The Present Truth, vol. 13

November 4, 1897

“Front Page” The Present Truth, 13, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

“Behold, God exalteth by His power: who teacheth like Him?” Job 36:22. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 689.1

God is a Teacher. He invites all men to attend His school. “Come now,“ He says, “and let us reason together.” “Learn of Me,“ He pleads. And the lessons can be learnt only of Him because He alone has power to teach them. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 689.2

The study is God Himself,-His life and power and glory, as manifested in saving men. This is not as other knowledge and cannot be learnt by merely mental exercise. “And this is life eternal that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” It is life to know this, and it can be taught only by the Teacher who can put the knowledge into the life. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 689.3

We come to the Teacher and say, “Teach me Thy way, O Lord,“ and He takes us by the hand and leads us in it. We would learn His meekness, and gentleness and righteousness, and lo, He subdues the sin and headstrong selfishness and lives His gentle life within us. He gives to us the knowledge of the power of eternal life by His own indwelling presence, living the Divine life in the soul. Heaven cannot contain Him, but He dwells with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit, and that trembleth at His word. What a Teacher we have in Him, so patient in instructing and so strong with almighty power to teach. Yet only the meek, the one willing to live His life, can even He teach His way. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 689.4

“Kicking Against the Pricks” The Present Truth, 13, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

“And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Acts 9:3. These were the words of the Lord to Saul of Tarsus as he was on his way to Damascus to destroy all the followers of Christ in that city. By considering them carefully, we get an insight into a bit of Saul's previous history. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 689.5

In the first place, we see that Saul had not been at peace with his own mind, while persecuting the church of Christ, He had been pricked in his conscience. He had been under conviction that the doctrine he was seeking to root out was the truth, yet old prejudices derived from the instruction of the priests and doctors of the law, which had been his life study would not yield, and so time after time he had sought to banish these convictions by renewed zeal in persecution. In these efforts he was sincere, for he could not think that the priests and rulers and learned doctors were all wrong, and the despised sect of Nazarenes in the right; therefore he strove against the prickings of conscience as against the whisperings of Satan. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 689.6

In the second place, we learn that just as Saul was unconsciously persecuting the Lord, even so the Lord, without his recognising the fact, was patiently giving him instruction all the time. The expression, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks,“ is an allusion to the way in which oxen were driven, namely, with a sharp goad. A stubborn ox would sometimes kick against the goad, but this only made his case the worse. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 689.7

In the Hebrew language the word for “ox goad” is derived from a word meaning “to teach.” It was with thorns of the desert that Gideon “taught the men of Succoth.” Judges 8:16. It was with a sharp goad that the oxen were reminded of their duty, and taught the way they should go. Even so by the sharp conviction of the Holy Spirit, the Lord was seeking to teach Saul the right way, while Saul was stubbornly resisting. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 689.8

The Lord was pricking Saul's conscience to awaken him, because He had chosen him for a special work. “He is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake.” Acts 9:15, 16. See also Galatians 1:15, 16. When we recall the cases of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4, 5), John the Baptist (Luke 1:13-17), and others that are specially mentioned in the Bible, together with the statement of Christ, that He has given “to every man his work” (Mark 13:34), we may well believe that God has a definite work for every man in the world, and that He is seeking to enlighten all in regard to that work, and to lead them to do it. Some shake off all instruction, casting the words of the Lord behind them, so that they never rightly learn what their work in this world is; others come to the point where they see clearly what the Lord would have them do, but are frightened at the hardships involved, and refuse to go out while others, like Saul of Tarsus, make an entire surrender, in view of the whole situation, and go forward in their appointed work with a light heart, because no trials ever come to them that they are not prepared for beforehand. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 689.9

“Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” Hebrews 12:6. He lets affliction come upon them, but it is only in love that He may teach them. “Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11. The Lord allowed terrible afflictions to come upon Job, but it was not because He rejoiced in human suffering, but because He would instruct Job, and bring him into closer relation to Himself. “Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept Thy word.” Psalm 119:67. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.” Verse 71. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 690.1

