The Present Truth, vol. 12

September 10, 1896

“The Power and the Glory” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

“Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.1

The kingdom is the Lord’s, and it includes the whole universe. Nothing is outside His jurisdiction. Every creature in the heavens and on earth rightfully belongs to His dominion. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.2

But a king without power is king only in name. God is really King, and therefore to Him belongs power. “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this: that power belongeth unto God.” Psalm 62:11. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.3

We must not fall into the error of limiting God, by thinking that power is divided, and that He has merely a share of it, even though it be the largest share. “Thine is the kingdom and the power.” “His kingdom ruleth over all;” and wherever His kingdom is, His power is supreme. God alone has power. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.4

God is the Almighty One. That is to say, He has all might. Therefore no other being possesses any might in Himself. Because God possesses all the power in the universe, Christ, the only begotten Son could say, “All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth.” Matthew 28:18. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.5

“In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:28. Every motion that is made, every thought, every word, requires the exercise of power; but the power is not inherent in the man who moves, but in God. “There is no power but of God.” Romans 12:1. The power which men have to fight and blaspheme God, and to commit all sorts of wickedness, is but God’s power perverted, just as the performance of righteous acts, and the utterance of praise, is God’s power given free course. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.6

Lightminded persons may see in this occasion for charging God foolishly; but others will see in it his superabounding grace and His everlasting love. While some think that God’s seeming non-interference is an evidence of weakness, or of complicity with crime, the well-instructed will “account that the long-suffering of our God is salvation.” 2 Peter 3:15. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.7

If God were not sure of His “everlasting strength,” He could not the sit still and see men defy Him to His face, and even use His own power in opposition to Him. He has the patience of conscious omnipotence. Knowing that He really has power, He cannot, like puny man, be tempted to make an exhibition of it simply to demonstrate to scoffers that He possesses it. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.8

God desires that men should be saved, and in the Gospel He manifests His power to save them. All God’s power, and every revelation of it, is for the purpose of leading men to trust Him for their soul’s salvation. The fact that men misunderstand God, even wilfully, and pervert the power which He reveals in them for their salvation, does not discourage Him or throw Him into a passion. Still He graciously manifests His power in them, in hope that at last they will allow Him to use it to His own glory in their salvation. God’s power is the power of love, and love does not use force; therefore He patiently waits, until He is positively and definitely rejected. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.9

What wonderful joy comes with the recognition that all power is God’s! “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God.” Ephesians 2:10. Our salvation depends on Him, and He has the power. His kingdom is in our hearts, but His enemy has been allowed to come in and raise the standard of rebellion. Nevertheless, as soon as we definitely choose the Lord for our King and our Lawgiver, He will save us by His mighty power. Isaiah 23:22. He has power to drive out every enemy. What comfort to rest confidingly in the almighty power of our God. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.10

His is the glory. Not only ought it to be, but it is. The last message before the coming of the Lord, calls loudly upon men to “fear God, and give glory to Him,” as the One who “made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:6, 7. We are to give glory to Him, because it belongs to Him. His is the glory, because His is the power. Whoever takes glory to himself for anything that he possesses or has done, thereby robs God. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 577.11

“Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but he that glorieth let him glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth.” Jeremiah 9:23, 24. Wisdom, power, and riches, all come from the Lord; therefore “he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.1

Take a single example, in the line of wisdom. On the day of Pentecost, and in any times thereafter, God gave His servants power on the instant to talk foreign languages. Unlettered Galilean fishermen suddenly began to speak intelligently in languages that before were but meaningless jargon to them. It was manifestly a gift of God, and one instinctively shudders at the thought of one with which such a gift boasting of his possession, as though the glory of it were due to him. Very well; but “the Lord giveth wisdom; out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 3:6. If a man by study has acquired several languages, he has done it only by the power which God gave him, and therefore his knowledge is the gift of God just as truly as was the knowledge of the apostles. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.2

Whoever not simply openly, but in his inmost thoughts, continually gives God the glory, will be kept “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6. Men foolishly think that it is beneath their dignity, and a limitation of their freedom, to acknowledge that God alone has power, and that all glory belongs to Him; but how much better it is to acknowledge the truth, and thus be “strengthened with all might according to His glorious power” (Colossians 1:11), than to deny Him, and thus be left to our own disgraceful impotence. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.3

