The Church in a City.
F. W. Grant.
"Words of Faith" Vol. 2, 1883, p. 298.
The question as to the assembly in a city, is one of much more importance than seems at first sight to attach to it. It is a question of the practical organisation of the church on earth, of whether the church heavenly (as in character she surely is), takes, or not, her place on earth as subject to laws imposed by earthly conditions. In a recent case of discipline, affecting many of us deeply, it is, perhaps, the scripture question most involved, and which involves most our judgment as to it. For these reasons it is that I should be glad to have a little space in "Words of Faith," to look at this matter simply in its relation to scripture, which, in my belief, is clear and simple enough about it.
The ground taken by many may be expressed in the brief way in a question which I borrow from a paper in your present volume. "If the scriptures do not speak of assemblies in a city, can we?" The practical conclusion is (though not that of the paper referred to), that supposing twenty-six assemblies in a city, each of these is but the twenty-sixth part of an assembly, and unable to act in matters of discipline, without the ascertained concurrence of the rest.
The texts may be first cited.
The assembly in Jerusalem is spoken of in Acts 8:1; 11:22; 15:4, 22;
the assembly in Antioch, Acts 13:1; 14:27;
in Ephesus, Acts 20:17; Rev. 2:1;
Cenchrea, Romans 16:1;
Corinth, 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1;
the assembly of the Laodiceans, Col. 4:16; Rev. 3:14; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1;
in Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Rev. 2:8, 12, 18; Rev. 3:1, 7.
On the other hand, we have the assemblies of Syria and Cilicia, Acts 15:41;
of Galatia, 1 Cor. 16:1; Gal. 1:2;
of Asia, 1 Cor. 16:19; Rev. i. 11, etc.;
Macedonia, 2. Cor. 8:1;
Judea, Gal. 1:22;
Laodiceans, Col. 4:16.
The general style of scripture is evident; assemblies of a country or district; assembly in a city or town. There is one text, however, which seems an exception to the former usage. The editors in general, with the best manuscripts, read Acts 9:31, "the church . . . throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria."* It has been urged, indeed, that this is "throughout," not "in"
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