BY S. RIDOUT

I.

By "discipline " we mean the general exercise of care in the government of God's house which He has committed to His people. It includes in this way the various forms in which that care manifests itself, from the simplest forms of brotherly interest and advice to the more public correction and reproof in the assembly, as well as the final, though sometimes necessary, exclusion from the fellowship of the saints. For the purposes of distinction we will gather what is said under the various heads indicated.

The object of the present paper is not so much to discuss the question of discipline in general as to ascertain the true scripture limits to what is done.

I. Brotherly care in general.

When our Lord had restored His wandering sheep Peter, He transferred, we may say, the expression of Peter's devotion to Himself, to love and care for His lambs and sheep. When the good Samaritan had found and ministered to the man who had fallen among thieves, he brought him to an inn and provided for his care. Salvation is the blessed beginning of a work to be carried on until its culmination at the coming of the Lord. This work includes instruction, care and correction in the power of the Holy Spirit, as ministered by Him through the various members of the body of Christ:" that the members should have the same care one for another."

We may say the primary exercise of this care is in the administration of suited food, suggested in the words of our Lord, "Feed My lambs." It proceeds from this to the putting forth of the safeguards of love suggested in the words, " Shepherd My sheep;" and, lest this should be thought to be the only exercise necessary for the welfare of the sheep, our Lord reverts, in His last response to Peter, to the simplicity of the first, "Feed My sheep."

Feeding them naturally occupies the first place. When a soul has passed from death unto life the first care is to see that it is built up by " the sincere milk of the, Word." Thus growth is assured. How delightful a privilege it is to be permitted to exercise this care for the beloved lambs and sheep of the flock of Christ! We can covet no higher privilege than to minister the "portion of meat in due season " to the household of the Lord-ministry in which the great staple is the work and person of our Lord Jesus. It is a service in which all may have a share, while those who have special gifts in the way of teaching may rejoice to fulfil their ministry.

In the assemblies of God's people we need ever to remember that this care is the first necessity. Without it, it is well-nigh impossible to exercise discipline, even in its simplest forms. If saints are not properly nourished, they become so spiritually anaemic as to be oversensitive to the slightest form of brotherly admonition or rebuke. They are practically too weak to know the blessedness of the service of John 13-"Ye also ought to wash one another's feet." Let us see to it then that there is a full, constant stream of supply of the pure milk of the Word, in suited ministry to the varied needs of the saints, so that they are built up on their most holy faith and nourished in the words of faith, thus increasing by the true knowledge of God.

We pass, however, from the discussion of this subject to the one which is much upon our hearts-the exercise of brotherly care and oversight.

The young believer is exposed to special dangers in three directions:from the flesh within, from the world about, and from Satan, who is constantly seeking to make use of the flesh and the world to seduce the soul from the simplicity as to Christ. The very instincts of love will lead us to look after and care for the lambs of the flock. Indeed, these have been entrusted to us, and we may ask if one reason why more are not added to the companies of the saints gathered to the Lord's name may not be found in the lack of the exercise of that love which will care for them.

The first element of this care is suggested in the thought of watchfulness:"They watch for your souls as they that must give account." Every shepherd watches his sheep. Not to do so would be to open the way for the attack of the wolf. Care should be taken as to simplest matters; such, for instance, as the attendance of the saints upon the regular meetings, their personal walk and associations, and other matters of a similar kind. We realize at once that we are here upon delicate ground, which suggests a limitation to this form of care.

While watchful, we are not to be suspicious. A gracious and loving oversight is farthest removed from a restless, inquisitive, meddlesome spirit. We are not to suspect the existence of evil without proper ground; and even in the brotherly intercourse suggested here we are to guard against the imputation of wrong motives or the suspicion of that which has not been manifested.

To be explicit, if a young saint is frequently absent from meetings it would clearly not be wise or right to suspect that the cause was a lack of interest. Rather, let the matter be approached in the spirit of confidence, in the love that thinketh no evil. Thus, instead of asking impertinent questions, it would rather be the way of love to keep in touch with the person about whose walk we were concerned, and seek to win the confidence. This will suffice to suggest the spirit in which a whole class of brotherly care should be exercised. We do not dwell further upon it, save to remind our readers that we are prone to swing to the opposite extremes of indifference on the one hand, to the intrusion, on the other, into what we have no right to do unless first approached by the brother himself.

This brings us to speak of the more positive effort at the correcting of manifest failure or weakness, suggested by the figure of John 13. "And thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him " was the command of the law. That which is here commanded, under grace will be the effort of a true love in exercise. Alas, how often are we occupied with evil in others without personal exercise; speaking about them rather than to them; so far from affording any help, alienating them, should they hear of our speaking behind their backs.

The simple courage of love will go to a brother who is in fault, first having sought the mind of the Lord in prayer for him and ourselves. Then, in the spirit of Gal. 6, " If a man be overtaken in a fault,
ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness."

The confidence of the brother has been won; he has no thought that we wish either to humiliate him or to exalt ourselves. We bring him the simple word of God, applying it to the matter in question- of his walk, association, or whatever it may be. Our one object is his recovery; and in all the grace and yearning of a heart in communion with Christ we seek to shepherd His beloved sheep. This is indeed blessed and yet most delicate work, requiring nothing short of the grace of our Lord for its proper accomplishment. This is what He suggests in the words, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet."

There are here also manifest limits to the proper exercise of this responsibility. As before said, we are not unduly to suspect nor needlessly to accuse our failing brother of wrong which has not been manifested as such. For instance, injurious friendships and associations may have been begun. We must not go beyond what we know to be the fact. A young brother may have been seen walking and associating with ungodly young men; and we may be gravely anxious about it. We would not be justified, however, in accusing the brother of having gone with them to the theater, or such like things. The limit is manifest. We deal only with what we know, pointing out the dangers that may be involved, and yet careful not to go beyond the simple facts as we know them.

Oftentimes, where a soul is dealt with thus in brotherly love and tender confidence, while the full
extent of his declension may not be spoken of, the heart will be probed and self-judgment secured, when, had we given voice to our suspicions and accused him of that of which he was not really guilty, he would have at once resented it, and might have used this as an excuse for going on in the wrong way.

(To be completed in next issue.)