Now, under such circ.u.mstances, what is one to do? All cannot possibly be right. And yet, surely, there is something right. It cannot be that we are _compelled_ to live in error, in darkness, or uncertainty. "_There is a path_," blessed be G.o.d, though "no fowl knoweth it, and the vulture"s eye hath not seen it. The lion"s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion pa.s.sed by it." Where is this safe and blessed path?
Hear the divine reply: "Behold, _the fear of the Lord_, that is wisdom: and _to depart from evil_ is understanding" (Job xxviii.).
Let us, therefore, in the fear of the Lord, in the light of His infallible truth, and in humble dependence upon the teaching of the Holy Spirit, proceed to the examination of the subject which stands at the head of this paper; and may we have grace to abandon all confidence in our own thoughts, and the thoughts of others, so that we may heartily and honestly yield ourselves up to be taught only of G.o.d.
Now, in order to get fairly into the grand and all-important subject of the a.s.sembly of G.o.d, we have first to state _a fact_; and, secondly, to ask _a question_. The fact is this, _There is an a.s.sembly of G.o.d on the earth_. The question is, _What is that a.s.sembly_?
I. And, first then, as to our _fact_. There is such a thing as the a.s.sembly of G.o.d on the earth. This is a most important fact, surely. G.o.d has an a.s.sembly on the earth. I do not refer to any merely human organization, such as the Greek Church; the Church of Rome; the Church of England; the Church of Scotland; or to any of the various systems which have sprung from these, framed and fashioned by man"s hand, and carried on by man"s resources. I refer simply to that a.s.sembly which is gathered by G.o.d the Holy Ghost, round the person of G.o.d the Son, to worship and hold fellowship with G.o.d the Father.
If we set forth upon our search for the a.s.sembly of G.o.d, or for any expression thereof, with our minds full of prejudice, preconceived thoughts, and personal predilections; or if, in our searchings, we seek the aid of the flickering light of the dogmas, opinions, and traditions of men, nothing is more certain than that we shall fail to reach the truth. To recognize G.o.d"s a.s.sembly, we must be exclusively taught by G.o.d"s Word, and led by G.o.d"s Spirit; for, of G.o.d"s a.s.sembly, as well as of the sons of G.o.d, it may be said, "the world knoweth it not."
Hence, then, if we are, in any wise, governed by the spirit of the world; if we desire to exalt man; if we seek to commend ourselves to the thoughts of men; if our object be to gain the attractive ends of a plausible and soul-ensnaring expediency, we may as well, forthwith, abandon our search for any true expression of the a.s.sembly of G.o.d, and take refuge in that form of human organization which most fully commends itself to our thinkings or our conscientious convictions.
Further, if our object be to find a religious community in which the word of G.o.d is read, or in which the people of G.o.d are found, we may speedily satisfy ourselves, for it would be hard indeed to find a section of the professing Christian body in which one or both of these objects might not be realized.
Finally, if we merely aim at doing all the good we can, without any question as to how we do it; if _Per fas aut nefas_, "right or wrong,"
be our motto in whatever we undertake; if we are prepared to reverse those weighty words of Samuel, and say that, "To sacrifice is better than to obey, and the fat of rams better than to harken," then is it worse than vain for us to pursue our search for the a.s.sembly of G.o.d, inasmuch as that a.s.sembly can only be discovered and approved by one who has been taught to flee from the thousand flowery pathways of human expediency, and to submit his conscience, his heart, his understanding, his whole moral being to the supreme authority of "Thus saith the Lord."
In one word, then, the obedient disciple knows that there is such a thing as G.o.d"s a.s.sembly: and he it is, too, that will be enabled, through grace, to understand what is a true expression of it. The sincere student of Scripture knows, full well, the difference between that which is founded, formed, and governed by the wisdom and the will of man, and that which is gathered round, and governed by Christ the Lord. How vast is the difference! It is just the difference between G.o.d and man.
But we may here be asked for the Scripture proofs of our fact that there is such a thing on the earth as _the_ a.s.sembly of G.o.d, and we shall, at once, proceed to furnish these; for we may be permitted to say that, without the authority of the Word, all statements are utterly valueless.
What, therefore, saith the Scripture?
Our first proof shall be that famous pa.s.sage, in Matthew xvi., "When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? And they said, Some say that Thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living G.o.d. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build My a.s.sembly[XVIII.] ([Greek: ekklesian]); and the gates of h.e.l.l shall not prevail against it" (vers.