The Lord calls all to Him, that they may learn of Him, but the only way He can teach us some things is by affliction. “We must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God.” Acts 14:34. Even Christ, “though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.” Hebrews 5:8. If we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorified together with http://Him.Hom.viii.17.Let Him. Romans 8:17. Let affliction, then, of whatever sort it may be, everything that is crossing to our disposition, or seems to be contrary to us, even though it be the direct result of our own misconduct, be received as from the hand of the Lord, and we shall be sure to experience good from it. From our weakness, let us learn meekness; for “the meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way.” Psalm 25:9. Then instead of being obliged to be taught as the horse or the mule, we shall know what it is to be instructed in the way that we should go, guided by the eye of the Lord. Psalm 32:8, 9. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 690.2

It is not difficult for one who does not desire the truth to find an excuse for rejecting light. When Jesus sent the message to John the Baptist, telling of the work accomplished by the Gospel, He said, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” Even His life gave occasion for those to take offence who did not desire His life in themselves. Those who wanted life received it, those who wanted an excuse for keeping on in their own way found it. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 690.3

“Lessons From the Book of Hebrews. Resting in God” The Present Truth, 13, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

Before we begin the fourth chapter of Hebrews, let us briefly review the third chapter; for, although we have a chapter heading thrown in, there is not the slightest break in the subject. It is impossible to understand the fourth chapter unless the third stands clearly in mind. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 690.4

In the beginning of the third chapter we are told about the house of God, the rule of which is faithfulness. “God is faithful,“ and Christ the Son was faithful in all His house, even as Moses was faithful as a servant. We are God's house, provided we hold fast our confidence, that is, provided we are faithful to the end. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 690.5

If we are thus faithful, we shall find rest in God's house, for it is a place of rest. When Naomi told her two daughters-in-law to return to then own people, because she herself was about to go back to Judea, she said, “The Lord grant that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.” Ruth 1:9. God sustains many relations to His people; indeed He is the fulness of every relation, so that He is Father, Brother, King, and Husband, for He represents Himself as married to the house of Israel. So He gives us the blessing of rest in His house. We become members of God's household by faith (for it is a “household of faith” (Galatians 6:10), and faith brings rest, as we learn from the statement that “they could not enter in because of unbelief.” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 690.6

Ancient Israel, like the people of these days, saw the works of the Lord, but did not become acquainted with His ways, and therefore they did not enter into His rest. It needs no argument to prove that it is impossible to enter into the Lord's rest while ignorant of His ways; that is self-evident. To know God is eternal life, and there is no eternal life except in the knowledge of Him; but eternal life is eternal rest, because it is everlasting youth. It is unconquerable. Life in light, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness does not quench it. The darker it is, the more brightly does the true light appear. Rest, therefore, God's rest, the only real and enduring rest, is found only in God's life, in an experimental knowledge of His ways. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 690.7

THE CHARACTERISTIC OF REST

Rest must follow labour. Indeed, rest presupposes labour. But more than this: rest means labour completed. No one can rest from a work that is unfinished. It is true that we can cease our physical exertions for a time, but we do not rest from the labour until we have done with it. We may say that we are resting; but if we must again take up our round of work, that shows that we do not rest from our labour. Still more: one does not rest from a task that is unfinished, even though for a time he remits his exertions, for his mind is not at rest. If the night comes on, and we see that there is a task that we ought to have completed, but which is still unfinished, our rest is unsatisfactory. We have regret for the past and anxiety for the future, and though we lay our bodies down to sleep, our rest is broken. Now it is an undeniable truth that, PTUK November 4, 1897, page 690.8

“Labour with what zeal we will,
Something still remains undone,
Something uncompleted still
Waits the rising of the sun. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.1

“By the bedside, on the stair,
At the threshold, near the gates,
With its menace or its prayer,
Like a mendicant it waits; PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.2

“Waits, and will not go away;
Waits, and will not be gainsayed;
By the cares of yesterday
Each to-day is heavier made; PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.3

