EXTRACTS

There has been a trend among the brethren of lowering the standard of the fellowship, and I am warning now that God is not going to brook it at all. He will go on even if He has to reduce the number that are going on. If they go away, as the Lord says “Will ye also go away?”—if they do, He will say to us, There are certain principles that I have set out and I am going to stand by them, and I will stand by those who stand by them, even if the numbers be reduced. God is more concerned about quality, about holiness and purity than He is about numbers. Of course, He loves numbers if they are such as He wishes; and He is going to have numbers. We read of the many brethren—‘many’. We read of the word ‘few’ in scripture too, referring to the saints. “Into which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water”, 1 Peter 3: 20—Noah and his house. Eight souls were not many but God was determined to have them and He had them. We do not hear of any turning away at the door of the ark. Many did not come to the door. I know that. Millions did not come. Only eight came, but they came, and the ark moved along with them, showing that God is not concerned about filling vessels or ships. He is concerned about the quality of the persons who are in the path of faith professedly. And so there was no lowering of the standard in Noah’s day. He kept to the principles.

J. Taylor (Vol. 58, pp.370, 371)

God’s ways are behind the scenes; but He moves all the scenes which He is behind. We have to learn this, and let Him work, and not think much of man’s busy movements—they will accomplish God’s end. The rest of them all perish and disappear. We have only peacefully to do His will.

J. N. Darby (‘Synopsis’ Vol. 5, p.374)

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