The Present Truth, vol. 12

October 29, 1896

“Front Page” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

The disciples were asking which of them would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, when “Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set Him in the midst of them.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 689.1

The little one stood in their midst wonder-eyed, but confident that it was a loving voice that called. Thoughtless of itself the child only knew that it was the natural thing to do to obey the call. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 689.2

Then Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 689.3

“How To Be Humble” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

How To Be Humble .-The disciples were to humble themselves as the small child. Now, it is a fact that there is no more absurd spectacle than to see a proud person trying to act humbly. The proud heart cannot be humble. The little child was humble because it did not try to be so-it was so without trying. The little one was not thinking of itself, but only of the one who called it. The innocent child is artless because he has not yet learned to be envious and self-conscious. The way then to be humble is to let self go. Let the humiliation of Jesus show what a senselessly wicked thing the heart of self is, and then it will be possible for a man not to “think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” Let the conceited heart, which makes so much trouble, acknowledge its utter worthlessness, and it will not make the pitiful failure of trying to stimulate a humility that does not exist. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 689.4

“His Saving Knowledge” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

“For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Hebrews 4:12, 13, R.V. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 689.5

To the soul that does not know the Lord, this is one of the most terrible texts in the Bible. Since the day when Adam and Eve hid themselves among the trees of the garden, the consciousness of guilt has ever tended to make men afraid of God. The natural inclination of the sinner is to try to hide from God; He cannot bear to have His misdeeds laid bare before the eyes of spotless purity. So the words, “All things are naked and opened to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do,” and, “Thou understandest my thought afar off” are words that strike terror to the heart of the ungodly. So the natural man tries to forget the fact,-tries to forget his own sins,-foolishly imagining that his ignorance, or forgetfulness, or unbelief, hides the matter from the eyes of God. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 689.6

But it is impossible to hide from God, for He is everywhere, filling all space. “Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:7-10. This being the case, the best thing for man to do is to face the fact, and find the comfort that there is in it, instead of following the devil’s prompting, and endeavouring to hide from Him who is love, “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 689.7

How is it that God knows all things? Is it by searching into the secret things, so that by study He arrives at knowledge that He did not possess before? Impossible! For that would argue imperfection on His part. We may not seek to understand God’s capacities by a comparison with man. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good.” God himself is everywhere, the direct source of all life. Wherever there is life, wherever there is a created thing to be maintained in existence, there God is, and wherever God is there is all wisdom. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 689.8

Notice that the Word of God pierces the joints and marrow, and soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. This is a natural consequence of the fact that “the Word was made flesh.” John 1:14. God in Christ has for ever identified Himself with humanity. When Adam stood in innocence and uprightness, it was only by the indwelling Word, upon which he wholly depended. When he forgot his dependence, and struck out for himself, and thus fell, God did not forsake him, but descended to the depths with him, that He might lift him out again. So God “is not far from every one of us; for in Him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:27, 28. When men would seek to justify themselves for not obeying the commandments of God, by professing ignorance of them, the Spirit says to them: “Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above); or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead);” for “the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart.” Romans 10:6-8. Christ, “the wisdom of God,” knows the sins of mankind, because “He is come in the flesh.” He bears the sins of the world, because the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquities of us all. Isaiah 53:6. He knows them, because in human flesh He feels them. He knows them, because nothing can be done that does not touch Him; no motion can be made without the power that comes alone from the Word. This is the true “Real Presence.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 689.9

How utterly useless, then, to think of hiding our sins from the Lord! We might as well try to hide from the Lord the knowledge of His own existence. Every one of those sins is stamped upon His being. They pierce His brow, His hands, His feet, even His heart, and press upon Him so that “His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” Isaiah 52:14. He must know, for every sin touches His own life. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.1

And herein is the comfort to us and the thought of God’s knowledge of mankind. “By His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:11. He knows our sins, because He experiences their power, and by that knowledge He justifies many. How many?-As many as believe on Him. As many as confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” “For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:9, 13. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.2

Christ bears the burden of the world’s guilt, and bears it easily. Our sin crushes us, and presses us down to destruction; but He swallows up death in victory. Though sin crushed out His life, yet He rises from the dead with the freshness of eternal life. Whoever knows this, and believes the truth, that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, will of course let the burden fall entirely on Him who is able to bear it, and will thus be free. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.3

