The Present Truth, vol. 12

May 7, 1896

“When the Messiah Came” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

“But thou, Bethlehem Euphratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 289.1

This was the stately language of the prophet, foretelling the coming of the Messiah. This was the passage to which the chief priests and scribes turned, when Herod called them together and demanded of them where Christ was to be born. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 289.2

“And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophets, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda, for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel.” Matthew 2:5, 6. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 289.3

They did not quote the last clause-“whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Why not? Their “higher criticism,” no doubt, had explained away those words so fraught with the breath of eternity, and so full of spiritual meaning. To them perhaps that was but a bit of mystical poetry, which, according to their interpretation, the prophet had seen fit to attach to the weightier matters of practical prophecy. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 289.4

That a ruler should arise, who would expel the Roman governor, soldiers, and tax-gatherers, and re-establish the glories of King David and Solomon was something that they believed, and looked forward to. They felt that to be practical. It was something which their minds could grasp and they could look forward to with a feeling of its possibilities. They felt such a consummation was conceivable, and was something to which men of the practical trained intelligence that they felt they had attained, might look forward with some assurance of its realisation. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 289.5

As for the rest, however,-that was but the mystic veil thrown round a core of reality: just the rhetorical dress in which the fact of the coming Jewish supremacy was set forth,-that was all. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 289.6

Yet, did it enter the minds of any of them that He who should be ruler in Israel was that little babe in Bethlehem? Who can tell? Perhaps. But if it did they had no thought of emulating the wise men in their adoration of an infant. Indeed, they felt it would not do for them to commit themselves to anything so unreasonable. It would be quite time enough to acknowledge allegiance when he had come to years of maturity, when he had donned his armour, and summoned his men-at-arms about him, and there was a reasonable certainty that he was about to drive the foreigner from the sacred soil of Palestine, and set up his kingdom. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 289.7

When that time should arrive, and all this should be assured, then it would be time enough for them to take action. In the meantime it would be the part of wisdom for them to stand, calmly by-entirely neutral-and await the progress and development of events. They did so, and the outcome was such as to convince them of the entire wisdom of their policy. If they had any hopes they were literally destroyed in the bud by the severe measures which Herod took. The incident of the quest of the wise men, the examination of the chief priests and scribes by Herod, his alarm and the cruel act in which his jealous fear resulted, passed from the minds of men, and became but an episode in the uncertain records of a troublous time. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 289.8

It is thus, in centuries past, that men have ignored the accepted time, and so they do still. The Word of God is spread abroad now as never in the previous history of mankind. All the accessories which fulfil, explain, and illustrate the Scriptures are published in the view of men as never before; they are multiplying rapidly within the possible observation of all men. And yet there are chief priests, scribes, and Herods, to-day as there were eighteen hundred years ago. It is no less evident now than then that not all learned men are wise. Then the wise men worshipped in humility and faith, but the learned gave information to the enemy. Wisdom will be justified of her children no less to-day than then. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.1

“Speaking and Living” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

It requires the wisdom and prudence which only God can give to know how to speak the truths of the Word, and to remain silent when silence is more golden than speech. No rule can be stated to govern it, as the Holy Spirit must be the teacher in every occasion of need. However, merely as a suggestion of a very common danger, the following words by one writer are worth thinking of:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.2

I have known pious persons, rich in good works outside the home, who yet dare those with whom they live into various stages of indignation, revolt and unbelief by their well-meant homilies. Generally speaking, our religion is best shown by words to strangers and chance acquaintances, but by our lives to those who are always with us. If we live aright in the home our words are unnecessary, if not they are hurtful. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.3

While it is by no means the case that one should be silent about Divine truth before those daily associated with, who may not be alive to its importance, it is a fact that the danger is that one may give more attention to talking than to living. And if the life be hid with Christ, the words will spring from the abundance of the life within, and will not so often take the form of “homilies,” distasteful to those who do not relish spiritual things. Such persons very often repel the wisest words, and then special wisdom is needed to know when to speak and when to remain silent, committing the case to God in prayer. Christ’s life and His own ways are to be studied for wisdom to know how to speak a word in season. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.4

“The State as a Religious Teacher” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