“Till at length the burden seems
Greater than our strength can bear,
Heavy as the weight of dreams,
Pressing on us everywhere. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.4

“And we stand from day to day,
Like the dwarfs of times gone by,
Who, as Northern legends say,
On their shoulders held the sky.” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.5

Perfect Work .—But in order that there shall be real, perfect rest, something more is necessary than that a piece of work shall merely be done, in the ordinary use of the word; it must be well done. This is really comprehended in the expression, “work finished,“ for nothing is done until it is done right. Perfect rest must follow perfect work-work all done, and work well done. When work is thus done, then rest must follow; one cannot in such a case do anything else than rest, and Oh, how sweet such rest is! how inexpressibly enjoyable! What would not one give for such rest? And then to think of rest not merely for a day or an hour, but for ever! That alone would make heaven, even on this old earth. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.6

Unknown to this World .—Such rest as that this world cannot give, because it knows it not. No man can find it in his own work, for no man can, as already seen, do perfect work. “Every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” Psalm 39:5. “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6. Of the whole world it is said, “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Romans 3:12. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:12. Every man finds in himself the proof of this. No man ever yet did a thing that could not be improved, and of which he himself could not see the possibility of improvement. If a man invents a machine, he spends the rest of his life making improvements on it. If he writes a book, it is no sooner finished than he would like to get out a new edition. Who has not at some time said, “If I had that to do over again”—or “If I had my life to live over again.” How then can a mind find rest by his own works? Impossible; because since his work is always incomplete and imperfect, there is something always before him to be done. And so the man toils and struggles in the vain attempt to reach perfection and thus find rest for his soul. Vain attempt indeed it is, for the more he toils and struggles, the more worn out he becomes. “The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” Isaiah 57:20. If he persists in seeking rest by his own efforts, he will work himself into the grave, literally tired to death. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.7

Perfect Rest With God .—“As for God, His way is perfect.” Psalm 18:30. He does everything right, and does it right the first time. “I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, not anything taken from it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him.” Ecclesiastes 3:14. God never has to say, “if I had that to do over again, I should make this improvement.” His goodness is unsearchable, and His righteousness endureth for ever. And He has given Himself to us, that we might be partakers of His perfection. “Oh, how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!” Psalm 31:19. Therefore Christ, who is the fulness of God, and whose name is “God with us,“ says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and Iowly of heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:38, 30. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.8

Rest in Confidence .—In God's house is rest, and we are His house “if we hold fast the confidence.” Hebrews 3:6. Rest, therefore, comes by faith. This is self-evident from the fact that a man cannot find rest in himself. Rest is found only in meekness and lowliness. A man must acknowledge the truth, namely, that in him dwells no good thing, before he will accept the perfection that God alone gives. “For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength; and ye would not.” Isaiah 30:13. No; men in these days, just as Israel of old, “being ignorant of God's righteousness; and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:3. Men who will acknowledge they cannot do their own work as well as they would like to, and that they cannot accomplish as much of it as they would like to, feel themselves perfectly capable of doing God's work. As if any being less than God could do the work of God! As though the creature could do the work of the Creator! PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.9

When the Jews asked, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” John 6:28, 29. A child cannot do a man's work; but, compared with God, the greatest man is less than the puniest babe; therefore it is folly for any man to think of doing God's work. “His work is honourable and glorious.” Psalm 111:3. God's work is nothing less than creation. Now all God's works are in Christ; for “in Him were all things created, in the heavens, and upon the earth, things visible, and things invisible, ... and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16, 17, R.V. Therefore whoever receives Christ, receives the perfect works of God. But we receive Christ by believing on Him. John 1:12. Christ dwells in the heart by faith. Ephesians 3:17. So it is that the work of God is to believe on Him whom God hath sent. The Jews in the days of Moses, like the Jews in the days of Christ's earthly ministry, would not accept Christ and the rest that He alone can give. “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:19. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.10

