As the teaching of the epistles on the doctrine of the church, especially in 1 Cor. 12 and Eph. 4 has already been noticed, we may pass on to the practical operation of the assembly. In Matt. 18 the blessed Lord gives us an insight into this, attaching to it the authority of heaven itself, though but two or three
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should thus form the assembly. Whether for discipline or for making requests to God, the Lord lays down this great principle, that " Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Thus met, it is an assembly meeting. Nothing could be more simple, more encouraging, more blessed: Christ the center, the Holy Spirit the gathering power to that center, with these words of inexpressible assurance to the heart, " There am I."
To a mere onlooker, the meeting may seem a poor one. Only a few Christians met, it may be, in a very humble room, with no appearance of marked gift amongst them; but, to faith, it has not been a poor meeting, nor ever can be. The Lord was there; and could we call that a poor meeting, where He-the blessed adorable Lord-is?
At the same time, we admit that, to those who are accustomed to all the style and grandeur of popular meetings, it must have a poor appearance. But to those who know the happy liberty, the heavenly joy, the peculiar blessedness of simply meeting in the Lord's name, the most perfect human arrangements would be utterly intolerable. The difference between the two meetings must be experienced to be known and appreciated; language cannot describe it.
But we do meet, some will say, in the name of Jesus, and we have the gospel faithfully preached, and there are many earnest godly men amongst us. So far that may be the case; but good preaching and good people do not make the meeting to be the church. No community of saints, unless assembled in obedience to the word of God, and subject to the Lord Jesus by the energy of the Holy Spirit, is really on divine ground. This is the question; are we on the foundation of God's word? Have we no center, no name round which we gather, but the name of our absent Lord; no uniting ruling power but the Holy Spirit, and no standard of action but the veritable word of God? The moment we begin to gather people -though all may be true Christians-round a particular person, some new view or system, we are only forming a sect. But those who hold fast to Christ as the center of the Spirit's unity are no sect, and never can become one, so long as they embrace in principle everyone belonging to Christ on the face of the whole earth.
The breaking of bread-which the Brethren observe every Lord's day morning-is the highest expression of the church's unity. " The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many, are one bread and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread." 1 Cor. 10:16, 1716The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16‑17).