So when we confess sin to God, we are not telling Him any news. We are simply agreeing with His Word. He knew it all before, but He wishes us to be confidential with Him. He is a faithful Friend, and will not betray our secrets. On the contrary, He will Himself forget our misdeeds, blotting them out of existence, so that even our adversary, the devil, cannot find them, to taunt us with them. The only way to hide them from the world, is to tell them to God. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.4

What a blessing and comfort, then, to know that God knows. “He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.” And He cares, too. “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” And, what is more, He is able to carry the burden for us, and give us peace and rest. “Cast thy burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.” Therefore unto Him that is able to keep us from falling, who is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” to Him who knows our sins, who pities our weakness, and who is mighty to save by His love and wisdom-to Him be glory and praise for ever and ever. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.5

“Dramatic Words” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

The last words of the prophet Malachi are a marvel of condensed information, warning, and counsel. The reason of this is not far to find. They were the last words of Jehovah to the world, by the mouth of His prophets, until that great day of joy, and fate, when the Messiah should come,-the turning point in the world’s history. God’s last message foretelling that supreme event to the world, and counselling in regard to it, might be expected to be positive and intense in expression. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.6

The warning is expressed in terms that cannot be mistaken: “Behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.7

The very next words, however, conveyed the contrasting promise, “But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings, and ye shall grow up as calves of the stall. And He shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.8

Then comes the earnest counsel, “Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.” But God is not willing that His servants should remain in ignorance of that which is to come upon the earth. Information is to be given them, and to that end He says, “Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.9

In the eleventh chapter of Matthew, from the seventeenth to the nineteenth verses, Christ refers directly to these words in His address to the multitude in reference to John the Baptist and his ministry. Here he tells them plainly, without the slightest circumlocution, in the fourteenth and fifteenth verses, “And if you will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” This unqualified statement, connecting Himself and John the Baptist immediately with the last words of the latest prophet, were very dramatic and striking. It might have been thought that those who had ears would have heard. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.10

“Civilised But Not Converted” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

The chairman of the Wesleyan mission in the Transvaal is quoted by the Methodist Times as saying of the South African missionary work among the natives:- PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.11

The very success of the work amongst the natives embarrasses us. With Christianity comes civilisation, and it is not easy for a new convert to distinguish between them. It is a great deal easier to put on English manners and dress than to put on morals and religion. Their condition after conversion requires not less oversight, but more. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.12

There is in this the realisation of one great truth and the failure to appreciate another. The discrimination between Christianity and civilisation is a just one. The general failure to make that discrimination, both within and without religious circles, is responsible for a vast amount of false religion among those who profess Christianity, and of misconception of true religion among those who stand aside and look critically on. To put on civilised dress and manners is one thing,-to put on Christ is quite another. But where native peoples see in Christianity only civilisation, and profess that, it is only an acceptance of the forms and methods of civilised life and not conversion. If there had been a real conversion their latter condition would not be worse than the first, and they require more oversight than before. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.13

“Educational Battle” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

Recent meetings of the Anglican, and nonconformists bodies show that the Educational Battle has still to be thought out. When all alike are agreed that the State must teach religion, it is inevitable that there should be bitter controversy as to the kind of religion to be taught. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 690.14

“The Promises to Israel. Water from the Rock-Living Water” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

“Rock of Ages cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 692.1

“And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people strove with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why strive ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said. Wherefore hast then brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smile the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of the people of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?” Exodus 17:1-7. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 692.2

We have seen that in the manna God was giving the people spiritual food. In like manner we read, with reference to the event just narrated, that they “did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that Rock that followed [margin,“went with”] them; and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:4. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 692.3

Water is one of the things most essential to life. Indeed, it is life. It constitutes two-thirds of the human body. Without a proper supply of water, both animals and plants soon cease to exist. Those people in the desert would soon have perished, if water had not been provided for them. It was therefore life to them. Everybody who has suffered from thirst can vividly realise how the spirits of the children of Israel revived, and new life sprang up in them, as they drank of that fresh, sparkling living water that gushed forth from the smitten rock. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 692.4

“And that Rock was Christ.” Many times the Lord is represented as a Rock. “The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer.” Psalm 18:2. “The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Psalm 92:15. “Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgment; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” Deuteronomy 32:3, 4. Jesus Christ is the Rock upon which the church is built-the “living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,” upon whom, if we come to Him, we are “built up a spiritual house.” 1 Peter 2:4, 5. Both prophets and apostles built on Him not only as “the chief corner stone,” (Ephesians 2:20), but as the entire foundation, and the only one that can be laid. 1 Corinthians 3:11. Whosoever builds not on Him, builds on the shifting sand. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 692.5

