth of his own spirit into the whole company. And if the meeting has been in a low and cold state the effect is often very marked. And this effect will be in proportion to the fervency of his spirit. He acts on people, as J.B.S. once said to a fervent evangelist whose ministry carried all before it in the place where he resided and chiefly ministered — ‘The assembly here comes together not to act, but to be acted on’. It does not follow that any solid result is left behind in such cases, or that the saints have made any real spiritual move. Indeed it sometimes happens that afterwards they are more dead than ever.
Spurgeon said that there was ‘nothing so dead as a church after a revival’. If souls get a real divine move after Christ by the Spirit the effect abides and deepens. It is a positive work in the soul, and not a mere stimulus imparted for the moment by the fervency of another. I have run on longer than I intended, and must reserve your other subjects of inquiry for another letter in a few days. With much love in the Lord to all your circle.
Yours affectionately in Him,
January 12th, 1899.