An Exhortation to Us .—“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” Hebrews 4:1. Thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear.” Romans 11:20. It is the same exhortation that is given in Hebrews 3:12: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” These exhortations, following as they do immediately after the statement that “they could not enter in because of unbelief,“ show us that the same rest that was held out to them is offered to us. We are to take heed lest we lose it even as they did. This is shown even more plainly still in the next verse. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 691.11

The Same Gospel .—“For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them; but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Hebrews 4:2. There are some professed believers of the Bible, who deny that the Gospel is more than nineteen hundred years old, claiming that it was not preached before the appearance of Christ on earth. Such ones virtually deny any salvation for all those who lived before Christ's first advent; for salvation is by Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:10-12), and the preaching of Christ is the Gospel (Romans 1:1-3); if, then, there was no Gospel for four thousand years, then of course Christ was not preached in all that time, and so there was no salvation. But the Psalms, to say nothing of the rest of the Bible, are full of Christ. How often do we find references to the Lord's Anointed, namely, Christ, for “Christ” means “anointed.” Jesus says that Moses wrote of Him (John 5:46), and Paul writes: “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached the Gospel beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed.” Galatians 3:5. Ancient Israel “drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:1. But as they did not drink by faith, the Word-Christ-did not profit them. They murmured, and in their murmuring they tempted Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:9. There is only one Gospel (Galatians 1:8, 9), so that the Gospel which they had is identical with that which is now preached to us. See 1 Peter 1:10-12. Most men would think that it would be putting it strongly to say that the Gospel was preached unto them as well as unto us; but the apostle tells us that the Gospel is preached to us, as well as it was to them; so that we have no more excuse than they had. They had the first opportunity; we are simply called to take what they refused. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.1

Entering into Rest .—“For we which have believed do enter into rest.” Hebrews 4:3. The proof of this follows in the statement, “As I sware in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest.” R.V. That was because they did not believe. The positive side of that oath is, that those who believe shall enter into rest. The rest remains, is left behind for us, for it existed in the days of Israel in the wilderness, and they would not go in; therefore we enter in as soon as we believe. This is seen from the statement already quoted, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” John 6:29. But the work of God is complete and perfect; therefore to have the work of God is to have His rest. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.2

Work Finished and Rest Prepared .—They could not enter into God's rest, because of unbelief, “although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” What does that signify?—Simply that the rest was prepared from the foundation of the world; for finished work means rest. When work is finished, rest must follow. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.3

Remember that the rest offered is God's rest; there is, indeed, no other. This rest is found in Christ, who calls all the weary to Himself. The rest is found in Christ, because in Him are all the works of God; He is the righteousness of God. Only in Him is there righteousness and strength. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.4

Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The power of the cross is creative power, for “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17), or, as the margin of the Revision has it, “there is a new creation.” So we see the cross from the foundation of the world. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.5

“By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast; for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before, prepared that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10, margin. We are created in Christ unto good works, but long before we were created the good works were prepared for us; they were finished from the foundation of the world. As soon as man was created, he found everything prepared for him. The Divine power of God had provided for him all things that pertain unto life and godliness. But as before stated, the cross of Christ is creation; therefore on the cross Christ cried out, “It is finished,“ thus indicating that in His cross, and in that alone, could be found the perfect works that were prepared for man from the foundation of the world. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.6

What a glorious Gospel of great joy! The works of righteousness are all done, and we have but to accept them in Christ, and walk in them. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Romans 10:4. He has overcome the world (John 16:33) and the warfare is finished in Him. Isaiah 40:2. Therefore our faith in Christ is the victory that hath overcome the world. There is no other way under heaven that men can get the victory over sin, except by grasping and holding fast by faith to the fact that sin and Satan have already been conquered. Oh, why will weary, sin-laden souls seek to get righteousness by their own efforts, when the perfect righteousness of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ is all ready to their hand? Cease your vain strivings, and allow God to work in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.7

“Come, weary soul, and here find rest,
Accept redemption, and be blest;
The Christ who died, by God is crowned,
To pardon on redemption ground.” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.8

