(Continued from page, 186.)

Personal trespass needs also a few lines ere we close this part of the subject. "If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone, and if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, take one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established; and if he neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church:but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven " (Matt. 18:15-18). This is the way to act in every case of personal trespass. How much trouble would often be averted if this course were adopted,-to go to such an one in the spirit of the Shepherd of this chapter (verses 12, 13), and seek to recover the offender. We are all guilty ones, and if we had been left by the Shepherd until we came to Him and owned our guilt, we would never have come. He knew our guilt, our rebellion, our pride of heart; but notwithstanding all that He sought us, the erring ones, and found us, and we were brought to confession and repentance, yea were delivered; what grace! Now our Lord Himself would by this example even teach us how we are to deal with those who do us a personal injury. " Go and tell him his fault"; go in love to the person himself. But how often instead of this, pride of heart gets the advantage. Our reputation is first, and we tell almost everyone else but the person himself; does this better matters ? surely not. For in this way a trouble which a personal talk in love might settle forever, the erring brother be thereby gained, is left sometimes for years, and roots of bitterness nourished which trouble and defile many. Oh for real faithfulness with one another in this respect.

But if after this effort fails to reach and gain the person, take one or two more; and if this second effort fails, the last effort to reach him is, " tell it to the Church." Now the desire of the whole gathering-ought to be to reach and gain the offender, get him to see his sin and trespass and seek to reclaim him. If such a course were pursued, in most cases of personal trespass, we believe restoration would follow. But how often we meet to give the offender a good lecture, instead of in love and grace seeking to soften him. How ready we are to take the judgment-seat, instead of, even as a gathering, seeking to effect restoration.

But if all effort fails, surely the state of such a heart must be lamentable, and needs now another course of action. Grace has sought his recovery; but when it has failed, righteousness must now give him the place of distance until the sin is owned, and judged. The Lord therefore adds "let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican." This is the course the Lord teaches us to pursue, although it may cause sorrow of heart to do so, yet the Lord sanctions it and adds '' whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." This leads us on to the last and final act of discipline as presented in i Cor. 5:yet even in this the restoration of the offender is thought of.

Put away from among yourselves. If this chapter is carefully read, we see when evil develops in an individual, either doctrinally as in 2 Jno. or morally as here, the only course to pursue would be (verses 4, 13) when the whole assembly is gathered, "put away from among yourselves." This is not the act of one, or a few, but the action of the gathering as such. A serious and trying task; would that it was always considered so ; there would be care and caution ; each would move and act only according to the Word, and with the care and caution that they did of old in the case of leprosy (see Lev. xiii, xiv). Yet if after investigation and waiting upon God the wickedness is clearly proven, then the gathering must act with Christ's authority and the wicked person must be "put away." True, this is not evangelistic work, but which sometimes follows it. The same Lord who gives authority to His own to preach the gospel (Matt. 28:), gives His people this authority also to act (Matt. xviii; Jno. 20:and i Cor. 5:4). The evangelist seeks after the unconverted and does so by Christ's authority; the assembly cares for the holiness of God's house and does so by the authority of the same Lord. One is as much the work of Christ as the other. One is gospel work, the other righteous discipline upon one gathered in by the gospel, but whose walk, or conduct, or teaching, would not permit his continuing in the fellowship of God's people walking according to the truth. One (the Gospel) is the delightful work the heart loves to pursue; the other is the serious, yet righteous work that falls upon those who keep His word.

I Cor. 5:ii, gives some of the kinds of evil for which one was to be put away; among them railing is mentioned. We fear this is a sin thought too lightly of by many to-day. God cares too much for the peace of His people to allow such a course to continue, and when it is not judged by the individual the word abides " do not ye judge them that are within? " -" therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."

The object of discipline we again say is care for the glory of God, the holiness of His house, and the restoration of the offender. Hence, while denied for the time all Christian fellowship in a religious and also social way, as i Cor. 5:would teach, yet we should ever be on the watch for the marks of repentance, and this not only looked for but also the burden of the heart in prayer, if the person under discipline is really the Lord's. When repentance is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, how beautiful it is to see grace again permitted to flow out, as in 2 Cor. iii, "Sufficient to such a man is this punishment … so that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow." We have seen already how such an act as putting away, was by the Lord's authority on high-"Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,"-and now if restoration is effected, the same Lord in His tender compassion also adds, "Whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This we say is the object and desire in this extreme act of discipline, and we believe everything that would hinder this righteous work needs to be carefully guarded against.