The dullest observer of events in the religious education controversy can now see very plainly why the Roman Catholic Church has always favored compulsory religious teaching in the Board schools, even when they had the greatest objection to what was taught. The great thing with Rome was to have the principle of State-taught religion maintained, trusting in its own power to turn the principle to the direct advantage of the Roman church. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.5

We remember commenting on this seven or eight years ago in these columns, quoting from the chief organ of the Catholic Church in England to show that, while they held the religion taught to be little better than heathenism, still they regarded those who were insisting that the Board schools should give religious instruction as “doing the work of the Pope as surely as if they were his hired emissaries.” They said:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.6

Every year that passes sees a widening of the circle to which Catholic influences extend in this country. The day will certainly come when the true religion will be placed before the common people of England as it has not been placed before them since the time of Henry VIII. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.7

At that time it was perhaps hardly supposed, even by them, that by 1896 they would be working in the lobbies of the House of Commons, with fair promise of success, in favour of a Bill practically establishing their own schools. The Bill does not go far enough to suit them, it is true, but the Pope, according to the recent despatch, says that it is possible to tolerate the Bill, and so it is accepted as a further confirmation of the purely papal principle that the State should be the servant of the Church, do as it is told, and pay the bills. So the hierarchy in England has issued an episcopal message favouring the partial endowment of their schools:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.8

The Education Bill now before Parliament has our goodwill and approval, because it proposes to recognise by statute Voluntary and Christian schools as an integral part of the national system of elementary education. It embodies a Christian principle which, as Catholic Bishops, we must ever assert and maintain. That principle is that Christian parents possess an indefeasible natural right to have their children taught catechetically by approved teachers the definite doctrines of Christian faith and morals. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.9

Those who have all along insisted on having a little religion made compulsory in the Board schools now find themselves prepared to struggle against this direct establishment of State-paid Catholic teaching. The Catholics, Roman and Anglican, both retort that the Protestant element has always wanted compulsory religious teaching, and they can say that the objectors to the proposed scheme differ only in degree and not in principle. Everything is working out in Rome’s favour simply because the papal principle of advancing religion by human authority and political scheming will always work out in favour of the papal religion. The preaching of the Word-not by the State, but by those who believe-is the only thing that succeeds against Rome. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.10

“Foundations Breaking Up” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

There seems to be a breaking up of the fixed social and political conditions which from time immemorial have ruled the East. From the war between China and Japan, as the starting point, great changes are taking place. In the propagation of the Gospel the Lord is making the wrath of man to praise Him. During the war more than 120,000 Testaments or portions of Scripture were distributed among the Japanese soldiers. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.11

Since the war there has been evidence that this sowing of the seed has borne fruit. The Japanese authorities have allowed the inmates of all the military hospitals to be furnished with Testaments. The police at Tokio and Yokohama have also each been supplied with a copy. In fact it may be said that general Bible distribution is now possible in Japan. Another result of the war is likely to be the introduction into China of modern facilities for travelling and transportation. This means that the Bible and Bible teachers will then go throughout the length and breadth of that benighted land. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.12

It may also be said that a great change in the map of Asia is about to be made by the cession of territory by China to Russia, in return for protection and favours past and to come. With the results of such a change as that might be time only would develop. Certain it is that the foundations of the great East are breaking up. Ancient paganism must give way, to be succeeded by modern paganism and Christianity. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 290.13

“A Sign of the Times” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

It is not impossible that the introduction into the eastern world of the machinery and appliances of modern western civilisation may be the means of working a great revolution in industrial matters, not unattended with privation and suffering for the labouring classes of western Europe and America, who are dependent upon manufacturing interests for their support. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 291.1

Japan, China, and India possess multitudes of skilled hand-workers,-patient, painstaking, and intelligent artists. What will be the result when all the latest and highest achievements, in the way of labor-saving mechanical appliances, are put into those skillful and patient hands? Chinese cheap labour has been excluded from the United States. But what is to hinder the progressive Oriental, or any American, or European for that matter, from taking the latest approved and perfected machinery, in any branch of manufacture, to Japan, or China, and there utilising this cheap labour in its own home? PTUK May 7, 1896, page 291.2