“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 24, 25. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.4

“Not a Creed” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

Justification by faith, and that means salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ, is not a theory. It can never be put into a creed, a form of words. Every professor of religion who has certain points of doctrine which he holds, and who is satisfied with them just as he has put them into a formal statement, has as iron-bound a creed as any ever imposed by a council. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.5

But the truth of God is ever growing, ever enlarging. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18), and we cannot put that light into writing, and say, “This is the sum of the doctrine.” We may speak what we know, and write what we know, but this simply calls attention to the truth; there is more and more. There are oceans of light and truth, wonderful revelations that the Lord will make to every soul, beyond what he has ever seen, and the treasures of the grace of Christ, if he will but give up to the Lord continually, for Him to live His own marvellous life in Him. Continually should the prayer be made, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” Every wonderful thing that we see is but the forerunner of a still more wonderful thing to be revealed, if we will but be open to receive it. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.6

But the man not content with God’s words, who will not rest until he has defined doctrine by his own words and put God into a formula, shuts himself away from learning of God. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.7

“Parable, History, and Prophecy” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

In a parable, in the twenty-second chapter of Matthew, Christ compared the kingdom of heaven to a certain king who made a marriage feast upon the occasion of his son’s wedding, and invited guests to the regal festivities which he had prepared. But those who had been invited did not come, and so a second time he sent out his servants to remind them that all was ready and waiting their attendance. This time it became clearly evident that they had no intention whatever of accepting the invitation, for they made light of it and went every man his own way, to his business, his farm, his counting-house. Each man thought it of more importance to attend to his own affairs than to do honour to his king, and rejoice with him at the wedding of his son. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.8

But there were those, even, who took the servants who had been sent out to bear the king’s message of love and courteous invitation, and abuse them and put some of them to death. What could have been the expectation of these murderers? Did they not suppose that they would arouse the king’s righteous anger? Did they think that they could thus ill-treat and slaughter innocent men without themselves receiving sooner or later the just reward of their deeds? Was it a supposable thing that they could not only insolently scorn the king’s gracious invitation but also kill his messengers, and go free and unpunished? Could such unparalleled deeds of insolent wickedness go unnoticed? Impossible! Impossible! Yet how many have excused themselves, with laughter and jeering, from listening to the invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb, which the Lord sends out to all the world. How many of His prophets and messengers and servants have been illtreated, even murdered! Will not their Lord avenge them? In the parable it is said, “He sent forth His armies, and destroyed these murderers, and burned up their city.” Is it not revealed in Revelation that this is what will be done at the time of the second death? And yet guests will not be wanting at the marriage supper. They will be gathered in from the highways and hedges, from among every tongue and kindred and nation and people, and clothed in spotless robes of righteousness, as wedding garments, will be present at the feast, and dwell thereafter in that holy city which John saw “coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.9

“Income of the Pope” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

Income of the Pope .-The Australian organ of our Society quotes the following from the Catholic journal, showing the funds at the personal disposal of the Pope: “Pope Leo XIII. derives his revenue from three sources. One is the interest of the vast sum left by Pius IX. in the pontifical treasury, invested chiefly in English consols. This interest amounts to ?125,000 a year. Another source is the Peter’s pence contribution, which in spite of the very great reduction in late years, averages about ?23,000 annually. The third source is the Apostolic Chancery, the receipts of which include sums received for titles and decorations, privileges of the altar, private chapels, etc., an aggregate about ?104,000 a year. The entire annual income of Leo XIII., therefore, is about ?252,000.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 578.10

“The Promises to Israel. How Pharaoh’s Heart Was Hardened” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

When mild measures failed to cause Pharaoh to acknowledge the power of God, judgments were sent. God, who knows the end from the beginning, had said that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened, and even that He Himself would harden it; and so it was. Yet it must not be supposed that God set about deliberately to harden Pharaoh’s heart against his will, so that he could not have relented if he had wished. God sends strong delusion, that men should believe a lie, only upon those who have rejected the truth, and who love a lie. Every one has just what he most desires. If any man wishes to do the will of God, he shall know of the doctrine; but to him who rejects truth, there is nothing left but darkness and deception. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 579.1

