The Present Truth, vol. 12

May 21, 1896

“The Desire of All” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

The Desire of All.-Jesus Christ is “the Desire of all nations.” Haggai 2:7. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.1

“The Devil’s Work” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

The Devil’s Work.-It is to try to persuade people that satisfaction can be found in some other way than by the possession of Jesus Christ. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.2

“Unsatisfied” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

Unsatisfied.-The drunkard drinks to satisfy a craving that is never satisfied. The vicious man, in common with the miser, finds no satisfaction in the gratification of his passion. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.3

“God’s Invitation” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

God’s Invitation.-“Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.4

What to Eat.-The flesh of Christ-His Word. Of those who eat of His fullness it is said:-“They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures.” The wonderful God has so made man that he cannot find satisfaction outside of Himself. Rest in Him and be satisfied. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.5

“O Christ, in Thee my soul hath found,
And found in Thee alone,
The peace, the joy, I sought so long,
The bliss till now unknown. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.6

“Now none but Christ can satisfy;
None other name for me;
There’s love, and life, and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee.” PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.7

“The Call of Abraham. The Promise to Abraham” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

In studying this promise, two portions of Scripture must ever be kept in mind. The first is in the words of Jesus: “Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of Me.” “If ye believed Moses, ye would believe Me; for He wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?” John 5:39, 46, 47, R.V. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.8

The only Scriptures in the days of Christ were the books now known as the Old Testament; these testify of Him. They were given for no other purpose. The Apostle Paul wrote that they are able to make men wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15); and among those writings the books of Moses are specially pointed out by the Lord as revealing Him. He who reads the writings of Moses, and the entire Old Testament, with any other expectation than to find Christ, and the way of life through Him, will utterly fail of understanding them. His reading will be in vain. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.9

The other text is 2 Corinthians 1:19, 20: “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Sylvanus and Timothy, was not yea and nay, but in Him is yea. For how many soever be the promises of God, in Him is the yea; wherefore also through Him is the Amen, unto the glory of God through us.” No promise of God has ever been given to man except through Christ. Personal faith in Christ is the one thing necessary in order to receive whatever God has promised, God is no respecter of persons: He offers His riches freely to everybody; but no one can have any part in them except as he receives Christ. This is perfectly fair, since Christ is given to all if they will but have Him. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.10

With these principles in mind, we read the first account of the promise of God to Abraham. “Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee; and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing; and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3. R.V. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 321.11

At the very outset we may see that this promise to Abraham was a promise in Christ. The Apostle Paul writes: “The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached beforehand the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.” Galatians 3:8, 9. R.V. From this we learn that when God said that in Abraham all the families of the earth should be blessed, He was preaching the Gospel to him. The blessing that was to come upon the people of the earth through him could be enjoyed only through faith. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.1

ABRAHAM AND THE CROSS

The preaching of the Gospel is the cross of Christ. Thus the Apostle Paul says that he was sent to preach the Gospel, but not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. And then he adds that the preaching of the cross is the power of God to them that are saved. 1 Corinthians 1:17, 18. And this is but another way of saying that it is the Gospel, for the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Therefore since the preaching of the Gospel is the preaching of the cross of Christ (and there is no salvation by any other means), and God preached the Gospel to Abraham when He said, “In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed,” it is very clear that in that promise the cross of Christ was made known to Abraham, and that the promise thus made was one that could be gained only through the cross. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.2

This fact is made very clear in the third chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians. Following the statement that the promise of blessing is to all the nations of the earth through Abraham, and that they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham, are the words, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree; that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” 2 Galatians 3:13, 14. Here we have it stated in the most explicit terms that the blessing of Abraham, which was to come on all the families of the earth, was to come only through the cross of Christ. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.3

This is a point that needs to be well fixed in the mind at the very beginning. All the misunderstandings of the promises of God to Abraham and his seed have arisen through a failure to see the Gospel of the cross of Christ in them. If it be continually remembered that all the promises of God are in Christ, to be enjoyed only through His cross, and that consequently they are spiritual and eternal in their nature, there will be no difficulty, and the study of the promise to the fathers will be a delight and a blessing. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.4

We read that Abraham, in obedience to the call of the Lord, went forth from his father’s house, and from his native land. “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land; and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east; and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called on the name of the Lord.” Genesis 12:5-8. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.5