The Japanese are an enterprising people. They are already awake to the possibilities open to them. Machinery has been imported from Europe and America; and manufactured products from Japan, equal in quality to anything that can be produced in the United States, have already, says a London journal, been offered in San Francisco at from thirty to fifty per cent. less than the prices made to dealers by American manufacturers. If Japan can undersell the United States with so wide a margin to spare as that, it can also compete with Great Britain and Europe in their own markets. Thus it will be found that there are more ways than one in which Oriental cheap labour can be brought to the doors of the western world. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 291.3

As for the Chinese, they have learned more in the last two years than in the preceding twenty centuries. If they put their new-fledged acquirements into practice they will soon be close on the heels of Japan. What is to hinder Japan and China from producing useful goods cheaper than Continental, British, or American manufacturers? Unskilled labour is a drug in the market,-neither do they lack for those who have intelligence and whose brains are in their fingers. All that they lack is machinery,-this the forges, foundaries, and machine-shops of Europe and America are ready to furnish them. Skilled workmen will not be lacking to go with the machinery and furnish all the expert training needed. Experience has already shown in Japan and China that such assistance is not needed long. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 291.4

With cheap transportation by sea, and rapid communication by direct transcontinental railroad lines, every facility is within their reach to render them able to create a revolution in trade and manufactures. Such a possibility,-no, such a probability-as this adds another, and a striking factor, to the signs the times which are multiplying all around us. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 291.5

“Official Religion” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

The Russian law forbids any member of the State Church withdrawing from it. The religion is officially called Christianity, and “Christians” the people must be, whether they will or no. The following paragraph from a newspaper shows how the scheme works out:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 291.6

Just what the Russian State and Church think of religious liberty can be learned from the court proceedings at Ufa, where recently fourteen young people were charged with having denied the Orthodox faith and become Mohammedans. The defence declared that they had never been Christians and did not want to be, and the investigations of the officials showed that their parents had indeed, many years ago, submitted to forced baptism and were entered in the Church records as converts, but that the accused had been reared as Mohammedans. On the basis of existing laws as the Church declared that they had been guilty of a denial of Christianity, and decreed that they should be put into a cloister, and that their property should be confiscated until they would return to the Christian religion. Essentially the same principles of procedure and laws are in vogue in the dealings of the Orthodox Church with the Protestants of the three Baltic provinces. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 291.7

Anyone can see that the logic of the law is to make the heathen a “Christian” against his will-and that is the logic of every human religious law. Thus it is apparent that the whole system by which it is thought to make men Christians by human power and authority is itself absolute heathenism. As the Gospel goes to the world to-day it is again the light shining in gross darkness. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 291.8

“Like Themselves” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

Like Themselves.-It is very apparent in the case of the Russian officials who would force Mohammedans to be “Christians” in spite of themselves that these officials have no idea of religion other than that a man may be forced into it. They know nothing of genuine religious conviction, and as they profess without conviction so they would force others to do the same. Error deceives men thus, but truth never. No one with an apprehension of spiritual truth can for a moment take pleasure in the thought of forcing an unwilling profession of it. The lesson applies to the Sunday-law movement in professedly Protestant countries as well as to Russian religious laws. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 291.9

“The Everlasting Gospel. The Gospel Message” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

When the humble shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem were astonished by the shining of the glory of the Lord round about them, as they watched their flocks by night, their fears were quieted by the voice of the angel of the Lord, who said, “Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10, 11. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.1

The words, “good tidings,” are from the one Greek word which elsewhere is rendered “Gospel;” so that we might properly read the message of the angel thus: “Behold, I bring you the Gospel of great joy, which shall be to all people.” In that announcement to the shepherds, therefore, we learn several important things. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.2

1. That the Gospel is a message that brings joy. “The kingdom of God is...righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Christ is anointed “with the oil of gladness,” and He gives “the oil of joy for mourning.” PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.3

2. It is a message of salvation from sin. For before this time the same angels had foretold to Joseph the birth of this infant, and had said, “Thou shalt call his name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.4

3. It is something which concerns everybody,-“which shall be to all people.” “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.5