The Seal of Perfection .—The works were finished from the foundation of the world. Creation and redemption are the same, as we read, in His Son “we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, ... for in Him were all things created. Colossians 1:11-16. The cross of Christ redeems us by creating us anew. All this was done-the works were finished-from the foundation of the world. What is the proof of this?—“For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest the seventh day from all His works. And in this place again, They shall not enter into My rest.” Hebrews 4:4, 5. “God did rest the seventh day from all, His works.” That is proof that the works were finished, and that the rest was ready. The work being finished, rest must follow, and so it did, on the seventh day; and this, as the fifth verse in connection with the fourth shows, was the very same rest which the unbelief of the Jews excluded them from, and which God now offers to us. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.9

“In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God;” and as Sabbath means rest, and nothing else, we have God's own word for it that the Sabbath of the seventh day is His rest. Exodus 20:8-11. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 692.10

After the record of each day of creation we read, “and God saw that it was good.” At the close of each day the work was perfect as far as it had been done; but it was not finished, and therefore God could not rest from it until the close of the sixth day. Then God rested, and the seventh day was thus the seal of completion, of perfection. So when we who have wandered from God, and wearied ourselves with our own work, come to God through the cross of Christ, and are there made new creatures, He gives us His Sabbath as the seal of the perfect righteousness that Christ has wrought for us. So as the Sabbath is the memorial of creation,-of creation perfect and complete,-and the cross of Christ creates anew, it follows that the Sabbath is the memorial and the pledge of redemption through His blood. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 693.1

Only by Faith .—“By grace are ye saved through faith.” The work of God is to believe (John 6:29), and since the work of God is finished and perfect, it is by faith that we enter into rest. The Sabbath, therefore, is not a substitute for faith, but a sign of faith. Without faith, there can be no Sabbath-keeping, for God says that the faithless ones cannot enter into His rest. Whoever professes to keep the Sabbath of the Lord, and yet does not fully and completely trust Christ for righteousness, is playing at being a Christian, He has at best only a form of godliness without the power. We do not keep the Sabbath in order to be saved, but because we are saved. Rest in God is salvation, and they who do not know rest and peace in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, do not know Sabbath-keeping, even though they nominally rest on the last day of the week. The Lord gives His word for it that they who truly keep His Sabbath shall delight themselves in the Lord. Isaiah 58:13, 14. The Sabbath, therefore, God's Sabbath, means “joy in the Holy Ghost.” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 693.2

We must leave the further consideration of this subject till next week. This much, however, may be said here: Just as each day of God's work was perfect, and the Sabbath came as the crown of perfection when all was finished, even so there are many people whom God is forming into His own image, who have not as yet come to the light of the Sabbath, or who know it in form only, but not in reality, and yet who are counted perfect in God's sight. The work of grace was begun in them, and He who has begun a good work in them will perfect it unto the day of the Lord Jesus, and ere that perfect day comes they will have seen the truth of the Sabbath, and in it will have learned to rejoice in a power infinitely greater than any they had experienced or even dreamed of in all their previous Christian life. They will by no means consider it a burden laid upon them, since rest cannot possibly be a burden, but they will rejoice in it as a glorious gift which God allows them to share with Him. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 693.3

“Another Gospel” The Present Truth, 13, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

NOT OF REFORMATION BY THE POWER OF GOD

Speaking of the craze for religious reform by political methods, which has taken even more complete possession of the churches in America than with us yet, the American Sentinel, of New York, very truly says:— PTUK November 4, 1897, page 695.1

“To meet the demand of some of the prominent, religious ‘reform’ movements of the day, we need a new Bible, in which there shall be some very material alterations of important texts. For instance, the first verses of Isaiah lxi. would need to read like this:— PTUK November 4, 1897, page 695.2

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach the gospel of Christian citizenship; He hath sent me to bind the transgressors of the law, to proclaim captivity to Sabbath desecrators, and the closing of the prison doors upon many that are at liberty; to proclaim the turning of all bad men out of political office, and the reformation of the world by the power of the civil law.” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 695.3