The rock which the people saw in the desert was but a figure of the Rock, Jesus Christ, who stood upon it, but whom they did not see. That flinty rock could not of itself furnish water.There was no exhaustless supply stored up within it, which, once given vent, would continue to flow ever fresh and sweet. It had no life. But Christ, “the Author of Life” stood upon it, and it was from Him that the water came. We do not need to theorise, for the Scripture plainly tells us that the people drank from Christ. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.1

This must have been evident to every one who gave a moment’s thought to the matter. Indeed, the water was given as a direct answer to the unbelieving question, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” By supplying them with water out of the solid, flinty rock in the dry and barren desert, the Lord showed the people that He was really among them; for none but He could have done it. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.2

But it was not simply as a guest that He was among them. He was their life, and this miracle was designed to teach them that fact. They knew that water was their sole hope of life, and they could not help seeing that the water which revived them came directly from the Lord. Therefore those who stopped to think must have seen that He was their life and their support. Whether they knew it or not, they were drinking directly from Christ, that is, receiving of His life. With Him is “the fountain of life.” Psalm 36:9. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.3

It made all the difference in the world whether or not the people recognised Christ as the source of their life. If they did, if they drank in faith, they received spiritual life from the Rock. If they did not recognise the Lord in His gracious gift, then the water was no more to them than it was to their cattle. “Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.” Psalm 49:20. But when the people with their superior abilities did not recognise God in His gifts any more than their cattle did, they showed themselves even less discerning than the cattle. “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider.” Isaiah 1:3. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.4

In view of the miracle of the water from the Rock, the Lord Himself,-we can better understand the force of His words when He afterward thus expressed the greatness of their sin in departing from Him: “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:12, 13. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.5

The Psalmist said of the Lord, “He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” His life is righteousness. Therefore those who live by faith in Him live righteous lives. The water which came from the Rock, in the desert, was for the life of the people. It was Christ’s own life. If, therefore, in drinking it they had recognised the source whence it came, they would have been drinking in righteousness, and would have been blessed with righteousness; for it is written, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6. If we thirst for righteousness, and are filled, it is only by drinking in the righteousness for which we thirst. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.6

Jesus Christ is the fountain of living water. So when the woman of Samaria expressed surprise that He should ask her for a drink as she came to draw from Jacob’s well, He said to her: “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.” And then, as she still wondered at His words, He added, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:10-14. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.7

This living water may be drunk now by “whosoever will.” For “the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.8

This water of life of which all are invited to drink freely, is the “pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Revelation 22:1. It proceeds from Christ, for when John saw the throne, from which the water of life comes, he saw “in the midst of the throne” “a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven eyes, which are the Seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” Revelation 5:6. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.9

If we look to Calvary we shall see this made still more plain. As Jesus hung upon the cross, “one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” John 19:34. Now “there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and the three agree in one.” 1 John 5:8, R.V. We know that “the blood is the life,” (Leviticus 17:11, 14), and that “the Spirit is life because of righteousness;” (Romans 8:10); therefore since the Spirit and the water and the blood agree in one, the water must also be the water of life. On the cross Christ poured out His life for mankind. His body was the temple of God, and in His heart God was enthroned; so the water of life which flowed from His wounded side was the same water of life that flows from the throne of God, from which we may all drink and live. His heart is the fountain opened “for sin and for uncleanness.” Zechariah 13:1. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.10

It is the Spirit of God that brings this water of life to us; or, rather, it is by receiving the Holy Spirit that we receive the water of life; and this we do by faith in Christ, who is represented by the Holy Spirit. On the last day of the feast of tabernacles, “Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.” John 7:37-39. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.11

The Holy Spirit received into the heart brings to us the very life of Christ, even “that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.” 1 John 1:2. Whoever willingly receives the Holy Spirit receives the water of life, which is identical with the blood of Christ which cleanses from all sin. This would have been the portion of the Israelites in the desert, if they had but drank in faith. In the rock which Moses smote, they had, even as did the Galatians in Paul’s day, Jesus Christ “evidently set forth crucified” among them. Galatians 3:1. They stood at the foot of the cross of Christ as really as did the Jews who flocked out from Jerusalem to Calvary. Many of them did not know the day of their visitation, and so perished in the wilderness, even as the later Jews did not know the crucified Christ, and so perished in their sins in the destruction of Jerusalem. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:12. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 693.12