13-18).
Here our blessed Lord intimates His purpose to build an a.s.sembly, and sets forth the true foundation of that a.s.sembly, namely, "Christ, the Son of the living G.o.d." This is an all-important point in our subject.
The building is founded on the Rock, and that Rock is not the poor failing, stumbling, erring Peter, but CHRIST, the eternal Son of the living G.o.d; and every stone in that building partakes of the Rock-life which, as being victorious over all the power of the enemy, is indestructible.[XIX.]
Again, pa.s.sing over a section of Matthew"s Gospel, we come to an equally familiar pa.s.sage: "Moreover, if thy brother shall trespa.s.s against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the a.s.sembly, but if he neglect to hear the a.s.sembly, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are _gathered_ together _in My name_, there am I in the midst of them" (chap. xviii.
15-20).
We shall have occasion to refer to this pa.s.sage again, under the second division of our subject. It is here introduced merely as a link in the chain of Scripture evidence of the fact that there is such a thing as the a.s.sembly of G.o.d on the earth. This a.s.sembly is not a name, a form, a pretence, an a.s.sumption. It is a divine reality--an inst.i.tution of G.o.d, possessing His seal and sanction. It is a something to be appealed to in all cases of personal trespa.s.s and dispute which cannot be settled by the parties involved. This a.s.sembly may consist of only "two or three"
in any particular place--the smallest plurality, if you please; but there it is, owned of G.o.d, and its decisions ratified in heaven.
Now, we are not to be scared away from the truth on this subject, by the fact that the church of Rome has attempted to base her monstrous pretensions on the two pa.s.sages which we have just quoted. That church is not G.o.d"s a.s.sembly, built on the Rock Christ, and gathered in the name of Jesus; but a human apostasy, founded on a failing mortal, and governed by the traditions and doctrines of men. We must not, therefore, suffer ourselves to be deprived of G.o.d"s reality by reason of Satan"s counterfeit. G.o.d has His a.s.sembly on the earth, and we are responsible to confess the truth of it, and to be a practical expression of it. This may be difficult, in a day of confusion like the present. It will demand a single eye--a subject will--a mortified mind. But let the reader be a.s.sured of this, that it is his privilege to possess as divine certainty as to what is a true expression of the a.s.sembly of G.o.d, as surely as the truth concerning his own salvation through the blood of the Lamb; nor should he be satisfied without this. I should not be content to go on for an hour without the a.s.surance that I am, in spirit and principle, a.s.sociated with those whose ground of gathering is purely their common membership in the a.s.sembly of G.o.d--that a.s.sembly which includes all saints. I say, in spirit and principle, because I may happen to be in a place where there is no such local expression of the a.s.sembly; in which case I must be satisfied to hold fellowship, in spirit, with all those who are thus gathered.
This simplifies the matter amazingly. If I cannot have a true expression of G.o.d"s a.s.sembly, I shall have nothing. It will not do to point me to a religious community, with some Christians therein, the gospel preached, and the ordinances administered.
I must be convinced that in very truth, they are gathered on that ground which, in my heart and conscience, frees them from the charge of sectarianism. I can own the children of G.o.d individually anywhere; but sectarianism I cannot own or sanction.
No doubt this will give offence. It will be called bigotry, narrow-mindedness, intolerance, and the like. But this need not discourage us. All we have to do is to ascertain the truth as to G.o.d"s a.s.sembly, and cleave to it, heartily and energetically, at all cost. If G.o.d has an a.s.sembly--and Scripture says He has--then let me be with those who maintain its principles, and nowhere else. It must be in this as in all other matters, truth or nothing. If there be a local expression of that a.s.sembly, well; be there in person. If not, be content to hold spiritual communion with all who humbly and faithfully own and occupy that holy ground. It may sound and seem like liberality to be ready to sanction and go with everything and everybody. It may appear very easy and very pleasant to be in a place "where everybody"s will is indulged, and n.o.body"s conscience is exercised"--where we may hold what we like, and say what we like, and do what we like, and go where we like. All this may seem very delightful--very plausible--very popular--very attractive; but oh! it will be barrenness and bitterness in the end; and, in the day of the Lord, it will a.s.suredly be burnt up as so much wood, hay, and stubble, that cannot stand the action of His judgment.
