This article is taken from the Sinner Saved Magazine, Spring 2024. It was written by Henry Fowler (1779 – 1838) who was a hymnwriter and pastor at Gower Street Chapel (1821-1838).

I cannot but mourn at the sad state of Zion. Surely the shadows of the evening are stretched out over us! Few are the churches of Christ that are in a prosperous and peaceable state. Few are the members of Christ who can well agree. Jealousy, covetousness, pride of gifts, with a train of other evils, are too plainly discovered to be mistaken, amongst the servants of Christ. This is to our reproach; this is for a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation, for these things the ways of Zion mourn. And such is the power of Satan over some of God’s people, and such the love of contention in them, that they seem to delight in stirring up strife. “The spirit that is in man lusteth to envy.”

For the division of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart: and for the divisions among the godly there are great thoughts of heart, especially among the weak in faith, who are ready to doubt the reality of every thing. “Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his.” Nothing is so desirable, so delightful, as to see brethren dwell together in unity, bearing each other’s burthens, and so fulfilling the law of Christ, which is love. And it becomes every minister, and every disciple, to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. But I despair of ever seeing much peace and prosperity in the church of God until a trying time comes on in the church. And I do imagine that the quarrelling and disputation, vain jangling and malignity, among God’s servants and people is likely to bring a storm on the church of God. As a thunder storm will hurry the sheep together, so a time of persecution will unite the church of God in affection. May the Lord prepare us for such an event if it is to come in our time. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee in the hour of temptation, which shall come on all the earth to try them.”

I would advise those who are members of  churches, or who may become members of the church, to take the advice of Solomon, “To leave off contention before it be meddled with”; and not to add fuel if they wish the fire to go out…

But I come to mention for your consideration some of the benefits arising from communion within the church.

1. The saints have a better knowledge of each other by church communion than they are likely to have without. Evil surmisings often arise in the breasts of God’s people, and hard thoughts of certain persons; whereas, if they better knew their persons, they would entertain different sentiments about them. It is one of the devil’s works to keep asunder God’s people; and this he often does by working upon human depravity, and producing thoughts which are the most foolish and unfounded in reason and fact. Hence I have heard some remark, “Such a person I think has but little religion; their dress is not right,” or “they carry a haughty head, as if no one was worthy to speak to them.” Perhaps they never spoke to the person but, if they were to have some conversation, they might be soon convinced that to judge by appearances is not safe. The person they condemned as ungracious, or haughty and proud, might be possessed with as humbling a sense of their own nothingness as those who wear the Quaker’s broad brim with the plainest coat. Now church communion is likely to produce this good effect, to make God’s people judge less by appearances, to judge righteous judgment.

2. As the end and design of church communion is the edification of each other, it leads to spiritual conversation; for it is seldom we speak freely on soul matters to persons, unless we have some previous knowledge of them. Spiritual conversation is an ordinance of God, and a means as much blessed to the comfort and establishment of God’s people as any other. Israel spoke of the Lord’s judgments when they went by the way, and conversed of his wonders done at the Red Sea—in the wilderness, and in Canaan. In Malachi’s day, “they that feared the Lord spoke often to one another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it; and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.” How can the saints “comfort and edify one another,” if they never speak to each other? And what is there so likely to promote these things as meeting often together in the place where Jehovah dwells! “Where two or three are met together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” And when Christ is in the midst of his saints it gives a sweet turn to the conversation. “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened unto us the scriptures?” How often are differences made up; prejudices removed, hard thoughts assuaged, by the means of spiritual conversation; and each person is really ashamed of himself to think how weak he has been, and how much he has listened to a wicked counsellor. One calls prejudice “the devil’s battering ram,” (a military term,) by which he beats down the comforts of God’s people; and in the prejudiced party you may generally perceive that they are blind to their present crooked path, and will roundly assert they have not one bit of prejudice about them selves! These persons, and their prejudices, must be met in a church on scripture grounds, and the parties treated according as the word directs. Outside of a well ordered church every captious, deluded hearer thinks he has a right to sit in the judgment-seat, and, with an air of consequence will try to discompose and distract the whole body, will set up his judgment and opinion as the criterion of right and wrong, without one plain scripture to support his opinions, and contrary to the views and experience of those who are best taught in the congregation.