It is best for us to perceive the real meaning of God’s promises and dealings with Abraham from the very start, and then our subsequent study will be easy, since it will be but the application of these principles. In this last scripture there are a few subjects introduced, which occupy a very prominent place in this study, and so we will note them here. First, PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.6

THE SEED

The Lord said to Abraham, after he had reached the land of Canaan, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” If we but hold to the Scriptures we shall not have a moment’s difficulty in ascertaining who the seed is. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Galatians 3:16. This ought for ever to settle the matter, so that there could be no dispute about it. The seed of Abraham, to whom the promise was made is Christ. He is the heir. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.7

But we also may be joint-heirs with Christ. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:27-29. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.8

Those who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ, and are therefore one in Him. So when it is said that Christ is the seed of Abraham, to whom the promises were made, all who are in Christ are included. But nothing outside of Christ is included in the promise. To say that the inheritance promised to the seed of Abraham could be possessed by any except those who were Christ’s through faith in Him, is to ignore the Gospel, and to deny the word of God. “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore since the promise of the land was to Abraham and His seed, which is Christ and those who have put Him on by baptism, and who are therefore new creatures, it follows that the promise of the land was only to those who were new creatures in Christ-children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. This again is additional evidence that all the promises of God are in Christ, and that the promises to Abraham can be shared only through the cross of Christ. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.9

Let this principle, therefore, never for a moment be forgotten in reading about Abraham and the promise to him and his seed,-that the seed is Christ and those who are in Him. This and nothing besides. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.10

THE LAND

Abraham was in the land of Canaan when God said to him, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Turn now to the words which the martyr Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, his face shining like that of an angel, said to his persecutors: “The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he dwelt in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran;¹ and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land wherein ye now dwell.” Acts 7:2-4. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 322.11

This is but a repetition of what we have already read in the twelfth chapter of Genesis. Now read the next verse: “And He gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on; yet He promised that He would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.” PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.1

We learn here that although it is sometimes merely stated, “Unto thy seed will I give this land,” Abraham himself was always included in the promise. This is made very evident in the repetitions of the promise that follow in the book of Genesis. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.2

But we learn more, and that is that Abraham actually received no inheritance of land. He had not so much of the land as to set his foot on; yet God had promised it to him and to his seed after him. What shall we say to this?-That the promise of God failed?-Not by any means. God “cannot lie.” “He abideth faithful.” Abraham died without having received the promised inheritance, yet he died in faith. We must therefore learn from this the lesson that the Holy Spirit wished the Jews to learn, namely, that the promised inheritance could be received only through Jesus and the resurrection. This also is made very clear by the words of the Apostle Peter:- PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.3

“Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Acts 3:25, 26. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.4

The blessing of Abraham, as we have learned, comes on the Gentiles, or all the families of the earth, through Jesus Christ and His cross; but the blessing of Abraham is connected with the promise of the land of Canaan. That also was to be possessed only through Christ and the resurrection. If it had been otherwise, Abraham would have been disappointed, instead of dying in full faith of the promise. But this also will appear more plainly as we proceed. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.5

“The Stundist and His Bible” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

The Sundist movement in Russia, and the East,-for the influence of this religious awakening is felt in Eastern countries outside of Russia,-is one which should awaken serious thought, and prayerful self-examination in missionary boards, societies, and church organisations. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.6

The work of one of these simple men in Persia,-self-supporting and backed up by no human influence and power whatever,-has been declared, by a recent writer from there, to have been of greater value to the cause of the Gospel than the efforts of numerous foreign missions supported and furnished with many facilities by organised religion at home. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.7

What is the reason of such a thing as this, and what is the secret of this Stundist movement? It is contained in the word “Stundist.” Who is the Stundist? His name describes him. He is the man who takes an hour with his Bible. The word Stunde is German, and means an hour. Stundists, then, are only people who make a practice of coming together for an hour to study the Bible. This it is, and nothing more, which is troubling the whole Russian Empire from centre to circumference, as Herod and Jerusalem were troubled when the wise men from the East dismounted from their camels at the gates of Jerusalem and simply asked-“Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” The wise men were men of peace who came only with the Word of God in their mouths, and yet, without any thought on their part of such a result, their quiet coming and plain question aroused the nation and caused the king himself to tremble upon his throne. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.8