The Israelites, in the days of Moses, had no excuse for not knowing the Lord, for He made Himself known unto them by many mighty miracles. There was no excuse for their not recognising Him as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” for they had daily evidence that He was their life; the smitten rock continually spoke to them of the Rock of their salvation pouring out His life for them from His smitten side. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 694.1

We have already learned that the promise to Abraham was the Gospel. The oath which confirmed that promise is the oath that gives us strong consolation when we flee for refuge to Christ, in the holy place of God. It was to assure the Israelites of the free grace of God, and that they could drink in the life of Christ, if they would believe, that the water came from the Rock. It was to assure them that the blessing of Abraham, which is the forgiveness of sins through the righteousness of God in Christ was for them. This is shown by the words, “He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham His servant.” Psalm 105:41, 42. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 694.2

Jesus Christ is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” (Revelation 13:8), “who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world.” 1 Peter 1:20. The cross of Christ is not a thing of a day, but stands wherever there are sinners to be saved, ever since the fall. It is always present, so that continually believers may say with Paul, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.” Galatians 2:20. We have not to look backward to see the cross, even as the men of the most ancient times had not to look forward to see it. It stands with its outstretched arms spanning the centuries from Eden lost till Eden restored, and always and everywhere men have only to look up, to see Christ “lifted up from the earth” drawing them to Him by His everlasting love, which flows out to them in a living stream. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 694.3

THE REAL PRESENCE

In their murmuring for water the people had said, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” The Lord answered that question in a most practical way. He stood upon the rock in Horeb, and gave them water that they might drink and live. He was really there in person. It was His Real Presence. He was there none the less because they could not see Him. And as He was giving them evidence that He was not far from every one of them, so, if they had felt after Him by faith they would have found and received Him, and His real presence would have been in them as truly as was the water which they drank. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 694.4

In the manna, the bread from heaven, which the Israelites were eating every day, and in the water from the Rock Christ Jesus, we have the exact counterpart of the Lord’s Supper. The bread and the water were not Christ, even as the bread and the wine cannot by any means be changed into the body and blood of Christ. It would be of no use even if they could be thus changed, for “the flesh profiteth nothing.” But they showed the real presence, to all who had eyes of faith to discern the Lord’s body. They showed that Christ dwells in the heart by faith just as freely as the emblems are received into the body; and that just as really as those emblems are assimilated, and become flesh, so really does Christ, the Word, become flesh in all those receive Him by faith. Christ is formed within by the power of the Spirit. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 694.5

God is not a myth. The Holy Spirit is not a myth. His presence is just as real as He Himself. When Christ says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him,” (Revelation 3:20), He means it for an actual fact; and when He says, “If any man love Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him,” (John 14:22), He does not intend to deceive us with a phantom. He comes in the flesh to-day as really as He did in Judea. His appearance then was simply to show all men the possibility and the perfection of it. And just as He comes in the flesh now, to all who receive Him, so He did in the days of old, when Israel was in the wilderness; yea, even in the days of Abraham and Abel. We may weary ourselves in speculations as to how it is possible, and die in spiritual starvation by this means, or we may “taste and see that the Lord is good,” and find in His presence satisfaction and “fulness of joy.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 694.6

“As the Heathen See It” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

The profession of Christianity by certain nations, and a profession of it by religious people who regard it not at all inconsistent with such profession to engage in war and political strife and revolution, cause the name of Christ to be blasphemed among the intelligent heathen, who know well enough that there is an enormous gulf between the profession and the practice. Thus a Hindu newspaper says:- PTUK October 29, 1896, page 694.7

Christianity, we are told, is a message of peace and goodwill. But what has she done among the Christian nations themselves? The same unrest, the same hypocrisy, and the same Lamb-and-wolf policy stalk as proudly as they did in the horrid pagan days. Europe has been an armed camp, and each nation is trying to catch its neighbour in the napping. Militarism, like the vampire, has been sucking up the life-blood of the people. But the mission of civilisation is abroad, and the poor pagans unwilling to receive the civilisation and Christianity are goaded to desperation, and when the poor fellows show their temper, there are the Maxim guns to mow them with. And Mr. Pecksniff, spiritual or temporal, says “Amen.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 694.8

