At Oakland, Calif., Sept. 6, 1921

H. A. I.-In suggesting this conference I had in mind the needs of many young believers, who are not established in what seems to many of us to be clear scriptural principles in regard to assembly life. I would suggest that we take up things in the following order:

First:The scriptural ground of fellowship.

Second; Scriptural reception of believers to the privileges of fellowship.

Third:The scriptural principles of discipline.

C. C.-It might be well to look first at 1st Cor. i:8:"God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." The Church of God is viewed here on earth in the character of a fellowship – not to be confounded with the fellowship of 1st John 1:3:"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us:and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ"-that is fellowship of life and nature. There is of course such a thing as the practical realization and enjoyment of this fellowship; but that is not what I apprehend is the mind of the Spirit of God in 1st Corinthians, when He speaks of the "fellowship of his Son."

H.A.I.-That is, we need to distinguish between fellowship with the Father and the Son, and the fellowship of the Son.

C. C.-Yes. I take the fellowship of the Son to be a fellowship that has been authoritatively established upon earth. The Son is its source, its author; and as such He gives character to it.

B. C. G.-In Acts 2 we read of the apostles' doctrine and fellowship. It carried out this truth practically.

C. C.-We need to consider certain ideas involved in the term "fellowship." First, there is the thought of association in activity.

B. C. G.-It is not something purely individual, as between a saved soul and his Lord, but that in which he is associated with others in the Lord.

C. C.-I might liken it to a corporation in which you have diversities of activities, different departments, but all harmonized and unitedly working together. There is a common aim and object in the various departments. That may give some idea of the fellowship spoken of here.

F. J. E.-Would you say that this verse implies the fellowship of all Christians ? C. C,-Yes; it implies it.

B. C. G.-Certainly. But the plummet must be applied to the wall, to see how we stand practically. J. W. H. N.-What is the thought involved in the full title, " Jesus Christ, our Lord ?"

C. C.-Well, if it is a fellowship to which the Son of God gives character, it is a divine fellowship. The three names, Jesus, Christ, and Lord, express what the Son of God became as incarnate-as man. But He has been refused by the world, and God has accepted Him and given Him supreme sovereignty. He has made Him both Lord and Christ. He controls the fellowship and governs it.

B. C. G.-We are saved by Him, united to Him, and should be ruled by Him.

J. W. H. N.-That leads on to the next thing.

C. C.-He has gone up to the Father, but His Name is to be our care. We have His interests to look after, to watch over and care for.

J. W. H. N.-I have thought of that in connection with Philadelphia, "Thou hast kept my word, and not denied my name."

C. C.-Paul writes to Timothy,"That thou might-est know how to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." The assembly is upholding Christ before the world. The pillar suggests a monument.

B. C. G.-One might say, a monument with an inscription on it, proclaiming what it means. This is what God has set the assembly for.

J. W. H, N.-That remains true in spite of failure.

C. C.-It is important to apprehend the Spirit's view of the Church, and maintain that. Paul laid the foundation. I do not think that means the foundation in the sense of the base upon which the structure rests, but the principles which the apostle taught. We speak of an institution as a foundation -a "Rockefeller foundation" for instance. Now Paul instituted, or laid the foundation of, the Church of God. He made provision for carrying out its responsibilities. It was in that sense he laid the foundation, and those who follow after should be careful to carry out the principles or lines of truth that Paul laid down.

B. C. G.-I think that is important. It is not the thought of laying the foundation of a building exactly, but of setting up an order of things to be maintained. This special ministry was committed to the apostle Paul. No other apostle gives us truth as to the assembly in this character.

C. C.-We are responsible, therefore, to keep to the apostle's model.

A brother.-You mean, then, that the foundation is a fundamental constitution, or laws, like the constitution of the United States, which is the foundation of the government of this country ?

C. C.-Well, I would say we have that in the Word of God, and we should seek to keep to the mind of the Spirit of God in the terms that He has used. But we may regard the apostle as having established the order of the house of God on earth, the assembly of God in its proper form as the Lord's witness on earth. He established its order, its activities, its arrangements, its outward form, and its internal relations. All this has been authoritatively done.

B. C. G.-This first chapter is like striking the key-note in music, then all else must be in keeping. Christ has entrusted to us His name (1:e., what His name implies) as a fellowship. As we go on in the epistle, we see the directions given for the guidance of the saints. And a divine Person is to take charge of things-the Holy Spirit-who is to control and direct everything for Christ in the assembly. C. C.-Then, as we go on in this epistle we find directions which are to govern the activities of the fellowship.

B. C. G.-Neither liberty nor disorder as to these facts is recognized or permitted.

C. C.-If God has called us into the fellowship of His Son, it becomes us to see to it that we maintain its true character.