3. Another benefit from church communion is, it helps forward, under God, the weak in faith in understanding, gifts, and utterance. “As iron sharpeneth iron, so doth the countenance of a man his friend.” Satan often tempts the child of God to conclude that he is quite alone, that no one is acquainted with his path; but by more acquaintance with the brethren, he perceives that his temptations are common to men that believe;—that the same afflictions are accomplished in his brethren that are in the world. Satan labours to keep the child of God ignorant of his diabolical works; and he so covers them over with plausible reasonings, that the tempted soul cannot suspect them to be of Satan, till his understanding is more enlarged into the knowledge of God’s word, and his opinions of those things confirmed by the joint testimony of living witnesses; and if these proofs, from others’ testimony, do not lift the soul out of his present trying path, (which they may not,) they frequently preserve the soul from sinking lower. I can bear witness that when I have heard the saints speak of their trials and temptations, which at the same time they were labouring under, it has met with my very feelings and trials, and cast a light on my darksome path? These things shew the propriety and benefit of the communion of saints. Also, their gifts are enlarged by church communion and intercourse with the saints. “He that walketh with the wise, shall be wise.” “Gifts are for the edification of the body of Christ.” I want no gifts to pray to my Beloved in secret; he knows the desire of thy soul, and a few broken prayers of often bring down the heavenly manna: but a man with no measure of gifts in prayer, however large his spiritual understanding, is of little use for the church’s edification; and gifts in prayer are increased by praying in public among the saints, whose wants God enables the person praying to express.

4. Nor must I omit the due observance of the Lord’s supper by the saints in communion, as being calculated to promote real unity among the brethren: and in the ordinance of the supper, I not only see a dead, but a living Saviour set forth “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? And the cup which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?” For while I look back to the suffering Saviour, and rejoice that he bore my sins away by his one offering, I took upward and forward to a Saviour who is my living head and Redeemer; and who will come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired of all them that believe. Nor can the words “this do in remembrance of me,” be otherwise construed than a positive command binding upon all the disciples to the end of time. The proper subjects to partake of the supper are the saints of God in communion: as for that communion which is loose and general, (if it deserve the name of communion,) has many just objections against it.— “Let all things be done with decency and in order.” In the supper of the Lord is set forth the most incomprehensible mystery of redemption in the death and suffering of him who is the Father’s co-equal. His body broken, and his precious blood, are in a lively manner set forth in the supper. He to whom it is given to discern the Lord’s body, is a proper communicant. And often the mind of a child of God is carried beyond the shadow to the real substance and thing signified; and with real spiritual delight, he eats the flesh, and drinks the blood of the Son of man, and has eternal life abiding in him. Oh unparalleled pleasure! to come near to him, and talk with him, as a man talketh with his friend. What are all forms of religion, be they ever so proper in their place, compared to this? And do thou my precious Redeemer, feed me with thyself, that it may more abundantly find thy flesh to be meat indeed, and thy blood to be drink indeed. The more the disciples of Christ are favoured with that precious food, the more will anger, malice, and evil surmisings, these brats of hell, cease to operate: nor is it possible for any child of God to live under their influence, and be at peace in his conscience, and enjoy communion with God.

5. And last: church communion serves often as a check to the old man of sin, which is a daily companion and plague, to the believer, “Thou shalt not suffer sin to be upon thy brother,” and connive at it, or not tell him of it: but this must be done with humility and caution by the reprover, lest he also be tempted to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. As no man has power to keep himself; as sin hardens the heart, and stupifies the senses; the benefits of an honest reproof are incalculable: it may weaken the force of a temptation; it may rouse the brother who hath sinned to a lively sense of his danger—and be a means of pulling him out of the fire (Jude 23).—A person who takes upon himself to reprove another, should first examine himself, and look well to the present feeling of his own heart; for if he cannot reprove with affection as well as faithfulness, he is likely to put a stumbling block in his brother’s way. Reproof is often given from secret dislike, from prejudice, from malicious reports, which have not the least probability of truth.—And the designs of the reprover is, perhaps, to gain the esteem of his brethren, or to ingratiate himself more deeply in the minister’s affections: and the bottom of it is pride. Wherefore, brethren, let us consider one another, and provoke one another (not to wrath) but to love, and to good works (Hebrews 10:24). Church communion is a sacred bond, which, though it has its crosses, nevertheless it has its comforts which more than counterbalance. “How good and how pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” nothing on earth is so like heaven as a company of real believers in the Lord Jesus dwelling together in unity. The communion of saints is produced and promoted by communion with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ: “And if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another: and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7).