How far does this discipline extend upon earth. This if understood will be a great help. We verily believe if God's people everywhere understood their relationship with one another, and their direct responsibility to the Lord, such acts of discipline would be owned everywhere. The offender would be held to be in the place of distance by every rightly gathered company of God's people, as much as in the very gathering where such discipline took place. This is an important principle to lay hold of. God's people in every place ought to seek to act together, and the same relationship and responsibility is as binding although miles separate. If this is not owned and there is not an earnest desire among all to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," then independency is the result, and all over the world we would have merely independent congregations- discipline in one not recognized in another. How could the "Holy and the True" endorse such independency? We believe seeing the truth of our oneness, and having the authority of Christ for each act of discipline, such an action is binding wherever His authority is owned. Thus the holiness of God's house is cared for, and the permanent good of offenders sought after. If gatherings are scripturally gathered, several in one town, one state or province, yet they are one in heart and ought to be one in practice. We own but one authority, one relationship, one discipline, and one body, and we have but one common object, the glory of the Lord Jesus and the permanent good of all God's people.

We are quite aware some gatherings have overstepped the mark in discipline, and in haste have acted wrongly, yet in such cases if our relationship is rightly understood it will be easy to solve this difficulty. A person is put away at gathering No. 1. Now how ought gatherings No. 2 and No. 3 to act ? Our answer would be, Without suspicion accept the action. But if facts are presented which would lead us to doubt whether such an act was right, we believe here there would be great need of caution. The remedy would not be to receive the individual, but to go to the place where he was put away and investigate carefully both sides, and if clear proof is given that it was a righteous decision, the offender under discipline could under no consideration be received at No. 2, or No. 3, for gatherings 1, 2, and 3, own the authority of the same Lord and hence act together because before God they are one, and they express this oneness by " endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

But if after investigation it is clear from facts gathered, and the Word by which we are all judged, that gathering No. 1 has acted unrighteously and they are the guilty persons, and the one or more under professed discipline innocent, our remedy would not be to stand apart on neutral ground and receive from either. Such an act, would be a serious denial of our whole relationship and gloss over evil of a serious nature. If gathering No. 1 has acted wrongly, would not the godly way be to seek to reach their consciences, and by doing so seek to get them to retrace their steps and lead them to repentance ? This might take weeks; patience and love would be required, and, where exercised, have resulted frequently in blessing and restoration. Thus fellowship is resumed according to holiness and truth.

If gathering No. 1 refused to own their unrighteous act, after, in grace, a space of time for repentance had been given, then gatherings No. 2 and No. 3 would refuse them further fellowship, and own the other or others. Even during this time of investigation the assembly might be treated as the house in which there was supposed leprosy (Lev. 14:), and of which we read "he that goeth into the house all the while it is shut up, shall be unclean until the even."

We would earnestly press upon each reader the importance of these things, because of late, we believe, the enemy has been seeking to overthrow in the minds of some this godly order and care, which should ever characterize the people of God. And we would also press upon the Lord's people in every case when the extreme discipline of i Cor. 5:is the only course, that grace and patience should ever characterize us. When this has been wanting in some places, weak believers not understanding the principles at stake, have been stumbled at the spirit and manner of those who otherwise were carrying out the government of God's house.

God's righteous requirements, in the case of sin committed by an individual, or a gathering, and dishonor and reproach brought upon the Lord's Name. We believe the righteousness and holiness that characterize God's dwelling place demands more than mere reformation-it calls for repentance and self-judgment. This is ever true in the sinner; reformation will not do for God,-a very clear principle. " God requireth that which is past," and this principle is ever true .in the lives of God's people. Years may run their course, and reformation in life and practice be effected by this circumstance or that, yet for God and those who care for the principles of truth and righteousness, repentance and self-judgment are required. True, we are not now in apostolic days, and that visible unity once so fair is not presented to our eyes; yet apostolic order and teaching ever abide. We can truly say we are in the days of 2 Tim. Yet we have a faithful God, who never for-gets His people; and hence amid all the confusion of the closing days of Christianity, He even here, in these days of ruin, provides for those who desire to walk with Him in holiness and truth. Such a path is in separation from iniquity, as 2 Tim. 2:19, 21-gathered to the Lord Jesus as a center, and following righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call upon the Lord with a pure heart. To this we would add the apostle's exhortation, "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another" (Rom. 14:19), and somewhat of the joy which will fill the hearts of God's people by-and-by will be ours even now. " Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! " (Ps. 133:) A. E. B.