The Stundists are simple, peaceful men-they are not even wise men,-but what a spectacle it is,-a great nation, gigantic among nations,-shivers and rages at the sight of a few peasants gathering regularly with their Bibles in their hands to spend an hour together in the study of the Word of God. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.9

It is not the wise men whom Herod feared. It is not the unlettered Russian peasants who are frightening and angering the Russian bear. Indeed no, they are helpless and harmless, the whole world knows that! It is the Bible in their hearts, and the Word of God in their mouths, which disturbs all Russia, until the attention of the world is drawn to its trembling, its fears, and its Herodian measures to suppress the Stundist’s power with his Bible and his God. Thus it is that these unlearned peasants preach the Gospel not only at home, but the living and speaking knowledge of the power of their faithful, personal sacrifice and consecration has gone throughout the world. Wherever the Bible is read it speaks to-day of those who read it in Russia and suffer because they read. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.10

It is the Bible which speaks. This is the lesson which Mission Boards should learn-that it is the Bible which speaks;-not man. It is Divine omnipotence which is at the head of true religious work upon earth; not man, not churches, not missionary societies,-but God. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.11

“Working in the Dark” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

The death of Mr. W. Q. Judge, the president of the Theosophical Society, and the election of some one to fill his place has occupied the attention of the Theosophists in America of late. At a recent general meeting in New York a London gentleman was elected to fill the presidential chair vacated by the departed theosoph. England and Ireland are said to have been largely represented at the meeting. Many very mystical things were said about the dead president,-difficult of comprehension, or of credence, by the non-theosophical mind. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.12

The tendency seemed to be to elevate Mr. Judge, now that he is gone, to a higher theosophical pedestal, even, than that upon which stands the memory of Madame Blavatsky. At the unveiling of a bust of Mr. Judge, during this meeting, one of the speakers said, among other things, the following:- PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.13

The examination of the advanced theories of modern science shows that while the scientists have examined the phenomena of life, there is one thing lacking, and that is to be found in the ancient teachings which advanced under the name of theosophy. That one thing is what we call the Principle, and this is its character-it is present everywhere; if it is eternal-without beginning and without end; it is boundless-without limitations of space. It is immutable. While in the working of this principle we find the forms in which it is manifest constantly under-going change, the essence is immutable. We find here the law of periodicity. It is under this law that the universe came into existence. It is the manifestation of consciousness. It is the natural law of cycles, and out of this great consciousness evolves the universe. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 323.14

And this “Principle” is what? The creative power of God, of course; then why not say so in the first place-acknowledge it, and have done with it? But Theosophy and Spiritualism-the same thing, with variations to suit different minds-are not searching for the power of God; they spring from the power of darkness, and the ruler of the world of darkness works with too great success to blind the eyes of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine into their hearts. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 324.1

“A Missionary Object Lesson” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

The history of the Hawaiian Islands has been a remarkable one. It should be a missionary object lesson. Here modern missionary methods may be said to have reached their highest development and success. When Captain Cook discovered these islands, in 1778, idolatry prevailed. He was himself mistaken for a divinity and worshipped. But when he returned the following year some scepticism had developed. They put him to the test at the point of the spear. When he shrank from its touch they knew he was not a god, and put him to death immediately. Notwithstanding this, however, his bones were preserved and remained objects of adoration until the abolition of idolatry in 1819. This most surprisingly, was brought about without the intervention of any outside influence. The yoke of formal idolatry was broken, without the Gospel to take its place. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 325.1

They had not long to wait, however. In 1820, only one year after idolatry had been done away with, Congregational missionaries from Boston, U.S.A., arrived and began their work in Honolulu. At this time the native population was one hundred and forty thousand. In 1832, but twelve years after, a census showed a decrease of ten thousand. Now, after the lapse of seventy-five years, there remain less than forty thousand native inhabitants. During all this time they have lived in undisturbed peace, until the late bloodless revolution in which Queen Liliuokalani was deposed. No wars have decimated their numbers. They have simply perished from the destructive effects of specific diseases introduced among them by vicious whites who followed in the train of the missionaries. The descendants of the missionaries remained in the islands, and giving themselves to business and commerce, have become wealthy, and now constitute the ruling class. In the revolution of 1893, whatever might have been the real merits of the case, the foreign Anglo-Saxon element actually usurped the government and established a Hawaiian republic, after annexation to the United Sates had been refused through the earnest opposition of President Cleveland. At the present time the entire government is in the hands of the missionary element and the descendants of the earlier missionaries. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 325.2