But let us proceed with our Scripture proofs. In the Acts of the Apostles, or rather, the Acts of the Holy Ghost, we find the a.s.sembly formally set up. A pa.s.sage or two will suffice: "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising G.o.d, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the a.s.sembly, daily, such as should be saved" (Acts ii. 46, 47). Such was the original, simple apostolic order. When a person was converted, he thereby belonged to the a.s.sembly and took his place in it: there was no difficulty in the matter, there were no sects or parties, each claiming to be considered _a_ church, a cause, or an interest. There was just the one thing, and that was the a.s.sembly of G.o.d, where He dwelt, acted, and ruled. It was not a system formed according to the will, the judgment, or even the conscience of man. Man had not, as yet, entered upon the business of church-making. This was G.o.d"s work. It was just as exclusively G.o.d"s province and prerogative to baptize the saved into one body by one Spirit, as to save the scattered.[XX.]
Why, we may justly inquire, should it be different now? Why should the regenerated seek to belong to something else than that to which they already belong--the a.s.sembly of G.o.d? Is not that sufficient? a.s.suredly.
Should they seek aught else? a.s.suredly not. We repeat, with emphasis, "_Either that or nothing_."
True it is, alas! that failure, and ruin, and apostasy have come in.
Man"s wisdom, and his will; or, if you please, his reason, his judgment, and his misguided conscience have wrought, in matters ecclesiastical, and the result appears before us in the almost numberless and nameless sects and parties of the present moment. Still, we are bold to say, that the ground of a.s.sembling as at the beginning, simply as being members of the a.s.sembly of G.o.d, remains the same, spite of all the failure, the error, and the confusion, which have come in. The difficulty in reaching it practically may be great, but its reality, when reached, is unaltered, and unalterable. In apostolic times the a.s.sembly stood out, in bold relief, from the dark background of Judaism on the one hand, and Paganism on the other. It was impossible to mistake it; there it stood, a grand reality! a company of living men, gathered, indwelt, ruled and regulated by G.o.d the Holy Ghost, so that the unlearned or unbelieving coming in, were convinced of all, and constrained to acknowledge that G.o.d was there. (See carefully, I Cor. xii., xiv. throughout.)
Thus, in this Gospel, our blessed Lord intimates His purpose of building an a.s.sembly. This a.s.sembly is historically presented to us in the Acts of the Apostles. Then, when we turn to the Epistles of Paul, we find him addressing the a.s.sembly in seven distinct places, namely, Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, and Thessalonica; and finally, in the opening of the book of Revelation, we have addresses to seven distinct a.s.semblies. Now, in all these places, the a.s.sembly of G.o.d was a plain, palpable, real thing, established and maintained by G.o.d Himself.
It was not a human organization, but a divine inst.i.tution--a testimony--a light bearer for G.o.d, in each place.
Thus much as to our Scripture proofs of the fact that G.o.d has an a.s.sembly on the earth, gathered, indwelt, and governed by the Holy Ghost who is the true and only Vicar of Christ upon earth. The Gospel prophetically intimates the a.s.sembly; the Acts historically presents the a.s.sembly; and the Epistles formally address the a.s.sembly. All this is plain. And if it be broken into fragments now, it is for us to be gathered on the ground of the _one_ a.s.sembly of G.o.d, and to be a true expression of it.
And let it be carefully noted that we will listen to nothing on this subject but the voice of Holy Scripture. Let not reason speak, for we own it not. Let not tradition lift her voice, for we wholly disregard her. Let not expediency thrust itself upon us, for we shall give it no place whatever. We believe in the all-sufficiency of Holy Scripture--that it is sufficient to furnish the man of G.o.d thoroughly--to equip him perfectly for all good works (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17). The word of G.o.d is either sufficient or it is not. We believe it to be amply sufficient for every exigency of G.o.d"s a.s.sembly. It could not be otherwise if G.o.d be its author. We must either deny the divinity or admit the sufficiency of the Bible. There is not a single hair"s breadth of middle ground. It is impossible that G.o.d could have written an imperfect, an insufficient book.
This is a very grave principle in connection with our subject. Many of our protestant writers have, in a.s.sailing popery, maintained the sufficiency and authority of the Bible; but it does seem very plain to us that they are always at fault when their opponents turn sharp round upon them and demand proof from Scripture for many things sanctioned and adopted by protestant communities.
There are many things adopted and practised in the National Establishment and other protestant communities, which have no sanction in the Word; and when the shrewd and intelligent defenders of popery have called attention to these things, and demanded authority for them, the weakness of mere protestantism has been strikingly apparent. If we admit, for a moment, that, in some things, we must have recourse to tradition and expediency, then who will undertake to fix the boundary line? If it be allowable to depart from Scripture at all, how far are we to go? If the authority of tradition be admitted at all, who is to fix its domain? If we leave the narrow and well-defined pathway of divine revelation, and enter upon the wide and bewildering field of human tradition, has not one man as much right as another to make a choice?