This is assurance enough for everybody; but as if to emphasise the fact that the poor have equal rights in the Gospel with the rich, the first announcement of the birth of Christ was to men in the humblest walks of life. It was not to the chief priests and scribes, nor to the nobles, but to shepherds, that the joyful news was first told. So the Gospel is not beyond the understanding of the uneducated. Christ Himself was born and brought up in deep poverty; He preached the Gospel to the poor, and “the common people heard Him gladly.” Mark 12:37. Since it is thus presented to the common people, who form the bulk of the whole world, there is no doubt about its being a world message. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.6

“THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS”

But although the Gospel is first of all to the poor, it is not something mean and ignoble. Christ became poor that we might become rich. The great apostle who was chosen to give the message to kings, and to the great men of the earth, said in view of His hoped-for visit to the capital of the world, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Romans 1:16. The one thing that all the world is seeking after is power. Some seek it by means of wealth, others through politics, others through learning, and still others in various other ways; but in whatever enterprise men engage, the object is the same,-power of some kind. There is in the heart of every man an unrest, an unsatisfied longing, placed there by God Himself. The mad ambition that drives some to trample on scores of their fellow-creatures, the unceasing struggle for wealth, and the reckless round of pleasures into which many plunge, are all vain endeavours to satisfy this longing. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.7

God has not placed in the human heart a longing for any of these things; but the quest for them is a perversion of that desire which He has implanted in the human breast. He desires that man should have His power; but none of the things which men ordinarily seek, give the power of God. Consequently none of these things satisfy man. Men set a limit to the amount of wealth which they will amass, because they think that when that limit is reached they will be satisfied; but when the fixed amount has been gained, they are as unsatisfied as ever; and so they go on seeking for satisfaction by piling up wealth, not realising that the desire of the heart cannot be met in that manner. He who implanted that desire is the only one who can satisfy it. God is manifested in Christ, and Christ is indeed “the desire of all nations” (Haggai 2:7), although there are so few who will believe that in Him alone is their perfect rest and satisfaction. To every unsatisfied mortal the invitation is given, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. O fear the Lord, ye His saints; for there is no want to them that fear Him.” Psalm 34:8, 9. “How precious is Thy loving-kindness, O God! and the children of men take refuge under the shadow of Thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures.” Psalm 36:7, 8, R.V. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.8

Power is what men desire in this world, and power is what the Lord wants them to have. But the power which they are seeking would ruin them, and the power which He desires them to have is power that will save them. The Gospel brings to all men this power, and it is nothing less than the power of God. It is for everybody, if they will accept it. Let us for a while study the nature of this power, for when we have discovered it, we shall have before us the whole Gospel. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.9

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

In the vision which the beloved disciple had of the time just preceding the coming of the Lord, the Gospel message which prepares men for that event is thus described:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.10

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the power of His judgment is come; and worship Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:6, 7. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.11

Here we have plainly set before us the fact that the preaching of the Gospel consists in preaching God as the Creator of all things, and calling on men to worship Him as such. This corresponds to what we have read in the Epistle to the Romans, that the Gospel “is the power of God unto salvation.” What the power of God is we learn a little farther on, where the apostle, speaking of the heathen, says:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 292.12

“That which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.” Romans 1:19, 20. That is to say, ever since the creation of the world, men have been able to see the power of God, if they would use their senses, for it is clearly to be discerned in the things which He has made. Creation shows the power of God. So the power of God is creative power. And since the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, it follows that the Gospel is the manifestation of creative power to save men from sin. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.1

But we have learned that the Gospel is the good news of salvation through Christ. The Gospel consists in the preaching of Christ and Him crucified. The apostle says: “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel; not with wisdom of words, lest the preaching of the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:17, 18. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.2

And still further: “We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:23, 24. And this is why the apostle said, “And I brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:1, 2. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.3

The preaching of Christ and Him crucified is the preaching of the power of God, and therefore it is the preaching of the Gospel, for the Gospel is the power of God. And this is exactly in harmony with the thought that the preaching of the Gospel is the setting forth of God as the Creator; for the power of God is creative power, and Christ is the one by whom all things were created. No one can preach Christ without preaching Him as the Creator. All are to honour the Son even as they honour the Father. Whatever preaching fails to make prominent the fact that Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things, is not the preaching of the Gospel. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.4