From a practical point of view there has been some serious mistakes here. When civilised men establish themselves in these islands, they were thickly inhabited by a race of people who were as near physical perfection as any on record within historical time. In four-fifths of a century four-fifths of these inhabitants have been swept away, by causes directly attributable to the customs and vices of the civilisation which was introduced among them. This civilisation was either introduced by, or followed in the wake of, the missionaries. Now that the missionaries and their descendants have become numerous, wealthy, and powerful, the few remaining natives naturally see and appreciate these serious facts. It is not surprising that they revolt from the white man, and his civilisation, and look longingly back to their primitive state. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 325.3

What is the secret of this condition, and what has the mistake been? A true civilisation, born and developed under Divine blessing, could not have contributed to so unfortunate a denouement. It is evident that those who carried the Gospel to these islands carried at the same time an impure civilisation and unhygienic habits of life. Theoretically they brought to these healthy, happy, human animals, living in an earthly paradise, the message of eternal life,-practically they brought to them disease and speedy death. Nothing could demonstrate more forcibly than this that true religion is not a theory but a life, and that the Gospel of bodily health, purity and hygiene, is a sacredly essential part of the practice, example, and teaching, of the consecrated missionary. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 325.4

“Printing the Truth” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

One of the earliest uses of the printing press was to print the Scriptures and those little tracts of Luther’s, and other reformers, by which the Gospel of the Reformation was published far and wide in the sixteenth century. The time had come for the Word to go, and we can see the hand of Providence in the development of the printing press to supply the need of the time. And from that day to this-whilst the power of the press has been sadly used in the interests of the god of this world-the art of printing has supplied a powerful auxiliary for spreading Gospel truth. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 326.1

In carrying forward the work to which the PRESENT TRUTH is devoted, the sound of the Gospel of Christ’s coming kingdom, very great use has been made of the printed page. The appeal is not to the emotions or to a passing sentiment, but to the understanding. The Gospel is not a theory but a life, and if one is to cease drifting with the current of the world he needs the everlasting Word beneath his feet. Therefore the literature designed to lead the people to study the Word is being scattered throughout the world in ever-increasing volume. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 326.2

Great Britain and the colonial fields are supplied from our London house. The Scandinavian countries-Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland-are supplied by the well-equipped printing house owned by our society in Christiania, Norway. Since the printing house in Basel, Switzerland, was closed by the working of the Swiss Sunday laws the literature for the other European fields has been printed by various firms in Germany and Switzerland, the Basel building having been converted into a sanatorium. A few weeks ago we printed a picture of the Australasian publishing house, in Melbourne, and this week we reproduce a photograph of the main building of the Michigan printing works, the central house in the United States. In California is another establishment, doing the same work in the far west. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 326.3

A few lines from the recent annual report of the Michigan printing works will show the amount of work being done there. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 326.4

At no time during the year just past have the works been running less than ten hours a day in any of the departments, while in some departments, notably the press room and the bindery, it has been found necessary to keep all hands at work from twelve to fourteen hours a day for weeks at a time in order to keep up with the influx of business. The total number of persons employed at the present time is nearly two hundred and sixty, or about fifty more than last year. Of this number about forty per cent. are women. The retail value of publications sold during 1895 was about ?60,000, or nearly ?2,000 more than during the preceding year. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 326.5

Besides bringing out books (and doing some general commercial printing) the Michigan house publishes several periodicals in English, and one each in the German, Danish, Swedish, and Holland languages, all being devoted to Bible teaching, and circulating amongst these nationalities in the United States. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 326.6

“This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations,” said Christ, “and then shall the end come.” Wherever the Word goes the Gospel is preached; and the burden of that Gospel in the last days is outlined by the apostle in Revelation 14 It is a message to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” calling upon men to worship God; “for the hour of His judgment is come.” Then follows the warning against the perversions of the truth by the papal beast of prophecy, and the results of heeding the message are seen and the gathering out of a body of whom the prophet says: “Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Then follows the coming of the Lord to reap the harvest of the earth. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 326.7