“The Bantu Deity” The Present Truth, 13, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

Speaking of the religion of the Bantu peoples of West Africa, Miss Kingsley, the traveller, says:— PTUK November 4, 1897, page 695.4

They regard their god as the creator of man, plants, animals, the earth, and they hold that having made them he takes no further interest in the affair. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 695.5

This idea is more catholic than is usually confessed in words. The evolutionist's God is just such an one, who, having started the world has left it to itself. And every man who determines to follow his own evil way, practically says that the Lord hath forsaken the earth. “Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their council from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 695.6

And do not professing believers all too often put the Lord afar off in their thoughts, in spite of His assurance that He is not afar off but near? Some trouble comes, or some perplexity, and the anxious burden of care presses heavily, and the tried one thinks that he must work out or wear out the problem alone. The Bantu heathen say that their god takes no interest in their affairs. When men who profess better things shut God out from actual interposition in every-day life and trials they make the same cruel confession. The believer in the God that made the heavens and the earth, and that sustains all things by His word of power may boldly confess, “He is near that justifieth me.... Behold, the Lord God will help me.” It is a great thing to believe that God actually lives, and that He does things in this world of His. Just here is the difference between heathenism and Christianity. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 695.7

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth, 13, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

-Electric cabs are now a familiar sight in London streets. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.1

-The journey round the world may now be accomplished in sixty days. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.2

-The largest cargo steamer afloat has just been launched in Belfast for the White Star Line. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.3

-In the United Kingdom 687,000 persons are engaged in coal-mining, and 16,000 in iron-mining. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.4

-It is said that last year the sum of ?8,000,000 was paid in gate-money in the United Kingdom to see football matches. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.5

-Over twenty English and Scotch towns own their own tramways, and make a large profit for municipal expenses. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.6

-Spain's reply to the American note on Cuba declares that Spain can never admit interference with her government of Cuba. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.7

-Russia is founding naval schools in the chief Baltic and Black Sea ports, to prepare men for the navy which is being rapidly increased. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.8

-The Greeks have just discovered that the torpedoes which their battleships carried all through the recent war were perfectly harmless, lacking the fulminating caps. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.9

-The Duchess of Teck, whose sudden death last week came as so sad a surprise to the public, was specially known to the poor of Richmond and vicinity for her constant attention to their needs. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.10

-The anarchy in the Austro-Hungarian parliament is said to threaten the union of the two countries, Hungarian statesmen proposing to withdraw at the end of the year if the scenes continue. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.11

-Warned by the plague, the Bombay authorities are discussing a scheme for demolishing the slum districts of the city and rebuilding on sanitary principles. It is estimated to cost about five millions. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.12

-The clash of British and French interests on the Niger has come to somewhat of a crisis, and two rival expeditious are racing for the disputed territory. The natives can hardly be blamed for not knowing which side is entitled to their territory. The partition of Africa, it is to be feared, may yet bring Great Powsers into collision outside of Africa. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 702.13

“Back Page” The Present Truth, 13, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

The life of Christ is the example for Christians; and only by His life now can the believer walk in His steps. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.1

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” Acts 8:35. What was the scripture?—It was Isaiah 53:7, 8, “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,“ etc. And yet people professing to believe the Bible tell us that the Gospel was not known in the days of Isaiah. Not only Isaiah, but all the prophets, give witness to Jesus, “that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.” Acts 10:43. “I said, I will confess My transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin,“ is the testimony of David. Psalm 32:5. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.2

“But do we not read that in other ages the Gospel was not made known?” Let us see: In Ephesians 3:4, 5 we read about “the mystery of Christ,“ which is the Gospel, “which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed unto us His holy apostles and prophets by the Holy Spirit.” Thus we see that prophets, as well as apostles, understood and made known the Gospel. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.3