CREATION AND REDEMPTION

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-14. “By Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him; and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16, 17. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.5

Let us give more careful attention to the last text, and see how creation and redemption meet in Christ. In verses thirteen and fourteen we read that God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” And then, after a parenthetical remark as to who Christ is, the apostle tells us how it is that we have redemption through His blood. This is the reason: “For by Him were all things created,” etc. The Revised Version, and others also, give the more literal rendering, “For in Him were all things created,...and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.6

So the preaching of the everlasting Gospel is the preaching of Christ the creative power of God, through whom alone salvation can come. And the power by which Christ saves men from sin is the power by which He created the worlds. We have redemption through His blood; the preaching of the cross is the preaching of the power of God; and the power of God is the power that creates; therefore the cross of Christ has in it creative power. Surely that is power enough for anybody. No wonder that the apostle exclaimed, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 6:14. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.7

THE MYSTERY OF GOD

To some it may be a new thought that creation and redemption are the same power; to all it is and must ever be a mystery. The Gospel itself is a mystery. The Apostle Paul desired the prayers of the brethren, that utterance might be given him, “to make known the mystery of the Gospel.” Ephesians 6:19. Elsewhere he says that he was made a minister of the Gospel, according to the gift of the grace of God, given unto him by the effectual working of His power, that he “should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world have been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 3:8, 9. Here again we see the mystery of the Gospel to be the mystery of creation. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.8

This mystery was made known to the apostle by revelation. How the revelation was made known to him we learn in his Epistle to the Galatians, where he says, “But I certify you, brethren, that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” And then he makes the matter still more definite, by saying, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.” Galatians 1:11, 12, 15, 16. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.9

Let us sum up the last few points. 1. The Gospel is a mystery. 2. It is a mystery that is made known by revelation of Jesus Christ. 3. It was not merely that Jesus Christ revealed it to him, but that he was made to know the mystery by the revelation of Jesus Christ in him. Paul had to know the Gospel first, before he could preach it to others; and the only way in which he could be made to know it was to have Christ revealed in him. The conclusion therefore is that the Gospel is the revelation of Jesus Christ in men. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.10

This conclusion is plainly stated by the apostle in another place, where he says that he was made a minister “according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints; to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:25-27. So we are fully assured that the Gospel is the making known of Christ in men. Or rather, the Gospel is Christ in men, and the preaching of it is the making known to men of the possibility of Christ dwelling in them. And this agrees with the statement of the angel, that they should call the name of Jesus Emmanuel, “which, being interpreted, is God with us” (Matthew 1:23); and also with the statement by the apostle that the mystery of God is God manifest in the flesh. When the angels made known to the shepherds the birth of Jesus, it was the announcement that God had come to men in the flesh; and when it was said that this good news should be to all people, it was revealed that the mystery of God dwelling in human flesh was to be declared to all men, and repeated in all who should believe Him. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 293.11

And now let us briefly sum up all that we have thus far learned. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.1

1. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Salvation is only by the power of God, and wherever the power of God is, there is salvation. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.2

2. Christ is the power of God. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.3

3. But Christ’s salvation comes through the cross; therefore the cross of Christ is the power of God. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.4

4. So the preaching of Christ and Him crucified is the preaching of the Gospel. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.5

5. The power of God is the power that creates all things. Therefore the preaching of Christ and Him crucified, as the power of God, is the preaching of the creative power of God put forth for the salvation of men. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.6

6. This is so, because Christ is the Creator of all things. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.7

7. Not only so, but in Him all things were created. He is the first-born of all creation; when He was begotten, “in the days of eternity,” all things were virtually created, because all creation is in Him. The substance of all creation, and the power by which all things should be made to appear, were in Christ. This is simply a statement of the mystery that only the mind of God can comprehend. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.8

8. The mystery of the Gospel is God manifest in human flesh. Christ on earth is “God with us.” So Christ dwelling in the hearts of men by faith is all the fulness of God in them. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.9

9. And this means nothing less than the creative energy in God working in men through Jesus Christ, for their salvation. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Ephesians 2:10. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.10

All this is indicated by the apostle when he says that to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ is to make all see “what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world have been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.11

A SUMMARY

In the following portion of Scripture we have the details of this mystery well summarized:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.12

