(Continued from page 168.)
It may be best for us to pause at this stage of our examination of the character and features of the Church as the House of God, and go into fuller detail as to some of these features. For if we are to profit by our examination, nothing must be left vague or uncertain, or our practical walk and testimony will be correspondingly uncertain and vague.
For Israel, the whole nation was dependent upon and grouped about the dwelling-place of God. This comes out possibly with even greater clearness in the Tabernacle than in the Temple, because in the former it stands all alone, while in the Temple there was the land of their inheritance with its national responsibilities and activities in full display. But even there, faith recognized, as David did, the one centre, the abode of God, "the place where thine honor dwelleth." If the Ark, the throne of God, were removed, then "Ichabod" could be written upon the whole establishment. For the godly Israelite, the abode of God amongst His people was everything.
Thus in the apostasy of the golden calf, Moses took the Tabernacle-the temporary place of God's abode amongst them-and pitched it outside the camp (Exod. 33:7, etc.). Tn Ezekiel's day the same action is repeated in an even more solemn and deliberate manner (chaps. 10:19; 11:23). The Apostle applies this to the Hebrew saints in an unmistakable way. When Judaism became definitely and finally anti-Christian, as at the close of the book of Acts; when the Mosaic ritual was used to displace the work of the Spirit; in short, when Christ was turned from and the shadow chosen rather than the substance, then as of old the word was, "Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing his reproach" (Heb. 13:13).
Here, then, we have the great outstanding fact which marks the House of God; it is His abode, the place of His presence. It is this which marks Christianity. Without this, we would still be strangers and foreigners, afar off, without God and without hope.
But it will be said, Who denies this? And, What use do you propose to make of it? Are you going to claim to be exclusively the place of God's abode, and thus relegate all who walk not with us to the outside unclean place? Or, on the other hand, are you going to recognize all believers as having their rightful place in the house? We seem to have a dilemma here. What we have been saying proves, in the judgment of some, either too much or too little.
We are impressed with one great fact, that God's holy word never leaves us, whether as individuals or as groups, in a self-complacent state. He has showered His blessings upon us, has brought us to Himself, and opened the boundless stores of His grace for our wondering enjoyment, but He never leaves us in doubt as to the holiness which be-cometh His house. There is ever the need for self-judgment and lowliness of mind-a lowliness which is the absolute essential for the enjoyment of the presence of the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity, whose name is Holy. "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isa. 57:15).
Therefore it is abhorrent to the truly spiritual mind to hear extravagant claims to exclusive rights in the common heritage of the people of God. Alas, pride is so natural and easy for us; it lurks beneath an exterior of outward humility. May we ever be marked by a sober discontent with our present spiritual condition-a discontent which does not leave us helpless, but which ever exercises us to quiet, patient, hopeful pressing on in the ways of God.
Will such a spirit make us indifferent to those principles and practices of divine truth which His Word teaches us regarding the Church? Will we, as we look abroad at the divided condition of the people of God, treat it with indifference? Will the denominationalism of Protestantism, with its all too manifest worldliness in the reception of unconverted persons, its toleration of conformity to the pleasures of the unsaved, its bald, bold secularism-will such things be considered as natural and normal in the House of God?
Let us, in no spirit of self-complacent harshness, look at a few of the well-nigh universal practices allowed and often justified among Protestant Christians. Here we find clericalism in various forms and degrees, but of one essential character. That character is the establishment of a class-distinction among the people of God. From the avowed "priesthood" of Anglicanism, down through the various gradations of "ordination," till we come to the scarcely perceptible distinction of "recognized gift," "leading brethren," etc., we have this deadly gap between clergy and laity. The former, by virtue of their position or endowment, have the place of nearness and of responsibility; the latter, alas, often too willingly, are in the place of silence, with but little sense of responsibility as to worship, prayer, and service, to say nothing of the great priestly function of discernment in the order of God's house.