W. H.-Would you not say that it is only as we are truly subject to Him that we can really enjoy this fellowship into which we are called ?

C. C.-Yes, surely.

S. B.-Isn't that involved in the order of the names ?

W. H.-Yes; and we ought to seek to promote this fellowship with our brethren.

J. W. H. N.-Isn't that the theme of the tenth verse ?

L. F. C.-Is not this what we understand by " speaking the same thing ? "

C. C.-Of course there are limits to everything. "The same thing" here refers to the things they had been taught; not to any matter that might come up.

H. A. I.-We shall never see all alike in everything here, and we must not force one another's consciences.

B. C. G.-If it is a question of the faith we should have unity. If it is a question of views as to this or that, there may be divergences. We may honestly differ and yet obey this word.

C. C.-There ought to be no compromise as to. the foundation. But there are minor things as to which you may have a thought and I quite another. If I am going to make my thought a battle-cry, I form a faction, I may seek to force others to accept what is simply my view of things. They may be conscientious in refusing it. Both may think they have the mind of the Lord. We must not insist on agreement in such cases, but each wait on God, and walk according to the light he has, leaving the other free to do the same.

B. C. G.-That is very important, if we are to walk together in fellowship; and God's Word recognizes such divergences. Paul might have settled the question of meats and drinks with a word. He leaves it an open question for individual exercise.

C. C.-And so I can say to a brother:Very well, I won't ask you to surrender your conscience, and you must not ask me to surrender mine.

L. F. C.-We need to notice, too, that this is an exhortation, rather than a command.

J. W.-The illustration of a corporation, already used, helps here. There are different departments, and men of different abilities and views, but all work together for the common interest.

C. C.-If we respect each other's conscience in such matters, we are seeking to "keep the unity of the Spirit, in the uniting bonds of peace."

B. C. G.-And this scripture shows how we can all be of one mind, even when we are obliged to differ. We can be characterized by the lowly mind, and consider one another.

J. W.-It is always safe to remember that when two disagree one must be wrong, and perhaps both. Therefore, it is wise to be humble-minded, waiting on God for added light.

B. C. G.-As we mingle with God's dear people, we find that they are often intolerant as to unimportant things, and often very easy-going as to matters of grave importance. We need grace to hold an even balance, and not to dominate each other's conscience. Even Paul was not a ruler over the faith of the saints.

H. A. I.-With these principles before us, might we now consider the question of reception to the privileges of fellowship ? What is the scriptural way for an assembly, or gathering of Christians, to act toward believers seeking fellowship ?

C. C.-I should seek to put before such a person what the mind of the Spirit is concerning the house of God. I should consider his state of soul, and show him that fellowship is mutual-he with us and we with him; being careful not to assume an air of superiority which is repellant. A single-minded and godly person I should welcome as a child of God, and give him the truth as fast as he is able to receive it. The sense of responsibility in connection with fellowship is a matter of growth; it is a gradual process.

H. A. I.-It is well for us to stop and consider how little we understood of these things when we first entered upon these privileges; how many wrong conceptions we had, and how much we have had to learn since.

C. C.-Yes; and even since, how feebly we have apprehended them! We should be consistently going on, but it is not always so.

B. C. G.-Indeed, there is often a going back. First Corinthians shows how far athwart they were going-making much of servants and becoming sectarian. Even Christian ministry may be used in this way.
F. J. E.-It has been the cause of many divisions in the Church.

W. H.-The danger is that we may lose the sense of Christ's Lordship, and our responsibility to Him. If we lose that, what is there to hold us ?

H. A. I.-There are many practical difficulties in the present day, but the principles set forth in this and other epistles do not change. We need wisdom, however, to apply them correctly.

C. C.-One thing I would emphasize:Do not inculcate a spirit of faction; do not occupy people with various divisions, if you can avoid it. Put positive truth before them. " Take heed how ye build," says i Cor. 3. We have to learn from the Word how to build. Souls must be brought back to Scripture.

J. R.-Is it possible in these days to carry out the fellowship that we have here ?

C. C.-It is possible; yet that is not saying that it is being done. We aim at it. In having to do with souls we need to remember that people have consciences, and this is a serious thing. We may do a great deal of harm if we ignore this. If the conscience is really before God, they will go on with God as He shows them the way. We may do them much harm if we simply try to force them to see as we do. Sometimes we attempt to force, rather than attract.

E. A. B.- First, claim kinship with whatever truth we hold in common. Then turn on the light. If saved, we are already one. We do not make a fellowship; God has made it, and we need to enter into it and enjoy it.

H. A. I.-But so often we expect people to see it all at once, or else we are impatient with them, and consider them unfit for fellowship.

C. C.-Yes, we expect people to learn in seven minutes what took us seven years.

(Concluded in next number.)