Even the most cursory reading of the chapter must convince the reader that the special work in the final proclamation of the Gospel is to set before the world the commandments of God-including the Sabbath commandment-and the faith of Jesus, that same faith which works by love the obedience to the Law of God. It is to call attention to the claims of this everlasting Gospel, and to get people to study the Word of life indeed that the printing machines are running in the various publishing branches of the Seventh-day Adventists. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 326.8

“How Not to Govern” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

Kings and mighty men from all time have known and acknowledged the power of God. But intellectual perception of the Divine attributes is one thing while obedience and worship is quite another. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 327.1

Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, all knew and acknowledged Jehovah to be the true God, but they failed to follow in practice what they knew to be truth. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 327.2

The Bible is filled with examples of how not to govern. It is a veritable mine of information as to what rulers should not be. What a valuable Bible lesson might be compiled, especially adapted to the use of princes and presidents, emperors and empresses, kings and queens! PTUK May 21, 1896, page 327.3

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

-The cholera is appearing in Egypt. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.1

-It is said that in India only one woman in 250 can read. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.2

-The order for a large body of Indian troops to assist in the Egyptian campaign is a new departure. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.3

-The latest returns of the regular Army show that its strength on January 1 was 222,194 officers and men. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.4

-The late Shah of Persia was, it is said, the eighteenth head of a State assassinated during the century. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.5

-In the Transvaal all citizens from eighteen to sixty years of age are liable to be called to military service. Each soldier provides his own horse and outfit. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.6

-The Khalifs is reported to be forcing men into the ranks to fight against the Egyptian expedition, and is preparing to flee at the news of a decided reverse to his arms. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.7

-It appears that only seventeen out of every 100 Russians know how to read. For the 125,000,000 of Russians there are but 900 newspapers, and their circulation is small. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.8

-The natives of one of the Solomon Islands rose recently and massacred traders and missionaries, afterward eating some of the victims. Cannibalism still survives in Africa, also, back from the West Coast. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.9

-Japanese merchants are sending representatives to Europe to find markets for their goods. It is said that certain chemicals which sell well in India can be made in Japan for half the price charged in Glasgow, and Japan is going to essay the experiment. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.10

-At the opening of an electric exhibition in New York, the Governor pressed a golden key which fired cannons in New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans, by power furnished by Niagara. The roar of Niagara was transmitted by telephone to New York, and made audible in the exhibition. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.11

-It is estimated that in Great Britain and Ireland there are thirty million fowls, which lay one thousand million eggs a year. But over twice that number are eaten, the greater quantity being imported. It is difficult to understand why the whole supply needed cannot be produced in the country. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.12

-Stanley says that certain portions of Africa will always be worthless on account of the ravages of the grasshoppers. In one instance he saw a column of young grasshoppers ten miles broad by thirty long marching down a valley, and when the grass was fired against them they were think enough to smother the flames. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.13

-The Russian Steam Navigation Company wanted land for docks at Chefoo, which was claimed by a British firm. The Chinese authorities sided with the Russian company, and the latter took the land. No immediate trouble is anticipated over the matter but It is taken as showing how persistently Russia is advancing her interests in China and the Far East. China has now become very much as Africa, free plunder for all the Powers. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 334.14

“Back Page” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

The Free Church Monthly says that the practice of auricular confession in the Scotch Episcopal Church is on the increase in Scotland. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.1

Armenia, Africa, and Cuba still continue to be centres of social and political disturbance. Rumours of war, also, are not wanting. The shrewdest statesmen seem in these times utterly unable to forecast events, and are sailing the political seas by dead reckoning. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.2

Speaking of the influence of the vices of civilisation upon the natives who come into the Rand district to work in the mines of Johannesburg, a correspondent says in the Christian that it has been aptly said that “they come to us savages and go back devils.” Civilisation without the Gospel falls lower than barbarism. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.3

All the public museums of London are now open on Sunday. The British Museum was opened Sunday, May 17, being the first time, it is said, in its existence that the public have had the opportunity of entering it upon that day. The unanimity of this change in the regulations of museums and exhibitions is drawing attention to the Sunday question in general. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.4