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself; that in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him; in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will; that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory. Wherefore I...cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:3-20. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.13

Now we will note the different points of this statement. 1. All blessings are given to us in Christ. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things.” Romans 8:32. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.14

2. This gift of all things in Christ is in accordance with the fact that He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that in Him we might obtain holiness. “For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.15

3. In that choice the destiny determined for us was that we should be sons. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.16

4. Accordingly He accepts us in the Beloved. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.17

5. In the Beloved we have redemption through His blood. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.18

6. All this is the making known to us of the mystery, namely, that in the fulness of times He will gather together in one household all things in Jesus Christ, both things in the heaven and things on the earth. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.19

7. This being the fixed purpose of God, it follows that in Christ we have already obtained an inheritance; for God makes all things work out the purpose of His own will. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.20

8. All who believe in Christ are sealed with the Holy Spirit, which is called the Holy Spirit of promise, because it is the surety of the promised inheritance. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.21

9. This seal of the Holy Spirit is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.22

10. Those who have the Spirit as the seal, know what is the riches of the glory of the inheritance; that is, the glory of the future inheritance becomes theirs now, through the Spirit. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.23

In this we see that the Gospel involves an inheritance; in fact, the mystery of the Gospel is really the possession of the inheritance, because in Him we have obtained an inheritance. Now let us see how the matter is stated in the eighth of Romans. We shall not quote the Scripture entire, but simply summarise it. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.24

Those who have the Holy Spirit of promise are the sons of God; “for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” If we are children we are necessarily heirs; heirs of God because sons of God. And if heirs of God, we are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. The one thing above all others that Christ is desirous that we should know is that the Father has loved us even as He loved Him. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.25

But of what are we heirs together with Christ?-Why, of all creation, because the Father has constituted Him “heir all things” (Hebrews 1:2), and has said that “he that overcometh shall inherit all things.” Revelation 21:7. And this is shown by what follows in the eighth of Romans. We are now sons of God, but the glory of the sons of God doth not yet appear. Christ was the Son of God, yet He was not recognised as such by the world; “therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” 1 John 3:1. In possessing the Spirit we are in possession of “the riches of the glory of the inheritance;” and that glory will in due time be revealed in us, in a measure far exceeding all present sufferings. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.26

“For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of Him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only so, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8:19-23. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.27

Man by creation was a son of God; but through sin he became a child of wrath, even a child of Satan, to whom He rendered obedience, instead of to God. But through the grace of God in Christ those who believe are made sons of God, and receive the Holy Spirit. Thus they are sealed as heirs until the redemption of the purchased possession, that is, of the whole creation, which is waiting for its redemption when the glory shall be revealed in the sons of God. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.28

Next week we shall continue the study of the Gospel, specially considering what is included in the “purchased possession.” PTUK May 7, 1896, page 294.29

“Plain Bread for Hungry Men” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

That veteran preacher and writer, Dr. Theodore L. Cuyler, celebrated his fiftieth year in the ministry the other day. Speaking of his early years as a preacher he said:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 295.1

“My congregation was small, and mostly composed of shoemakers, coachmen, gardeners, and plain folk-just the best sort of material for a young beginner. I aimed my sermons at the coachmen and gardeners, and by that style of gunnery reached the whole of my little congregation. One thing I soon discovered, and that was that the half-dozen highly cultured families in the parish relished simple, spiritual, and earnest sermons quite as much as the gardeners and the shoemakers. The Gospel of Christianity is not a delicate dainty for the fastidious few, or a difficult enigma for acute intellects alone to solve. It is God’s simple bread of life for the hungering masses of humanity. There is no greater delusion than the idea that highly-educated parishioners hanker after severely intellectual or abstruse preaching.” PTUK May 7, 1896, page 295.2

“‘Just as I Am’” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

It is but a step into the kingdom. The decision may be made by any man and the step be taken within a moment-the step from the kingdom of darkness and unrest into that of light and peace. The following incident is an illustration of this:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 296.1

At a mission service held at a seaside place by an earnest servant of God, this familiar hymn was given out to be sung. Before it was begun, the gentleman who weas conducting the meeting urged very solemnly that none should join in singing the words without really meaning them. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 296.2