It is a fact that the nations we call heathen are learning more from those called Christian, and the missionary in the great heathen fields, if he would give the people anything of the genuine Gospel of Christ, must dissociate himself from all this pagan militarism and teach the Gospel by life and word. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 694.9

“Coffee as a Beverage” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

Within recent years there has been a remarkable awakening amongst many in the medical profession on the question of stimulants and narcotics. It is doubtless very largely due to the overwhelming evidences of the evil results following the habitual use of stimulants. And when people begin to use the milder stimulants of tea and coffee, it is very certain that the habit will grow on the user, until the nerves are subject to the poisonous principle contained in the beverages, and difficulty is found in dropping the cup. A London evening paper, the Echo, said the other day:- PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.1

“Warnings have just been issued almost simultaneously by the leading medical societies of Paris, Berlin, and Vienna against the evils of excessive coffee drinking. The symptoms of coffee drunkenness are so similar to ordinary inebriety that physicians constantly diagnose coffee poisoning as alcoholic disturbance. Insomnia, nausea, depression of spirits, and lack of appetite are among the symptoms of coffee poisoning, and the effort on the part of a confirmed coffee-drinker to become a total abstainer is similar in result to that which follows the abandonment of alcoholic liquors, the nervous system being terribly wrenched.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.2

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

-London, in monetary value, is worth two and a-half times as much as Paris. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.3

-The Egyptian expedition is expected to start for Khartoum in March or April. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.4

-Turkey has issued an irade levying increased taxes to be devoted to military preparations. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.5

-Krupp’s gun works are making a new gun which is expected to do affective work at a range of ten miles. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.6

-It is asserted that in the spring a general rising will take place if in the meantime reforms have not been granted in Macedonia. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.7

-Spanish troops are being reinforced in Cuba, and the preparations are under way for a final struggle to decide the fate of the island. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.8

-The deepest hole in the world has been bored in Silesia. It has reached a depth of 6,520 feet, and passes through eighty-three beds of coal. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.9

-Dongola is to be made a trade emporium, to which merchants from the interior of Africa may bring their wares, receiving Manchester goods in exchange. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.10

-The famine in India, owing to drought, has treated such demand for American wheat that the value of the wheat crop is estimated to have increased by $27,000,000. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.11

-Since the beginning of this century the use of the Italian language has greatly increased. In 1801 it was spoken by 15,070,000 people, and in 1890 it was used by 98,400,000. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.12

-The most expensive place in the world, to live, is said to be New South Wales. The average cost per head per annum is ?50, which is S10 greater then in the United Kingdom. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.13

-According to the record of a rain gauge in Hertfordshire, more rain has fallen in the past month than within any other equal period since the gauge was constructed in 1843. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.14

-The pirates along the Morocco coast have been especially active of late, and France is taking them in hand. It is also said that she will take a large slice of territory to pay for the trouble of putting down the pirates. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.15

-During the past twelve years 2,600,000 square miles of territory have been added to the Empire by annexation. France has taken almost the same, and Germany has annexed 1,023,070 miles in the same period. Belgium has taken 1,500,000 in Africa, and Italy nearly a million. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.16

-Of all the countries of the world, save China, labour is probably cheapest in India, where the wages of the labouring classes average something like threepence halfpenny a day. A fairly skilled journeyman can earn about twelve shillings a month, and a good mechanic about sixteen shillings a month, or twice the pay of a native soldier. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.17

-A Swedish explorer in Central Asia has discovered two large buried towns, the existence and history of which has been hitherto entirely unknown. One town was more than two and a half miles long. The remains show that the inhabitants possessed some knowledge of mechanics and the arts. It is believed by the discoverer that these cities were overwhelmed by sand storms more than 1,000 years ago. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 702.18

“Back Page” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

A Mexican bishop having expressed doubts about the genuineness of an apparition of the Virgin has been compelled by popular prejudice to resign. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.1

Despatches say that all classes are expecting trouble in Syria, and the slightest incident would be sufficient to precipitate it. “The Christians are all armed,” and of course the Mohammedan population is. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.2

The French Government, though not always on good terms with Clericalism at home, votes over half a million francs every year for religious establishments in the East, where the clergy are avowed agents of French political interests. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.3

It was the long journey undertaken by a poor Welsh girl to get a copy of the Scriptures that led to the founding of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Wales still leads in sending out the Word, according to the monthly report of the Society. According to population Wales contributes ?3 to the funds for every ?1 given by England. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.4

