Those who consider themselves free to do anything _not forbidden in Scripture_, are out at sea, pretty much cut loose from the Bible. They have in their horizon a broad range. They are not in search of divine authority, not engaged in that for which there _is divine authority_, but things for which there _is no divine authority_—things _not forbidden_. They are not studying how to do the commandments, but whether men can not be saved without doing the commandments; how to obey the gospel, but how men can be saved without obeying the gospel; not how to build up the church of God, set it in order and keep it in order; how to worship according to the Scriptures; but how to make the church attractive, entertaining and popular. Their theme is not the gospel, nor is their mission turning the world from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; but to so model and fashion the church as to please the world as it is, in its unconverted state, without the work of turning it to God. Let them have their way, and the church, in a short time, will be so let down that men will need no conversion to come into it. There will be no cross nor self denial in it. Be careful and not fall “into the trap,” as Luther did. If there is no divine authority for a thing, that is enough. We need no Scripture forbidding it. We can unite on the things required in Scripture—the things commanded—but we never can unite on the things not forbidden. There are too many of this latter class; they are too various, contradictory and inconsistent. Let us stick to the things that are written. These are divinely authorized. The things not written are not divinely authorized. Let us stand to the prescribed terms of pardon, the prescribed life of the saints, and the prescribed worship. Those who depart from this _are going back_. BRANCHES OF THE CHURCH. When we say the body, we do not mean any sort of body, or any kind of body, but _the body of Christ_; _the one body_ into which all were immersed in the time of the apostles. This is the same as in “the Church of God,” “the kingdom of God.” The body of Christ has no _branches_ except the individual members. There are no _branch bodies_. The kingdom of God has no branches. Every citizen is in the kingdom, and those not in the kingdom are not citizens at all.