The Present Truth, vol. 15

April 20, 1899

“Sowing to the Flesh” The Present Truth 15, 16.

E. J. Waggoner

“The sower soweth the Word.” Mark 4:14. This is true of every one who sows could seed, for “the seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11. Every grain of wheat is descended from the words spoken at creation, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the urban yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth.” Genesis 1:11. Since all of these were to continue “after his kind,” all seed which is sown is just as much the word of God now as it was before God gave a body as it pleased Him to the words which He spoke to the earth. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 241.1

Every one therefore who looks upon the grains of wheat, or the bread which is made from them, has before him the word of God. We know that this seed when sown will grow and multiply, and that when taken into our bodies it imparts life, and we may know just as certainly that the same word will spring up and bear fruit in us, and sustain our spiritual life. Being the word of God, which could create a perfect man, body, soul, and spirit, we may know that this word is not only physical but spiritual food. 1 Corinthians 10:3. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 241.2

This is not an unimportant matter, to be looked upon merely as an interesting thought presented by the scriptures, but without practical bearing on a man's salvation. It is of vital importance. Every time we put food into our bodies we are sowing seed, which will bear fruit after his kind. If we sow that which is pure and healthful, we shall enjoy a harvest of health and vigour. If we eat that which is polluted, decaying, and lacking in the elements of real food, we shall reap feebleness, disease and decay. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 241.3

But this is not the only consideration. If we take the food merely as the beasts do, without recognising that it is spiritual food, adapted to sustain our spiritual life, it will not profit us. “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:8. Corruption means decay and death, and this is all that a man gets who eats merely to continue the life of the flesh. This is because death is the portion of the flesh. “For the minding of the flesh is death.” Romans 8:6, margin. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 241.4

Jesus Christ is the life of the world. In Him all things were created, and it is in Him that all things consist. “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin.” Therefore the man who eats to sustain the body, eats to sustain that which is dead because of sin. Of course he reaps corruption. Well, if the body is dead, why eat at all? “The body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10. Let the food be eaten for the maintenance of the life of the Spirit, and he that soweth to the Spirit shall reap life everlasting. But the food for the Spirit must be spiritual food, and this God gives us freely, for all food that, imparts His life is spiritual, because “God is Spirit.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 241.5

Perhaps some will say, “But if we have the spirit of God we do not need to be fed.” Many make this mistake. Being converted, and receiving the Spirit, they think that this will keep them right, and that they can, without serious loss, neglect Bible study and prayer. But they are wrong. They must be continually receiving the Spirit, for God is always giving it afresh in His Word and the numberless channels by which He communicates His life to man. Those who continually receive the Lord in His gifts, do not walk after the flesh but after the Spirit. They reckon themselves to be dead with Christ, but yet alive because He is raised from the dead and lives in them. Galatians 2:20. Thus they know the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10), and with power give witness to it. Acts 4:33. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 242.1

Those whose mortal bodies, though dead with Christ, are vet made alive by His Spirit dwelling in them (Romans 8:11), have no occasion to eat for the sake of that which is dead. Having put on the Lord Jesus Christ, they make no provision for the flesh. Romans 13:14. They eat by faith, discerning the Lord's body, and whatsoever they do in word or deed, they do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Colossians 3:17. They are dead unto sin but alive unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, makes them free from the law of sin and death. They are born of the Spirit, and walking in the Spirit, they do not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Galatians 5:16. When Christians recognise that it is Christ who lives in them, they will not eat or drink anything that they would not set before the Saviour if He were their guest. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 242.2

“Studies from the Gospel of John. The Comforter. John 14:15-27” The Present Truth 15, 16.

E. J. Waggoner

John 14:15-27

“If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 242.3

Who is there that sees anything severe or arbitrary in this requirement? If there be such an one, it is because he does not know the character of the Lord. Suppose you have a dear friend who is going to a distant land to be gone several years. You are sad at the thought of parting, but he comforts you with the assurance that he will come again, and that then he will remain with you; and then, putting a likeness of himself into your hands, he says, “If you love me, keep this.” Would you go about bewailing your hard lot? Would you say that it was asking too much of you? Indeed you would not. On the contrary, you would rejoice at such a token of your friend's love and confidence. Even so should we regard this keepsake from our Lord. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 242.4

The commandments of Jesus are the commandments of God the Father; for God said of Him to Moses: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.” Deuteronomy 17:18, 19. Jesus said: “I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak.” John 12:49, 50. He was simply the revelation of God to men, the manifestation of God in the flesh, so that it was God speaking in Him. The law of God was in His heart (Psalm 40:8), so that He was that law personified. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 242.5

Jesus is the One who gives freedom. John 8:34-36. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus gives freedom from sin and death. Romans 8:2. He therefore is the “perfect law of liberty” into which we are to look as into a mirror, beholding not our own sinful selves, but “the image of the invisible God,” into whose image we are transformed as we behold. James 1:25; Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 3:18. Therefore in requiring us to keep His commandments, He simply asks us to keep a memorial of Himself. Love will gladly do this. “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 242.6