Thus cautioned, an officer who was sitting in one of the rows cast his eye down the verses, and thinking them over, he came to the determination that he could not stand up and sing, “O Lamb of God, I come.” He had never really meant anything by it when he had sung it before, and decided not to sing a lie again. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 296.3

A moment more, and the sudden blessed thought came, “I must come now!” He did not hesitate because his life had been careless before, or because his life might in future be one of difficulty or temptation. He just closed with the loving Saviour’s free offer of salvation, and trusted Him for the rest. He sprang to his feet and sang, meaning it, “O Lamb of God, I come!” PTUK May 7, 1896, page 296.4

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

-Strikes and rumours of strikes are abounding in the labour world just now. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.1

-Seventy lives were reported lost in a colliery disaster in Yorkshire last week. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.2

-The trans-Siberian railway is expected to be completed in 1900, when one can girdle the earth in thirty days. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.3

-The ravages of the rinderpest in South Africa are said to be very serious indeed, many natives in the affected districts having lost all their cattle. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.4

-The military authorities have provided for the use of the new X-ray photography in the Soudan expedition for the purpose of locating bullets in the body. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.5

-Spain has been suffering from a severe drought, and the Government has had to organise public works to give employment to farm labourers who are unable to work on the land. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.6

-Typhus and cholera are said to be breaking out in the districts lately desolated in Turkey. The pestilence may, with the approach of warm weather, prove more deadly even than the sword. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.7

-Japan has always prohibited the opium traffic, and now that the great island of Formosa has come into Japanese hands the drug is excluded, save as a medicine. In this respect Japan rises to a higher standard than Western nations. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.8

-Osman Digna, the leader of the Dervish column that went against the Italians at Kassala, is retreating, and the Italian forces are acting on the offensive. The Italian Government is preparing to prosecute the campaign against the Abyssinians, the latter terms of peace having been rejected. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.9

-Crown-making is one of Birmingham’s industries. The trade is principally with Africa. It is said that a very serviceable crown for the African king can be had for a sovereign, and they are taking the place of the silk hat, formerly the mark of lank amongst the small potentates of the Dark Continent. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.10

-The funeral of Miss Ellen Richardson took place in Newcastle on April 29. It was she and her sister Anne who purchased the freedom of the slave Frederick Douglass, and thus liberated him to the work which he accomplished for his race, and in the pursuance of which he made for himself a name among the brilliant orators of his time. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.11

-The Maxim guns employed in the defence of Buluwayo are described as doing terrible execution. The waters of the Umgnza, says one report of an engagement, were dyed red with blood. Thus far every attack of the Matabeles has been repelled with severe loss to the natives. The relief forces are nearing Buluwayo, and soon the Matabeles will be put on the defensive, and then it will only be a question of a little time when the rising will be ended and the white man will be in possession of the field. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 302.12

“Back Page” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

The spiritual bankrupt is never the man who has been a factor for the Lord. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.1

To die for principle is but the struggle of a moment. To live for principle is the ceaseless battle of a lifetime. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.2

The old “Hall of Science,” for many years the centre of the atheistical propaganda in London, will now be known as the “Hall of Mercy,” having been purchased by the Salvation Army for a shelter for women. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.3

A correspondent who is engaged in evangelistic work in the Midlands writes us:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.4

It is astonishing to see how Spiritualism is spreading in the Midlands. Liecester and Northampton seem to be permeated with it. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.5

Doubtless the same thing might be said of many parts, at home and abroad. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.6

This season of the annual “May Meetings” of the various religious societies has begun, and reports of missionary operations tell of many advances with the Word into hitherto unentered fields. And wherever the Word goes there the Lord is at work, saving from sin and preparing hearts for His coming. Godspeed every man who is feeding hungry souls with the Word of Life indeed. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.7

There is a fable of a fox who was about to enter the mouth of the cave where it was evident from the multitude of footprints that many of his own kind had preceded him. But when just at the entrance he noticed that all the tracks pointed in one direction,-all were entering, not returning. He stopped, meditated, turned away. Wise fox! PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.8