The gates of h.e.l.l shall a.s.suredly prevail against every human system--against all those corporations and a.s.sociations which men have set on foot. And in no case has that triumph been, even already, made more awfully manifest than in that of the church of Rome itself, although it has arrogantly laid claim to this very declaration of our Lord as the bulwark of its strength. Nothing can withstand the power of the gates of h.e.l.l but the a.s.sembly of the living G.o.d, for that is built upon "the living Stone." Now the local expression of that a.s.sembly may be but "two or three gathered in the name of Jesus," a poor, feeble, despised handful.
It is well to be clear and decided as to this.
Christ"s promise can never fail. He has, blessed be His name, come down to the lowest possible point by which the a.s.sembly can be represented, even "_two_." How gracious! How tender! How considerate! How like Himself! He attaches all the dignity--all the value--all the efficacy of His own divine and deathless name to an obscure handful gathered round Himself. It must be very evident to the spiritual mind that the Lord Jesus, in speaking of the "two or three" thought not of those vast systems which have sprung up in ancient, mediaeval, and modern times, throughout the eastern and western world, numbering their adherents and votaries, not by "twos or threes," but by kingdoms, provinces, and parishes. It is very plain that a baptized kingdom, and "two or three"
living souls gathered in the name of Jesus, do not and cannot mean the same thing. Baptized Christendom is one thing, and the a.s.sembly of G.o.d is another. What this latter is, we have yet to unfold; we are here a.s.serting that they are not, and cannot be, the same thing. They are constantly confounded, though no two things can be more distinct.[XXI.]
If we would know under what figure Christ presents the baptized world, we have only to look at the "leaven" and the "mustard tree" of Matt.
xiii.
The former gives us the internal, and the latter the external character of "the kingdom of heaven"--of that which was originally set up in truth and simplicity--a real thing, though small, but which, through Satan"s crafty working, has become inwardly a corrupt ma.s.s, though outwardly a far-spreading, showy, popular thing in the earth, gathering all sorts beneath the shadow of its patronage. Such is the lesson--the simple but deeply solemn lesson to be learnt by the spiritual mind from the "leaven" and the "mustard-tree" of Matt. xiii. And we may add, one result of learning this lesson would be an ability to distinguish between "the kingdom of heaven" and "the a.s.sembly of G.o.d." The former may be compared to a wide mora.s.s, the latter to a running stream pa.s.sing through it, and in constant danger of losing its distinctive character, as well as its proper direction, by intermingling with the surrounding waters. To confound the two things is to deal a deathblow to all G.o.dly discipline and consequent purity in the a.s.sembly of G.o.d. If the kingdom and the a.s.sembly mean one and the same thing, then how should we act in the case of "that wicked person" in I Cor. v.? The apostle tells us "to put him away." Where are we to put him? Our Lord Himself tells us distinctly that "the field is _the world_;" and again, in John xvii., He says that His people are not of the world. This makes all plain enough.
But men tell us, in the very face of our Lord"s statement, that the field is the a.s.sembly, and the tares and wheat, unG.o.dly and G.o.dly, are to grow together, that they are on no account to be separated. Thus the plain and positive teaching of the Holy Ghost in I Cor. v. is set in open opposition to the equally plain and positive teaching of our Lord in Matt. xiii.; and all this flows from the effort to confound two distinct things, namely, "the kingdom of heaven" and "the a.s.sembly of G.o.d."
It would not by any means comport with the object of this paper to enter further upon the interesting subject of "the kingdom." Enough has been said, if the reader has thereby been convinced of the immense importance of duly distinguishing that kingdom from the a.s.sembly. What this latter is we shall now proceed to inquire; and may G.o.d the Holy Ghost be our teacher!
II. In handling our question as to the a.s.sembly of G.o.d, it will give clearness and precision to our thoughts to consider the four following points, namely:--
First, what is the _material_ of which the a.s.sembly is composed?
Secondly, what is the _centre_ round which the a.s.sembly is gathered?
Thirdly, what is the _power_ by which the a.s.sembly is gathered?
Fourthly, what is the _authority_ on which the a.s.sembly is gathered?