It will not do for those whose eyes have been opened to the more glaring forms of this evil to ignore the subtle character of what may afflict them. The priesthood of all believers as a doctrine is held by us all. As a practice, what shall we say? God forbid that we should unduly blame one another. Some of us have been too forward, others the reverse of this. But have we not all in one way and another contributed to the condition in which we are?
The remedy? Thank God there is a remedy, individually, and thus unitedly. It is this:the determination that by God's grace we will not allow place in ourselves or in others for the thought of inactive, unresponsive relation to the grace that has saved us, to Him who has done all for us, and who has given us the Spirit. In other words, let us allow nothing to grieve or to quench the Holy Spirit. The effect of this will be a quiet, unobtrusive awakening to the priestly privilege and responsibility which is our common dower. There would be nothing formal, cold, or forced, in our meetings. Our gathering to our Lord would be such a distinctive reality that we all would recognize and prize it above all else. The vital activities of the Spirit would pervade the assembly; the sweet savor of Christ would fill the house.
We would rightly value the amazing mercy which has called us to the enjoyment of these priceless truths, and our souls would burn to share this enjoyment with all the saints of God. But we would recognize that this enjoyment could only come through the lowly path of abiding, personal communion. With all priestly care and fidelity we would prayerfully discern the state of those presented for fellowship with us. We would not carelessly or hastily open the door to any about whose real state we have no good assurance that they are acting in sober conscientious faith.
Reception into fellowship, as we have just been seeing, is a priestly act of the greatest moment. It is the concern of all, for all are priests. Let indifference come in, and soon there will be nothing to mark us from what we see all about us. When true heart separation to Christ is lacking, the outward form is of little value. In such a state of things no wonder that there is little power to hold the saints together, that the younger, and others, begin to ask, Why are we so "narrow"? Why cannot we go here and there, and be linked with this or that?
The knowledge of God's truth as to assembly fellowship and order, as a living power in the soul, will deliver from laxity and indifference. Our hearts will be enlarged to take in all the saints, but we will love them too well to force them, or commit them to a position for which they are not prepared. Fellowship would be seen to be too sacred a thing to be regarded as a matter of sentiment, or to be offered to all occasional visitors at our meetings. The fear of giving offence would not lead us to an easy looseness as to this most important initial step.
If our separation is a real thing, we should be ready always to give a reason for our position, a reason which will show that we are not actuated by narrow sectarianism, but by genuine conviction of the truth and a sincere endeavor to bear witness to it. Speaking the truth in love, we will commend it to every exercised believer. We will at the same time be open to receive as well as to give testimony, and to be guided by the light of God's truth by whomsoever it is brought to our attention.
If we are under the power of such principles we are in a state that God can use us as His witnesses, and "a faithful witness delivereth souls." We would not be proselyters, compassing sea and land, but we would be enabled to lead souls by the same truth that has power over our own lives.
It is a serious thing to add souls to the groups of believers. It becomes us to examine carefully our reasons, to be fully persuaded in our own mind. If we have no reason for our distinctive testimony, we might well consider the propriety of ceasing to maintain it, and of identifying ourselves with some already existing testimony, and seek to build it up, strengthen and help it.
This brings us to ask, Are the things for which we stand essential to a scriptural testimony to the Church of God? Without boastfulness can we say that so far as we have learned of God these features mark His mind as to the church?
1. A unity of true believers, as free from false profession as is possible for us to preserve it, a unity which offers no unscriptural test as a condition to its fellowship.
2. A unity preserved everywhere, and manifested in local gatherings, whose only distinction from other gatherings is because of distance or largeness of numbers; a unity therefore which adds to rather than diminishes the strength of the general testimony.
3. A unity marked by a refusal of unholiness in walk, and by the maintenance of all the great fundamental truths of the word of God.
4. A unity in which the common priesthood of all believers is held, safeguarded, and maintained, in all diligence and faithfulness-to the refusal of both the spirit and practice of any form of clericalism.
