in the assemblies of the saints; that
He sets the members, every one of them, in the Body as it pleaseth Him,
and divides unto them, severally as He will, gifts for service in the
Body; that the only true ordination is His ordination, and that the
manifestation of His gifts is the sufficient basis for the recognition
of brethren as qualified for the exercise of an office or function, the
possession of spiritual gifts being sufficient authority for their
exercise. It is with the Body of Christ as with the human body: the eye
is manifestly made for seeing and the ear for hearing, the hand and foot
for handling and walking; and this adaptation both shows the design of
God and their place in the organism. And so for more than threescore
years the Holy Spirit has been safely trusted to supply and qualify all
needed teachers, helpers, and leaders in the assembly. There has always
been a considerable number of brethren and sisters fitted and disposed
to take up the various departments of service to which they were
obviously called of the Spirit, so that no one person has been
indispensable. Various brethren have been able to give more or less time
and strength to preaching, visiting, and ruling in the church; while
scores of others, who, like Paul, Priscilla and Aquila, the tent-makers,
have their various business callings and seek therein to "abide with
God," are ready to aid as the Lord may guide in such other forms of
service as may consist with their ordinary vocations. The prosperity of
the congregation, its growth, conduct, and edification, have therefore
been dependent only on God, who, as He has withdrawn one worker after
another, has supplied others in their stead, and so continues to do.

To have any adequate conception of the fruits of such teaching and such
living in church-life, it is needful to go at least into one of the
Monday-night prayer meetings at Bethesda. It is primitive and apostolic
in simplicity. No one presides but the unseen Spirit of God. A hymn is
suggested by some brother, and then requests for prayer are read,
usually with definite mention of the names of those by and for whom
supplication is asked. Then prayer, scripture reading, singing, and
exhortation follow, without any prearrangement as to subject, order in
which or persons by whom, the exercises are participated in. The fullest
liberty is encouraged to act under the Spirit's guidance; and the fact
of such guidance is often strikingly appar