Many and various are the dens, caves, yes, palaces of iniquity frequented by multitudes of men and women. But the steps point all onward and downward.-the returning are so few that their footprints are obliterated by the hurrying feet of the great onrushing majority. The wise man says: “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it and pass away.... The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more under the perfect day.” PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.9

Satan is responsible for Sunday enforcement and yet himself observes no Sunday rest, and keeps no holidays. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.10

A Calcutta correspondent says that the drying up of the water supplies over the country is causing apprehension. He writes:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.11

Just now the cholera is quite prevalent here in the city. The death rate is above fifty per thousand, and the municipality have received a request from the natives asking that they be allowed to hold a particular pooja, day and night, for three days, on account of the cholera epidemic. This, they say, is necessary because the goddess Kahli is angry and has sent the cholera, and they must do something to appease her wrath. This pooja means that they will keep up the most hideous noise without any interruption. They sing and play and dance and yell like demons, and keep it up all night. Of course the natural consequence is that the more they go on in that way the less powers they have to resist disease, and so the disease goes on from bad to worse, and they think that they must put forth greater efforts to appease their goddess. How like some Christians in their supposed worship of the true God! PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.12

“In Austria” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

In Austria.-One of our Society’s workers writes as follows of influences which have to be met in Vienna and other parts of Austria, where the circulation of literature and the Bible is hindered, as far as they are able, by the priests:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.13

Rome still shuts out God’s Word wherever she can. At the same time the Virgin Mary is found in every nook and corner, worshipped under every colour and name. There are white and black statutes of Mary; each neighborhood has its particular Mary; but it is the “holy” Mary all the same. Any book with her picture and some story about her miraculous power is sold by the thousand; but the word of God is shut out, and darkness and superstition reign supreme. The only hope is that from the great centres the light will radiate to the remote country places; but it will cost money and hard labour, and perhaps many a fine, before we gain a good foothold in these large cities. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.14

“Hunger for Power” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

Hunger for Power.-The President of the Baptist Union devoted his annual address to the subject of authority and power in the church. Of the hunger for civil authority he said:- PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.15

The Roman Church was not alone in affording historical examples of the evils of power. Every Church which has sought or accepted political power as an instrument for the furtherance of religious plans has been a partaker of her fault, and in some measure of her plagues. Luther erred when he yoked the German Princes to his Reformation chariot, and the Church which bears his name has paid for that error by Erastian stripes and by widespread unbelief. Calvin made a similar mistake when he entangled the relations of ministers and magistrates in republican Geneva. The great English reformer, Henry VIII. did not make this mistake himself, but he forced it on the Anglican Church, and that church is weaker than she ought to be to-day because her clergy stand to minister as privileged officials of the State. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.16

He might have gone further, and pointed out the fact that whenever Nonconformity as well as secured political power to a degree the result has been the same. The Gospel is says “the power of God,” and with that as a living principle there is no hunger for the earth-power-the Word is the sole reliance. But when the Word is set aside, then comes the desire for civil power and political influence. The revival of the Sunday-law movement all over the world is bringing to all again the test on the principle of religious liberty. The sentiment of the religious world which aims at making Sunday rest compulsory, and the history of the prosecution of Sabbath-keepers, during the last year or two, in many parts, show that a hunger for civil power is a rising passion in the religious world to-day. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.17

“The Missionary as Pioneer” The Present Truth, 12, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

The Missionary as Pioneer.-The idea that the missionary is unable to go forward until civilisation-meaning the trader and the soldier-has prepared the way is based on ignorance of the history of Christian missions. It has, on the contrary, often proved to be the case that the advance of civilisation has been the signal of trouble for the missionary. Such a case is described by a Dalziel’s despatch, sent from Bulawayo last week. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.18

The mission station belonging to the London Missionary Society at Hope Fountain-a fine place established many years before the Chartered Company came upon the scene-was looted and burned by the Matabeles on Friday, everything belonging to the missionaries being destroyed. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.19

It is useless to attempt to apportion blame or to condemn, but war is the common history of the subjugation of a new country. Livingstone and other missionaries have laboured in Africa unmolested; while now in some of those same districts the white is regarded as an enemy irrespective of his motives. It makes every difference whether barbarous tribes are impressed by the gun or the Gospel. PTUK May 7, 1896, page 304.20