The New York Independent, of May 7, publishes a “symposium” in which it takes up for consideration the question of international arbitration. Among a number of men of legal, political, and educational prominence in the United States, who contribute their views on this subject, are names well known on this side of the Atlantic, such as Dean Farrar, Hugh Price Hughes, Prof. Goldwin Smith, and H. M. Stanley. The views of fifteen different contributors occupy thirty-nine solid columns of the paper. The subject is for the most part treated very ably and candidly. Noble feelings are expressed which do honour to the writers. No little skilful ability is shown in some of the suggestions made. Yet, after all, they only serve to emphasise the fact that prophecy must and will be fulfilled, and that even when men cry, “Peace, peace,” wars and rumors of wars will continue to plague the world until the end. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.5

The Commission on Anglican orders, sitting at Rome, has made its report to the Congregation of the Inquisition, we are told. Those clergy of the Establishment who wish someone to tell them whether they are qualified to preach the Gospel will no doubt await with great interest the word from this body with fearsome name. The name suggests a time when an adverse decision was often followed by the rack or flames. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.6

Making allowance for the usual tone of statesmen in opposition, it is nevertheless doubtless a fact that Sir William Harcourt expressed the feeling of public men very generally when he said the other day:- PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.7

We are getting surrounded by troubles of all kinds to a degree that I never recollect in my political experience before. I have never known England in trouble, and so great trouble, in so many parts of the world. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.8

It is but the storing up of those elements which will in the end bring upon the world that “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” Daniel 12:1. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.9

The London Catholic Times says that arrangements are in progress in America for “the most remarkable religious conference ever held in the United States.” PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.10

Fifteen priests and laymen of the Catholic Church and the same number of Protestant ministers and laymen will shortly meet in Pittsburgh for a friendly conference in regard to the obstacles which lie in the way of Christian union and will formulate plans, if possible, for their removal. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.11

It is not without significance that the place of meeting, Pittsburgh, has for many years been the centre of the Sunday law crusade in America, the professedly Protestant movers in which have long courted the favour of the Catholics. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.12

A missionary met a man at a Chinese inn who many years before had found a copy of the Scriptures and secretly retained it. He said that he had never been able to understand it, but thought it a most wonderful book. “What do you think the most wonderful thing in it?” was asked him. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” was the answer. Truly this seed of the Gospel will germinate wherever it falls. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.13

There is a better way of dealing with the theological fighter than by partaking of his controversial spirit and “having it out” with him. It is not an argument he needs but the Lord. If he does not like to talk of personal experience with the Lord, it is better to leave him with the Word, until he can be approached in a different frame of mind. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.14

“Not In Russia but America” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

Not In Russia but America.-Somewhere, in the United States or Canada, the Sunday laws have had some of our friends before the courts or in prison very nearly all the time for months. One of our American exchanges just received gives the following newspaper press despatch from Arkansas, which we may quote as a sample:- PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.15

Chester Gordon and his wife, two intelligent and respectable citizens of Eagle township, in this county, were convicted this week in the court presided over by Albert Desha, a justice of the peace, of Sabbath-breaking, and were fined five dollars each. It was proved (and no attempt was made to deny the charge) that they are Adventists, and in accordance with the tenets of the faith are accustomed to rest on Saturday, which they consider their Sabbath, and to labour on Sunday. They refused to pay the fines, although able to do so, and by order of the court were remanded to the county jail, where they now are. Husband and wife were handcuffed together when brought into town by a deputy constable. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.16

The work done, it is stated, was on a farm more than a mile from any habitation. The prosecution was at the instance of a church in the place, which appointed a committee to attend to the matter. This is the argument by which the churches are preparing to meet the Lord’s declaration that “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” But it is not an argument that will satisfy those who want to know the truth. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.17

“The Babi Sect” The Present Truth, 12, 21.

E. J. Waggoner

The Babi Sect.-The assassin of the late Shah of Persia was a member of a Mohammedan sect of religionists, whose influence is said to be quite extensive in Persia and the Orient generally. The movement is described as somewhat Socialistic, and the Babis forty years ago attempted the life of the Shah. Mohammedism is honey-combed by the sects, each with its own peculiar fancies, but all alike true followers of Mohammed in propagating their principles by the sword. PTUK May 21, 1896, page 336.18