19. “J.,” Seaton Deleval. The Lord Jesus said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me.” Now it is certain, if saints act as you say—if, whilst visiting their friends, they neglect the Lord’s table, preferring the company of their friends—then surely this is loving their father, or mother, or friends more than the Lord Jesus. It will not surprise us to find such ultimately neglecting the Lord’s table altogether, and prove that they are strangers to Him. We have known a case of a similar character, but it ended in self-will, dishonoring the Lord by schism. If those you name are children of God, we trust they will awake from such a course of indifference.
20. Demerara. The thoughts are excellent. How watchful we need to be, lest, as you say, with the truth of the Lord’s coming on our lips, “we fall back to sleep again.” Ο Lord, do Thou awaken Thy saints with the cry, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” While the truth embodied in the paper is good, as warning against Laodicean self-sufficiency and indifferentism, so rapidly setting in, yet we judge it is written by one not accustomed to do so for publication.
21. “R.,” Southampton. The reply was in the printer’s hands before your last reached us. We thank the Lord for the use He deigns to make of the paper you speak of. The Lord be praised for all His goodness and mercy! May we encourage ourselves in Him, go forth in His blessed service, in the way that pleases Him, and reckon on His presence and blessing being with us!
22. “N.,” Truro. If it be an assembly meeting, it should be clearly understood that it is such, and then every woman instructed in the truth would know that God has set her in the place of learning in silence, and that it would be a shame for her to speak. But if it be a social meeting of a few Christians to search the word together, we can see nothing contrary to the word in a woman modestly, and in a subject spirit, asking questions; but the moment she begins to teach, or to usurp authority over the man, she dishonors the Lord. We recommend such meetings to be held in private houses. The Lord be praised for all the help given, you speak of, through our little magazine!
23. “D.,” Dumfries. There is little said in the Old Testament about eternal life. We only remember its being twice mentioned. In Psalm 133 it is spoken of as Jehovah’s blessing— “there the Lord commanded his blessing, even life for evermore” Dan. 12 describes the state of those of Daniel’s “people” [Israel] who will be blessed by-and-by, in contrast with others who will be judged and cut off—“some to everlasting life.” It is remarkable that both these texts refer to millennial times, when we know the nation of Israel will be all righteous. Indirectly it came out here and there that God’s Old Testament saints had eternal life, though it is not plainly said so. We cannot, however, doubt it, for our Lord said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God;” and that Nicodemus, being a master in Israel, ought to have known it. Our Lord also spoke of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as still living, though dead and buried, and that they would yet be in the kingdom. Moses and Elias were seen with Christ on the mount of transfiguration. Abraham and others were accounted righteous on the principle of faith. David spoke of transgressions being forgiven, sin covered, and the man blessed—righteousness imputed without works. And, further, “they that are Christ’s at his coming” are to be raised from among the dead, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. We ask, then, How could all these blessings be theirs without having eternal life? With regard to Old Testament saints not having the Holy Ghost to indwell them as we have, let us not forget being born of the Spirit is one act, and His being given unto us, because we are sons, is another. By the latter we know an accomplished redemption, that we are sons, that we are in Christ, and Christ in us. Till Christ was risen, how could any know sonship? Till Christ was glorified, how could any receive the Holy Ghost to abide in them forever, and cry, Abba, Father? (John 20:1717Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17); Gal. 4:1-61Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:1‑6).) We are plainly told that “the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:3939(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:39).)
24. “S. E.,” London. We cannot undertake to express an opinion on the case you have so briefly described. As a rule, we rarely find any one refused fellowship, without some grave reason for it; we believe that receiving too freely is too often the case. When we are careless as to our state and walk, we become careless as to others. It seems to us an unseemly thing for any one to go to the Lord’s table who is at enmity with any one, and not gracious and forgiving. Are we not told even to love our enemies? And also, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you from your hearts forgive not every one his brother” (Matt. 5:44; 18:3544But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:44)
35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (Matthew 18:35).)
25. “I.,” Hereford. We are afraid of dwelling too minutely on the meanings of the names and numbers of holy scripture. Some are plain enough. We are afraid of the mind being amused, instead of the soul fed and heart warmed by being occupied with Christ, and the great facts, principles, and ministry of divine truth. We believe the way of the Holy Ghost is to keep us in constant communion with the Lord, and learning more and more of Him; we also believe that one of Satan’s devices for God’s children is to keep them occupied with anything he can, to divert them from “rejoicing in the Lord always.” We hope to reply to your other question another time, if the Lord will.
26. Fernihirst. We have received the following correction of our remarks in reply to J. IL’s question which appeared in our February issue, for which we are unfeignedly thankful; and now insert the letter for the benefit of our readers, “I do not doubt that your whole desire is to put things scripturally, and that you will bear with me in stating that I think what you say in the article of Correspondence entitled J. H., Fernihirst, is not scriptural. It is possible that you might find a similar statement in some of my former writings where the points were not so clear to my mind. Yet I think I ever held the lied Sea to be Christ dead and risen for us, and Jordan we dead and risen with Christ. I took this ground in the Archer street conference and it was resisted on ground like your article, and I examined it afresh.