These features will suffice to serve as a general guide, and enable us to answer the question:Do they warrant our separation from groups of Christians who do not see and maintain them? Does this separation involve the maintenance of a complete church-testimony apart from others, in which the Table of the Lord is guarded from what we have learned is not according to the mind of God?
But, oh, in what a dangerous position we find ourselves!
Are we better than other saints? Have we a monopoly of divine truth and privileges? Are we the Church? Have we only the Lord's table? Our souls shrink from all such assumptions. If asked' about ourselves we can truthfully say, We are nothing, the feeblest of the feeble; just some of "the poor of the flock," who are seeking to be vinedressers. We will not, by God's grace, allow ourselves to be forced into any attitude of pride of ecclesiastical position. This we have already dwelt upon. May the Lord give us grace to be increasingly mourners and witnesses, rather than judges.
May we go a little further. Necessarily we are separate from the gangrenous "Modernism," which is pervading the churches. This will also separate us from large numbers of Christians who, while personally sound in faith, and, as we hope, godly in walk, have not seen their responsibility to "depart from iniquity." Their association is unscriptural, and we could not be identified with that. In all love and grace, we must firmly maintain this separation.
But it may be said there are other companies of saints who are seeking to maintain the same testimony as ourselves; why should we not walk with them? We would unfeignedly thank our God for every such testimony, nor seek to weaken it. During the past fifty years or more, there has been a distinct revival, both of Evangelical truth and (in some measure) of truth as to the Church. Nor can we close our eyes to the sad divisions which have taken place within the ranks of those known as "Brethren." Such things have complicated matters, calling for much patience, grace and wisdom.
But we need hardly say these things cannot change the truth of God, nor alter the path He has marked for His saints-"straight paths for your feet." How good it is to turn afresh to Him and His Word. "The foundation of God standeth sure." In the midst of the wreckage of men, "the Lord knoweth them that are His," and the word to everyone bearing His holy name is, to "depart from iniquity." What we see to be evil, that we are to depart from.
But let us make a difference where Scripture does, and let us recognize that which is of God, although in some details we are compelled to recognize a failure to maintain His truth. There may be companies which historically had their beginning as separate companies in what was unscriptural, but whose present principles and practice are godly. Let us thankfully own God's work. If we are all in a lowly state, we will be ready to see and judge past failure, and where that spirit prevails we are well on our way toward a corporate healing of breaches.
Meanwhile, let us not ignore difficulties, nor hastily seek to force action that can only complicate matters. Better far to own our divided state than to seek to break down that which remains of sober, careful order. Better to recognize that we are on the way to healing, than to precipitate by undue excitement what will inevitably be followed by a reaction. This may be specially applicable to what has sometimes been called "occasional fellowship." It is doubtless far better to abstain from anything that might be a stumbling-block to godly souls. No interest will suffer where wise care and faithful love are shown. When such cases are made a precedent, they do not work for blessing, nor for the help of exercised consciences. Of what help is it to any that they have been permitted to break bread, and then to return to their regular position without a particle of exercise as to the mind of the Lord for them? Unquestionably, "Of some have compassion, making a difference" has its application; but let us be sure that from age or mental and spiritual condition they are the proper subjects for such "compassion." May the Lord lead and help us.
On the other hand, let us beware of narrowness; nor let us lull ourselves to slothful neglect by saying God never restores a broken fellowship. We might as well say, God never restores a wandering saint, never heals a breach between brothers. Let us not limit His grace; let us rather look for and hope for, as well as work for, that which will glorify Him.
We may be sure that we are helping toward this end when we "restrain ourselves" from haste, and seek to encourage those with whom we do not yet walk in the truth and order of God's house. The actual, outward coming together will then be a fuller expression of a fellowship which has been gaining in strength and reality during perhaps years of patience on our part.
May the Lord lead in all these matters, and may He still have joy in those who have caused so much sorrow to Him. For this let us continue in prayer. S. R.