Read the words of Paul in Romans 16:25-27, R.V.: “Now to Him that is able to stablish you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal, but now is manifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever.” The Gospel existed in God from eternity, but was first made known by “the scriptures of the prophets.” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.4

Again, we read in 1 Peter 1:10-13 that the prophets enquired and searched diligently into the matter of salvation, and that the things which they ministered are identical with the things “which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.5

This is not a mere theoretical question; it is intensely practical. One might say, “If we accept the Gospel now, what difference does it make to us whether it was preached thousands of years ago or not?” It makes just this difference, that if we deny that it was preached in the days of old, then we put away from us the scriptures which contain the Gospel as it was preached of old, and thus in reality lose the whole, for he who does not learn of Moses rejects Christ. John 5:46, 47: “Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.6

The Bible is one book, with one purpose from Genesis to Revelation. Rev, Alexander Mackenzie has well said: “There is no reason for separating the Bible one part from another. Certainly there is no reason for dividing the Old Testament and the New. One of the greatest pieces of injury ever done to the church was the dividing of the Bible. ‘Alexander the coppersmith,’ Paul says, ‘did me much evil.’ But he hasn't done half as much as Alexander the bookbinder; and when he adds the impertinence of inserting a family register between Malachi and Matthew, the injury is aggravated.” PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.7

And it might also be added that whoever first labelled the first portion and the last portion of the Bible respectively the Old Testament and the New Testament, inflicted inexcusable damage upon the church and all mankind. Now that the names are fixed, it is almost impossible to avoid using them in reference, but all should understand that there is no more reason in dividing the Bible into two parts between Malachi and Matthew than between John and the Acts of the apostles. The apostles had nothing but what is termed the Old Testament to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ from, and it was ample; for there is not a truth taught in the later Scriptures that is not set forth in the earlier writings. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.8

Sometimes people have have been blessed while walking in all the light they have known plead these special blessings as a reason for refusing to walk on into fuller light. It is most unreasonable, as every blessing is only to lead us on into deeper experiences; and to stop advancing when the way is plainly seen leading on before, is to lose the benefit of previous experiences. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.9

The following paragraph from a report from two of our Society's workers in a Canadian town shows how a special blessing received in faith but prepares the heart to hear the Word and receive still further blessings:— PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.10

An invalid lady came from a distance, having learned that we believe in divine healing. She was prayed for, according to James 5:14, 15. The Lord verified His promise to her, which put songs of praise in her mouth. She remained several days, during which time we taught her “he way of the Lord more perfectly.” She returned to her home, and began to keep the Sabbath. She is distributing out literature, and has created a good interest. Another woman from a neighbouring town, who had been afflicted for twenty-five years, was also prayed for in like manner, and afterward instructed upon present truth. She also resolved to keep the Lord's Sabbath, and returned to her home with the assurance that God had verified His promise to her. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.11

“‘The Prayer of Faith’” The Present Truth, 13, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

“The Prayer of Faith.” -A father prays, “Give us this day our daily bread,“ and God gives the daily bread. But the faith of the father leads him to use the strength and wisdom and all the means provided by God to enable him to earn his livelihood. And all the time he lives by faith. “The prayer of faith shall save the sick,“ is the promise. But faith in this case no more neglects to make use of all the wisdom and means that Providence affords than in the matter of the daily bread. The use of all the wisdom that may be available in supplying proper conditions for the body in illness is no more a denial of faith than is the use in faith of all the wisdom and means provided for earning a livelihood to supply the needs of the body in health. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.12

“Full of Good Works” The Present Truth, 13, 44.

E. J. Waggoner

Full of Good Works .—“This woman [Dorcas] was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.” Acts 9:36. That was why she did so many good works-she was full of them. Many people try to become good by doing good works; but that is impossible; for a man cannot do good works unless he has them in him; and if he has the good works in him, he will be good. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good! Luke 6:45. If one is full of good works and almsdeeds, it will not be difficult for them to appear. But how to be full of them? The way is plain: “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:11. PTUK November 4, 1897, page 704.13