It is interesting to note that it was the manifestation of the mercy of God that hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The simple request of the Lord was scornfully denied. Then the plagues began to come, yet not immediately, but with interval enough to allow Pharaoh to think. But as long as the power of the magicians appeared to be as great as that exercised by Moses and Aaron, Pharaoh would not yield. Then it became manifest that there was a power greater than that with his magicians. They brought frogs upon the land, but they could not drive them away. “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord.” Exodus 8:8. He had already learned enough of the Lord to call Him by His name. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 579.2

“And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the Lord because of the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. And they gathered them together upon heaps; and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.” Verses 12-15. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 579.3

“Let favour be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.” Isaiah 26:10. Thus it was with Pharaoh. The judgment of God caused his haughty purpose to weaken; but “when he saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 579.4

Again there came swarms of flies, at the command of the Lord, and Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away; intreat for me. And Moses said, Behold I go out from thee, and I will intreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to-morrow; but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, and from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.” Exodus 8:28-32. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 579.5

And so it went on throughout the plagues. All the steps in each case are not recorded, but we see that it was the longsuffering and mercy of God that hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The same preaching that comforted the hearts of many in the days of Jesus, made others more bitter against Him. The raising of Lazarus from the dead fixed the determination in the hearts of the unbelieving Jews to kill him. The Judgment will reveal the fact that every one who has in hardness of heart rejected the Lord, has done so in the face of the revelation of His mercy. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 579.6

GOD’S PURPOSE WITH PHARAOH

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For I will this time send all My plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth. For now I had put forth My hand, and smitten thee and they people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the earth; but in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, for to show thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth.” Exodus 9:13-16, R.V. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 579.7

The still more literal rendering of the Hebrew by Dr. Kalisch, reads thus: “For now I might have stretched out My hand, and might have smitten thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou wouldst have been cut off from the earth. But only for this cause have I let thee exist, in order to show thee My power, and that My name may be acknowledged throughout all the earth.” A close comparison will show that this idea is expressed in the Revised Version, as quoted above, but not so clearly. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 579.8

It is not the case, as is too often lightly supposed, that God brought Pharaoh into existence for the express purpose of wreaking His vengeance upon him. Such an idea is most dishonouring to the character of the Lord. But the true idea is that God might have cut Pharaoh off at the very first, and so have delivered His people without any delay. That, however, would not have been in keeping with the Lord’s invariable course, which is to give every man ample opportunity to repent. God had borne long with Pharaoh’s stubbornness, and now proposed to send severer judgments; yet He gives him fair warning, that even yet he may turn from his wickedness. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 579.9

God had kept Pharaoh alive, and had delayed to send His severest judgments upon him, in order that He might show unto him His power. But the power of God was being manifested at that time for the salvation of His people, and the power of God unto salvation is the Gospel. Therefore God was keeping Pharaoh alive, in spite of his stubbornness, to give him ample opportunity to learn the Gospel. That Gospel was as powerful to save Pharaoh as it was to save the Israelites. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 580.1

The revised renderings have been used because they are clearer than those of the common version, and not because the same truth is not set forth in each. Take the common rendering, “In very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee My power; and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth,” and grant that it refers to the bringing of Pharaoh to the throne. Even then it is far from showing that God raised him up for the purpose of plaguing and killing him. The text says that it was for the purpose of showing God’s power, and causing His name to be known throughout all the earth. To infer that God can show His power and make known His name only by the destruction of men, is dishonouring to Him, and contrary to the Gospel. “His mercy endureth for ever.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 580.2

God’s purpose was that His name should be declared throughout all the earth. This is what was done, for we read that forty years later the people of Canaan were terrified at the approach of the Israelites, because they remembered what God had done in delivering them from Egypt. But the purpose of God would have been accomplished just the same if Pharaoh had yielded to the wishes of the Lord. Suppose that Pharaoh had acknowledged the Lord, and had accepted the Gospel that was preached to him; what would have been the result? He would have done as Moses did, and have exchanged the throne of Egypt for the reproach of Christ, and a place in the everlasting inheritance. And so he would have been a most powerful agent in declaring the name of the Lord throughout all the earth. The very fact of the acceptance of the Gospel by a mighty king, would have made known the power of the Lord as effectually as did the plagues. And Pharaoh himself, from being a persecutor of God’s people, might, like Paul, have become a preacher of the faith. Sad to say, he did not know the day of his visitation. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 580.3