The incongruity of any connection between Church and State must be apparent even to Churchmen at times like the present, when they wait expectantly, with no direct voice in the matter, to see whom the politicians will nominate as the next Primate. And the Prime Minister can hardly be supposed to relish his ecclesiastical duties, as however worldly he may walk he is sure to offend one side if he please the other. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.5

Some members of the Turkish Council of Ministers opposed the levying of the new war tax, as they feared it would alarm the non-Mohammedan population. “The opinion prevailed in high quarters, however,” a despatch says, “that the measure was necessary for the defence of the Mohammedan religion, on the ground that the Christians were apparently preparing to attack the Mohammedans, and that the European press was preaching a crusade against Islam.” It is not an unnatural Muslim interpretation of the warlike tone of the churches, and Mohammedanism is preparing to meet the sword by the sword. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.6

There is on the part of many a tendency to regard a Roman Catholic priest as necessarily insincere. All are deceived, but the fact that Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, and many names on the honour roll of Protestant Reformers, were Catholic priests show that it is not condemnation but the Gospel that the Catholic priest needs, as well as every other sinner. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.7

Turkey, Belgium, and Sweden are announced as planning to add greatly to military expenditure, and of course the great powers will do so. The greater part of the increase in Great Britain is to be devoted to the Navy, it is said. A year ago there was a strong protest from the churches of England against the increase of armaments. It is doubtful if that voice will be heard as strongly this year. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.8

Several years ago a large community, mostly from Queensland, immigrated to Paraguay, and established a communistic settlement, where all was to be prosperity and brotherhood. The Queensland Government has just helped almost the last remnant of the community to return. The plan did not work because the people would not be unselfish and brotherly. These schemes look well on paper, but the material with which the plan is to be carried out is always found lacking. Just as a good building cannot be built with crumbling bricks, so all the schemes of social reform which leaves out the Gospel will miserably fail. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.9

“Pitcairn Island” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

Pitcairn Island .-One of our American organs reports return from the Pitcairn Island of a Californian brother who has helped in building a school in the island, and has laid piping which now supplies the village with pure mountain spring water. The youngsters of Pitcairn could understand the water going down the mountain into the valley, but were amazed that it should run up the pipes to the elevated ground on which the village stands. A windmill for grinding corn and turning a lathe is also a new thing in the island, which is as much interested as ever in doing all it can to aid in the mission work of our Society in the South Pacific. A number of Pitcairners are now with our mission ship Pitcairn. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.10

“Candles” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

Candles .-A little five-year-old boy visited a Catholic church the other day and saw the candles burning in the day-time on the altars. He said, “The people must be sitting in sin, and think the room is dark.” He was right. Where the true light is shining in the heart, it is light, and candles are not needed. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.11

“The Other Side” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

The Other Side .-Not all who helped to win great victories in battle feel exhilaration at thoughts of success. Cassell’s Magazine says: “The Duke of Marlborough seeing a soldier leaning thoughtfully on his firelocke after the battle of Blenheim, said to him: ‘Why so sad, my friend, after so glorious a victory?’ ‘It may be glorious,’ was the reply, ‘but I am thinking of how much blood I have spilt this day for fourpence (the private soldier’s pay at that period). As late as 1860 we find an English officer, whose coolness at his gun largely helped to save a victory during the Chinese war, struck with so great a horror at the carnage he had created, that he threw up his commission and devoted himself to the cause of the Gospel.” PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.12

“Who Would Oppose It?” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

Who Would Oppose It? -Suppose an effort were made to revive the old law making it compulsory to partake of the Lord’s Supper, who would most strenuously protest against it? It is safe to say that it would be those who most clearly discerned the spirituality of God’s service. Such would rightly rightly abhor dragging men to the Lord’s table to act a lie, and would consider the law an outrageously wicked one. So, too, if those who favour Sunday laws really believe that keeping Sunday was a spiritual act, they would be protesting against such laws. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.13

“Statement and Appeal” The Present Truth, 12, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

Statement and Appeal .-Hardly a week passes which does not bring increased evidence of the determination to revive the old Sunday laws of Britain. Those of our readers who have not read the “Statement and Appeal,” got out when the Sunday clauses of the Factory Act were being pressed in London, should obtain it, as the little work shows the evil principles involved in all religious legislation, and the ends to which it must certainly lead. Illustrated, 16 pages, 1d. By post, 1? d. It is a question which vitally concerns every man and woman in the United Kingdom. PTUK October 29, 1896, page 704.14