I. And, first, then, as to the material of which G.o.d"s a.s.sembly is composed; it is, in one word, those possessing salvation, or eternal life. We do not enter the a.s.sembly in order to be saved, but as those who are saved. The word is, "_On_ this rock I will build My Church." He does not say, "On My Church I will build the salvation of souls." One of Rome"s boasted dogmas is this--"There is no salvation out of the true Church." Yes, but we can go deeper still, and say, "Off the true Rock there is no Church." Take away the Rock, and you have nothing but a baseless fabric of error and corruption. What a miserable delusion, to think of being saved by that! Thank G.o.d, it is not so. We do not get to Christ through the Church, but to the Church through Christ. To reverse this order is to displace Christ altogether, and thus have neither Rock, nor Church, nor salvation. We meet Christ as a life-giving Saviour, before we have anything to say to the a.s.sembly at all; and hence we could possess eternal life, and enjoy full salvation, though there were no such thing as the a.s.sembly of G.o.d on the earth.[XXII.]
We cannot be too simple in grasping this truth, at a time like the present, when ecclesiastical pretention is rising to such a height. The church, falsely so called, is opening her bosom with delusive tenderness, and inviting poor sin-burdened, world-sick, and heavy-laden souls to take refuge therein. She, with crafty liberality, throws open her treasury door, and places her resources at the disposal of needy, craving, yearning souls. And truly those resources have powerful attractions for those who are not on "The Rock." There is an ordained priesthood, professing to stand in an unbroken line with the apostles.--Alas! how different the two ends of the line!--There is a continual sacrifice. Alas! a bloodless one, and therefore a worthless one. (Heb. ix. 22.)--There is a splendid ritual. Alas! it seeks its origin amid the shadows of a by-gone age--shadows which have been for ever displaced by the Person, the work, and the offices of the eternal Son of G.o.d. For ever be His peerless name adored!
The believer has a very conclusive answer to all the pretensions and promises of the Romish system. He can say he has found his _all_ in a crucified and risen Saviour. What does he want with the sacrifice of the ma.s.s? He is washed in the blood of Christ. What does he want with a poor, sinful, dying priest, who cannot save himself? He has the Son of G.o.d as his priest. What does he want with a pompous ritual, with all its imposing adjuncts? He worships in spirit and in truth, within the holiest of all, whither he enters with boldness, through the blood of Jesus.
Nor is it merely with Roman Catholicism we have to do in the establishment of our first point. We fear there are thousands besides Roman Catholics who, in heart, look to the church, if not for salvation, at least to be a stepping-stone thereto. Hence the importance of seeing clearly that the materials of which G.o.d"s a.s.sembly is composed are those possessing salvation, in whom is eternal life; so that whatever be the object of that a.s.sembly, it most certainly is not to provide salvation for its members, seeing that all its members are saved ere they enter it at all. G.o.d"s a.s.sembly is a houseful of saved ones from one end to the other. Blessed fact! It is not an inst.i.tution set on foot for the purpose of providing salvation for sinners, nor yet for providing for their religious wants. It is a saved, living body, formed and gathered by the Holy Ghost, to make known to "Princ.i.p.alities and powers in the heavenlies, the manifold wisdom of G.o.d," and to declare to the whole universe the all-sufficiency of the name of Jesus.
Now, the great enemy of Christ and the Church is well aware of what a powerful testimony the a.s.sembly of G.o.d is called and designed to yield on the earth; and therefore he has put forth all his h.e.l.lish energy to quash that testimony in every possible way. He hates the name of Jesus, and everything tending to glorify that name. Hence his intense opposition to the a.s.sembly as a whole, and to each local expression thereof, wherever it may happen to exist. He has no objection to a mere religious establishment set on foot for the purpose of providing for man"s religious wants, whether maintained by government or by voluntary effort. You may set up what you please. You may join what you please.
You may be what you please; anything and everything for Satan but the a.s.sembly of G.o.d, and the practical expression of it in any given place.
That he hates most cordially, and will seek to blacken and blast by every means in his power. But those consolatory accents of the Lord Christ fall with divine power on the ear of faith: "On this rock I will build My a.s.sembly, and the gates of h.e.l.l shall not prevail against it."
2. This conducts us naturally to our second point, namely, What is the centre round which G.o.d"s a.s.sembly is gathered? The centre is Christ--the living Stone, as we read in the Epistle of Peter, "To whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of G.o.d, and precious, ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to G.o.d by Jesus Christ" (chap. ii. 4, 5).