Take particular notice of the fact that the purpose of God was that His name should be declared throughout all the earth. This affair was not to be done in a corner. The deliverance from Egypt was not something that concerned only a few people in one portion of the earth. It was to “be to all people.” In accordance with the promise to Abraham, God was delivering the children of Israel from bondage; but the deliverance was not for their sakes alone. Through their deliverance His name and power was to be made known to the uttermost parts of the earth. The time of the promise which God had sworn to Abraham was drawing near; but since that promise included the whole earth, it was necessary that the Gospel should be proclaimed as extensively. The children of Israel were God’s chosen agents to perform this work. Around them, as the nucleus, the kingdom of God was to centre. That they proved unfaithful to their trust, only delayed, but did not change God’s plan. Although they failed to proclaim the name of the Lord, and even denied it, God said, “As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 580.4

“Chinese Superstitions” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

In all the courts and centres of the West which he has visited, the Chinese viceroy, Li Hung Chang, has impressed all with his intelligence and astuteness. It helps to gauge the depth of the average Chinese superstition to read of the childish notions of the great Li Hung Chang when it is a question of religious superstition that concerns him. An Englishwoman in China says that while she read of his triumphal progress in the public press of Europe, she turned to the Pekin native Gazette and read this grave announcement:- PTUK September 10, 1896, page 580.5

“A memorial of Li Hung Chang states that the breach in the banks of the Grand Canal near Tien-tsin, some days ago, was due to the devilry of a river god. This spirit appeared in various guises to the soldiers at work on the embankment, and their commander on hearing it caused a sacrificial stage to be erected and gifts and prayers to be offered to appease the god. These measures were evidently successful, for thenceforth the labourers were blest with beautiful serene weather and placid waters, in lieu of the stormy wind and heavy rains of the previous weeks. The memorialist therefore prays that a fitting acknowledgment of his favours be made by the throne to this river god in form of the title ‘God of the northern terminus of the Great Canal,’ and a temple erected for his residence, where spring and autumn sacrifices may be offered by the mandarins of the district.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 580.6

“Nineteenth Century Pharisaism” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

Nineteenth Century Pharisaism .-In speaking of the Pharisees Christ never left them any excuse for their ignorance and unbelief as to His identity. As in many other places, how clearly in the latter part of the twenty-first chapter of Matthew, by reference to the prophetical Scriptures, in which they were well versed, Christ told them who He was. By the use of these familiar references He also warned them most solemnly of the result of the course which they were taking. To speak of the Lord as the master of a vineyard was a familiar figure of Scriptural speech to them, and no less familiar was the reference to prophecy in the stone which the builder rejected, and the fate of those upon whom the stone should fall. Indeed, they did recognise His references and their applicability, but instead of repenting and casting themselves down before Him, that their heart hearts might be broken, they “sought to lay hands on Him.” This is a warning. It is just as possible to be a Pharisee in the nineteenth century as it was in the first. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 580.7

“They Did Not Accept” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

They Did Not Accept .-How plainly the parable and the twenty-second chapter of Matthew, wherein Christ likens the kingdom of heaven to a certain king who made a marriage for his son, connects itself with the many passages in the Bible wherein Christ is figured as a Bridegroom, and those who love Him, and so live for ever, as the one to whom He is eternally united. The continuity of this figure speech of Biblical thought is enough in itself to suggest that its different utterances were prompted by the inspiration of one loving heart, and that the heart of Him who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. But the Pharisees, when they had heard this exposition of God’s loving invitation to all, did not accept,-they “took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 580.8

“‘Put Not Your Trust in Princes’” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

“Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust,” said the Psalmist. Who else is worthy of trust? Who else can be trusted? Whose knowledge, and strength, and existence, is unfailing and sure, but only the Lord’s? What man is there who is unchangeably reliable in all his ways even yesterday and to-day? But the Lord, He is immutable,-the same not only yesterday and to-day, but for ever. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 582.1

No hero worshipper and no subject, however legal, would think of putting their confidence in prince or king longer than for the transient period of life; yet the Lord may be trusted for ever. That man who puts his trust in princes’ favours will surely one day come to feel that if he had but served his God, and put his trust in Him, He would not have deserted him in his need. Truly, “Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust;” he shall not want; goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life, and he will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 582.2