Only, in my case, if it were so, it was merely want of being clear, while a whole system is now made to hang upon what is not correct. The theory is that the passover was Christ’s dying for us, the Red Sea our death with Christ, and Jordan our death and resurrection in Him. All this, except the first, is wrong. First, there is no dying in Christ, nor such a distinction as with Him and in Him. If a person long exercised said, ‘Ο, I see I died in Christ,’ I should be delighted. He has seen his deliverance, though he expresses it wrongly. But the difference is real and practical When we die with Christ, it is we, ‘I am crucified,’ a real experimental thing, not judicial, though we get liberty by seeing it accomplished in Christ. So we are always dead to something, dead to sin, to the rudiments of the world, dead to the law. Scripture does say that we are alive in Christ because that is an actual, subsisting thing; He is our life, we are in Christ. In the passover there was one simple truth, God was passing through as a judge, and passed over, was shut out as such. The Red Sea is Christ’s death and resurrection, more than mere non-imputation. (Exod. 15:1313Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. (Exodus 15:13).) It is redemption absolute and accomplished. God is a Savior and deliverer. (Exod. 14:1313And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. (Exodus 14:13).) The Egyptians were to be seen no more. It was nothing done in us, but for us, the command was, ‘Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.’ Death and judgment were for God’s people’s deliverance, and the result was, ‘Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation;’ and afterward, ‘Ye have seen how I bare you on eagle’s wings, and brought you unto myself.’ As a type, all was closed for Egyptians and Israel. The latter were not in glory (Canaan), not in the wilderness, not in Egypt, but brought to God, not their subjective state, in any respect. That was experimental; this, judicial and final. This was returned to at the end, whatever the exercises and ‘ifs’ of the wilderness. Concerning Jacob and Israel it shall be said as at this time, ‘What hath God wrought;’ whatever Moses, that is the Spirit of God, might give the conscience of among them. But from the mountain where they came to meet God, their journey was an experimental state, to humble them and to prove them and know what was in their hearts. And so was the crossing of Jordan, though in another way. The priests’ feet must touch the water, the ark is with them, they with it in the passage. There was association. Moses did the work of authority at the Red Sea. The people stood still and saw the salvation, and when the work was done passed over dryshod. Death had lost its power in Jordan, but in the ark’s going through it with them. It is Christ’s death, but not redemption; it was going in to what was promised, not going out to God. Hence the stones of death are set up in Canaan, Gilgal comes in, it is experimental though of faith. At any rate we have no dying in Christ, but with Him. The nearest to it is Col. 2 where we have the true circumcision in Him, but this is in nowise the same, not even saying how, save by His circumcision. We have the true thing in Him, not the mere Jewish figure. There is a connection between the Red Sea and Jordan. Both are Christ’s death and resurrection, but one is for us, where we stand still and see; the other, our having part in it, we have died with Him and risen with Him.
The passages (Col. 2:1212Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12); Eph. 1; 2) arc entirely misapplied. There is no dying at all there, but sovereign power comes in, and, when we are dead in sins takes us and puts us into Christ, as it raised up Christ when He teas dead, and put Him into glory. Many other truths connect themselves with these points, as the character of the wilderness, with which the conditional ‘ifs’ of the New Testament connect themselves; and the confounding Eph. 2 and Col. 2:1212Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12), with Rom. 6, two totally different systems of doctrine, has given rise to wild wanderings of fanaticism; but this would lead me too far. I crave the forbearance of my brethren, my excuse for criticizing their explanation being the immense practical importance for souls. For mark the effect, you have God shut out by the blood on the door posts, and that is all as to Him, and no redemption in the scheme at all; for if the Red Sea be our resurrection with Christ, that clearly is not redemption, that which is designated by ‘our’ as the ones engaged in it. By redemption I do not mean here the forgiveness of sins by blood, but as used for the operation of God’s power in freeing Israel from Egypt. That involves the blood shedding and the forgiveness, but went much further. It was the accomplishment of the statement to Moses, Exod. 6:6, 76Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. (Exodus 6:6‑7), when the power and title of Pharaoh were destroyed by judgment, as Satan’s for us. So Exod. 3:88And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (Exodus 3:8). So Christ (Gal. 1) gave Himself for our sins, to deliver us from this present evil world. 1 Pet. 1:18, 2018Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (1 Peter 1:18)
20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, (1 Peter 1:20); Psalm 106:1010And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. (Psalm 106:10). That sin in the flesh was condemned when Christ was a sacrifice for sin is blessedly true for us, but that was between Him and God; God sending His own Son did it, our coming into it is another thing. “Its being perfectly done there when it was God’s work alone, and hence perfect, is our comfort now. One is God for us, the other our death and resurrection is wrought in us, in receiving Christ, that we may be rightly before God.” J.N.D.
27. “H.,” Egham. To be gathered together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to remember Him, and show His death till He come, is the desire of Him who said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” The object of such a meeting is thus clearly defined. When spiritually entered into the Lord will be known “in the midst;” His death will engage every heart, His body be discerned, and communion of saints realized as members of “one body.” In Acts 20:77And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7) we find that the early Christians “came together to break bread” on the first day of the week—the Lord’s day. It was the one object for which they came together. Meetings for united prayer are also according to scripture, as in Matt. 18:1919Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:19), Acts 12.
With regard to meetings for the study of scripture, we have repeatedly referred to this of late in our answers to correspondents.
As to a woman having her head covered when in prayer with others, it is plainly taught in scripture, because of the angels, who thus behold the woman taking her rightful place of subjection to the man, according to the Lord’s mind. (1 Cor. 11 ii-10.)
As to being “spiritual,” does not the scripture, “He which is spiritual judgeth (discerneth) all things,” mean that such have a discernment which unspiritual persons have not?