If the brethren prefer all meetings of brethren as such, it is all very well; I have no objection; I would most cordially meet with them; but when they do not meet corporately as brethren, then I act on my individual responsibility to God—I individualize myself. If I find it profitable to associate another with me, as Barnabas or Silas (Paul chose Silas) it is all well, but I must take care how I do so. I count it of the very last importance to maintain individual responsibility, while ministering in unity and discipline in form: if individual responsibility be not recognized therewith, it becomes a petty Rome, and worse, from being narrower. Where charity is warm, there is no difficulty. If brethren who have a room, desire to use it only for corporate meetings, as I have said, it is all well, and I admit the liberty of the Spirit edifying by whom He will; but my responsibility of individual gift is between me and Christ, where not exercised in a corporate meeting; I dare not forego the responsibility (woe is me if I do!); and no one can meddle with it—he meddles with the prerogative of Christ. In the assembly, the order of the assembly, or Christ by the Spirit in that, is supreme; out of the assembly I act on my own responsibility to the Lord. If I have five talents, I do not necessarily club with him who has two. I admit freely, alongside of this, all godly counsel; and all discipline as to error or misconduct. Even so, you cannot prevent a man's preaching alone; you can refuse to recognize, or warn, and the like. I attach all possible importance to this individual responsibility (repeating yet again all just accompanying discipline): I would not be of any body where it was touched; I dare not, for I should do just what Rome has—set up something between me and Christ. If the brethren do not like to lend me their place of meeting, where I may exercise my gift on this responsibility, 1 resist not; it is merely a question of rooms, or of expediency perhaps; they may be wiser in this than myself. This question arose as to myself once at—. I replied, as above, that if the brethren did not like me to preach on my own responsibility in the room, and would have only open corporate meetings, I had no more to say: I would hire a room; but out of the corporate meetings I was Christ's servant, and I recognized no right in another to meddle with this responsibility, saving discipline if that were needed. The difficulty disappeared, as it always does where there is fidelity; though humbleness alone can save us getting out of one ditch into another.