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

-The Rhodesian rising is not yet at an end. It was hoped peace was assured, but many of the rebels refuse to come in. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.1

-Newfoundland has been passing through very serious financial depression. Now it is reported that gold has been discovered there in paying quantities, and the colony is excited. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.2

-To-day, the Jews are scattered among “all nations.” There are 3,000,000 in Russia, 1,644,000 in Austria, 562,000 in Germany, 105,000 in Turkey, 63,000 in France, 92,000 in Great Britain, and 250,000 in New York. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.3

-The English railways, with their 14,650 miles of line, carried about 200,000,000 more passengers than the railways of the United States, with twelve times the length of line and a population twice as great to draw upon. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.4

-Of our railways, the largest system is the Great Western, with 2,500 miles of line. The wealthiest is the London and North-Western, The greatest number of passengers was carried last year by the Great Eastern, nearly 91 millions of persons. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.5

-The largest permanent store of coined money in the world is in the Imperial war treasury of Germany-a portion saved for emergencies, from the sum paid by France after the Franco-Prussian war, and locked up in the Julius Tower of the fortress of Spandau. It amounts to the value of ?6,000,000. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.6

-The annual report of the Lunacy Commissioners shows that mental derangement has greatly increased in Scotland as well as England. This year the increase touched the highest point since 1858. The increase of population has been 38 per cent., and the increase of lunacy 142 per cent. Drink is probably answerable for much of the increase. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.7

-It is claimed for Ireland that, with its lees than 5,000,000 of population, it has more centenarians than any country in Europe-perhaps in the world. They number 578. In pain 401 persons have crossed the century limit, in France 213, in England 146, in Germany 78, in Scotland 46, in Norway 23, in Sweden 10, in Belgium 6, and in Denmark 2. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.8

-By a vote of fifteen to ten the Transvaal Volksraad has passed a bill totally prohibiting the sale of liquor to natives from January 1 next. The law has been urgently demanded by Johannesburg, which employe about 47,000 natives about the mines. It has been proved that 15 per cent. of these natives are absent daily through drunkenness, and another 6 per cent. turn up in a drowsy, stupid state from the same cause. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.9

-During 1895, 7,527 inquests were held in London, an increase of 14 per cent. on the number in 1894. One hundred and seven persons of the “subjects” died from “want, cold, and exposure.” Five hundred and seventy-two children were suffocated during the year by drunken or careless parents in bed. Accidents from petroleum lamps advanced to the great total of 473 last year. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 590.10

“Back Page” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

By a majority of one, the casting vote, the Manchester City Council last week decided not to order the prosecution of barbers for Sunday work. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.1

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has been the means of succouring 30,000 boys and girls from cruelty. And the demon Drink has been the chief cause of the cruelty and neglect. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.2

The Bavarian Archbishop has, says the Christian World, issued a decree forbidding the clergy to give any encouragement to the circulation of the Bible, and denouncing those who read it without permission. It is the most dangerous book that Rome has to fear. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.3

We are glad to see that the German organ of our society, the Herold der Wahreit, of Hamburg, flourishing. Its circulation is now 10,000 copies, which is larger than that of most of the religious organs in Germany, where religious papers have a surprisingly small circulation. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.4

Relief committees are showing praiseworthy activity in appealing for help for desolated homes in Turkey. Guilty and innocent need it alike. But when tried missionaries appeal to Christendom to discriminate between Armenian Christians and Armenian revolutionists, as does the one whose appeal we notice on another page, all who know what spirit Christianity is of know that this call speaks genuine Christian sympathy for the suffering. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.5

A circular letter to the public press, unsigned, but coming from a Catholic publishing house, urges that the Italian Question is really “the European Question,” and calls upon the press and statesmen of Europe to take up the matter of restoring Rome to the papacy. They say that Italy is rushing on to “anarchy, red ruin, revolution, and chaos;” all true, no doubt, but how forcing the unwilling Roman people back under papal rule is to avert the catastrophe the authors of the circular do not tell. However, sudden changes come now, and it would be nothing strange if out of Italy’s trouble the Papacy found a way to regain some of its lost temporal dignities. But the ruin will fall upon Rome all the same. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.6

