COPY OF A LETTER

^[p. 343] COPY OF A LETTER

I quite enter into your difficulty and sympathise with you in it. I should like to see sisters generally more interested in and conversant with matters relative to the assembly.

One principle that should mark a sister is inquiry; 1 Corinthians 14: 35. Of course this passage speaks of a husband, but an unmarried sister can always find a brother ready to give needed information. Inklings or partial reports can thus be followed up. We see in Acts 11 how a report reaching the ‘ears’ of the assembly was the occasion of a movement. I cannot think of anything of importance relative to God or His house being unknown to Anna in her day. And in my own experience I have not observed that current divine events are long hidden from truly interested sisters.

On the other hand, brothers who have specially the care of the Lord’s things are often too reserved — almost to the point of assuming special rights or prerogatives, excluding not only sisters, but also younger brothers from possessing even information. This, I am sure, is not of God, while recognising the wisdom, under certain circumstances, of the word, “A prudent man concealeth knowledge” Proverbs 12:23. The general principle governing the assembly’s position in testimony is that all in it are responsible, so that although there are limiting details on account of sex and age, each one in the assembly should be conversant in a general way as to what concerns the Lord and His name, for the features of the “virtuous woman” should mark all.

But this is made to depend to a considerable extent on inquiry, as I said; and if one is truly concerned (^[p. 344] not merely naturally curious) she or he may be assured that any desired information may be obtained. If it is refused by those who have it a wrong is done, not only to the person or persons seeking it, but to the Lord, and to the testimony, for their specific prayers cannot be available.