Next week our friends in Turkey begin a Bible Institute in Constantinople, which will continue several weeks, and will be attended, it is expected, by Armenians and Greeks and others from various parts of Turkey. Amidst the terrible calamities which have come upon that country during the past year our brethren there have gone steadily forward, testifying to Armenian, Greek, and Turk alike of the message of Christ’s salvation and of the coming of the Lord. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.7

What a record of tragedy and calamity is sometimes crowded into one week’s news record. Last week it was war in the various parts of Africa, in Cuba and the Philippines, preparations for war in all the world, massacre in one corner of Europe, earthquakes in Japan, Iceland and France, and unrest everywhere. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.8

“The world is very evil,
The times are waxing late;
Be sober and keep vigil;
The Judge is at the gate,
The Judge who comes in mercy,
The Judge who comes with might,-
Who comes to end the evil,
Who comes to crown the right.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.9

The Pope blesses the Spanish troops departing for Cuba to put down a rebellion, and by his representative declares that the Spanish flag, surmounted by the cross, can never be defeated. How eager the papacy would summon armies, if it could, to fight in what it considers the cause of the Cross, its own temporal sovereignty. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.10

The “origin of Sunday observance” is a pamphlet going into the details of the history of the beginning and growth of Sunday observance in the church, by which it came about that the Sabbath was almost universally desecrated. It is a question, not of one day or another merely, but of loyalty to God’s government and to the Cross, and all should inform themselves as to the facts. Price, sixpence. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.11

“On Protestantism” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

On Protestantism .-Replying to the overtures of Maryland Methodists, inviting Catholic priests to unite with Protestant ministers to secure the enforcement of Sunday laws, a Catholic writer said in the Catholic Mirror, Cardinal Gibbon’s official organ:- PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.12

What living Catholic priest is there who does not know that Protestantism has, contrary to its fundamental principles, abandoned its sole acknowledged teacher, the Bible, on the Sabbath question, and, guilty of a double apostasy, gone over, bag and baggage, to the teaching and practice of the Catholic Church? In putting the question, I must make honorable exception. I refer to the Seventh-day Adventists. They are the only consistent Protestants on earth. They follow the teachings of their Bible by keeping the Sabbath enjoined by God and their acknowledged guide, only to be fined, punished and imprisoned by their fellow-Protestants even in the State of Maryland, for their consistency, while their prosecutors have shamefully abandoned the very principles for which they punish them. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.13

“Armageddon” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

Armageddon .-It is not without reason that the eyes of the world are turned upon Turkey at this time. But those who clamour for the extinction of the Turk, or his expulsion from Europe, little think what momentous happenings prophecy tells us will follow that event. Now and then a hint of the truth may be found in the public prints-stated, though not believed-as in this editorial utterance from the Daily Chronicle:- PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.14

The world knows why Lord Salisbury recoiled from the task to which he seemed to have put his hand. Russia was suddenly indifferent to the sufferings of the Armenians. The original scheme of reforms, pressed upon the Sultan by the Ambassadors, was hastily dropped, and we were told by the organs of our Government that it could be executed only at the cost of an Armageddon. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.15

The Turk himself understands that he will be driven from Europe,-and that “then the Messiah will come.” The one sure thing in this world is the fulfilment of prophecy. It has been fulfilled,-it will be. The events which will follow the removal of the Turkish capital to Jerusalem (Daniel 11:450) are narrated in Revelation 16:12-21. The battle of Armageddon is one of them. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.16

“An Old Bill” The Present Truth, 12, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

An Old Bill .-A writer in the Windsor Magazine, who is sketching the history of some of the first Archbishops of Canterbury, quotes an old account which shows how much it cost to burn a heretic three centuries ago and more. He says: “To defy the authority of the Church meant in those days certain excommunication, which in turn entailed that the culprit should be dealt with by the laws of the State. That my readers may realise what this course implied, I give the following significant extract which appears in the municipal records of Canterbury dated 1535:- PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.17

“For the expenses of bring me a heretic from London. . . 14s 8d. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.18

For 1? load of wood to burn him . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2s. 0d. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.19

For gunpowder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1d. PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.20

A stake and staple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8d.” PTUK September 10, 1896, page 592.21