“He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 242.7

When God made man, the crown and lord of creation, He planted a garden eastward in Eden; “and the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it.” Genesis 2:8, 15. Man did not have to make the garden; he was not required to plant it; he was only to dress it and to keep it. God made it perfect; man's duty was only to keep that which God had committed to him. So God gives us His commandments, His own perfect righteousness, and asks us to keep it. By faith in God we keep the commandments; so that one has only to keep the faith in order to keep God's commandments. To us all, even as to Timothy, comes the exhortation, “Keep that which is committed to thy trust.” It should not be considered a hardship to keep what is given to us, when that thing is the highest good. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 242.8

Notice that this talk about keeping the commandments immediately follows the promise that if we shall ask anything in His name He will give it. “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.” 1 John 3:22, 23. “Love is the fulfilling of the law,” and love is freely shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He makes the conditions of answered prayer very easy, and then supplies the conditions. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 242.9

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless [orphans], I will come to you.” John 14:16-18. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.1

Jesus Himself is a Comforter. His presence is comfort. It was because He was going away, that the hearts of the disciples were troubled; and Jesus comforted them with the assurance that He was going to the Father, to prepare a place for them. Therefore we may know that “if any man sin, we have a Comforter with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1. The word rendered “Advocate,” in this text is identical with that rendered “Comforter” in John 14:16. We have a Comforter with the Father, and “another Comforter” on earth with us. Surely we have no lack of comfort. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.2

This Comforter, the Spirit of truth, is Christ's own representative, Christ's own personal presence with us as He could not be in the flesh. We know this in two ways from our text. First, Jesus says, “I will send you another Comforter,” and adds, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” So through the Spirit Christ is personally present even when absent. If, when talking to Nicodemus, He could speak of Himself as “the Son of man, which is in heaven” (John 3:13), now that He is on the right hand of God in the heavens He may with equal truth speak of Himself as with us. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.3

In the second place, we know that the Spirit is but Christ's larger presence, so to speak, because the Comforter is “the Spirit of truth.” Jesus Christ is “the truth.” John 14:6. The Spirit of truth therefore is Christ's very essence. Having the Spirit, we have Christ and all that He possesses. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.4

“I will not leave you orphans.” Christ is “the Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6), and He is the living image of the Father, the shining of His glory. Therefore the Holy Spirit, Christ's representative, who brings Christ's own presence, brings also the presence of the Father, so that with Him we are not orphans. Through the Spirit we become sons of God, members of His household, and the Father Himself is with us all the time. No longer are we prodigal wanderers from our Father's house, but sharers of all His bounty. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.5

The world cannot receive the Spirit, because it cannot see Him. The world's motto is, “Seeing is believing;” the truth is that “believing is seeing.” The world does not believe, and so it does not really see; it only imagines. It is not content with a God whom it cannot see, and therefore it manufactures gods. Out of its own imagination it makes images, and worships them. The Spirit, however, can be received only by faith, and whoever believes endures as seeing the invisible. All who believe may know the presence and voice of the Holy Spirit just as surely as they may know their most intimate friends, and even more so, since they can have no other friend so intimate. “Ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” Do you ask how you will know Him? Believe and you will know for yourself, as no one can tell you. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.6

“Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me; because I live, ye shall live also.” Christ is our life, and the fact that we live is proof of His presence. “But the wicked live!” you exclaim. Yes, and that proves the grace and mercy of God; it shows His presence to save. The Spirit of life and righteousness is striving with all, seeking to be received as a welcome guest. Christ says to His true disciples, “Ye see Me.” This is true even now that He is absent so that the world cannot see Him. But He is present now only by the Holy Spirit, which proves that believers have ocular demonstration of the presence of the Spirit. Yea, faith enables men to see spiritual things. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.7

“He shall teach you all things.” There is no teacher like God (Job 36:22), for “out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6. The Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” Isaiah 11:2. He is “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.” His very presence gives wisdom. Through the Spirit one knows things that without Him could never be learned by any amount of study. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.8

Without the Spirit, one really knows nothing. This is a fact. See: The Spirit is bestowed in order that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12. Since God does nothing uselessly, it is evident that without the Spirit we could not know the things that God freely gives us. Now what does He give us?-With His Son He freely gives us all things. Romans 8:32. There is nothing that God does not give us, and nothing of that which He gives us can be known without the Spirit; therefore without the Spirit we cannot really know anything. The school of Christ-the school of meekness and humility-is the school in which true knowledge of even the most common things is obtained, and the reception of the Spirit ensures to us the highest education. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.9

Think a moment, and you will see that this is literally true. Take two men, one having all the advantages of the best schools in the land, and the other compelled to spend all his life in hard, manual labour. The one will have all the polish that the world can give, while the other may present a rough exterior, and may not be able to pass even an entrance examination in schools from which the first has been graduated with honour. The one is a sceptic, while the other knows and fears the Lord, and has obtained the wisdom that comes from above. James 3:17. Which one has the advantage in education? You may hastily say, the first. Not so fast. Remember that this whole life, even though it be fourscore years, is but the threshold of eternity, and you must never leave eternity out of your reckoning. The Judgment comes, and the first goes to destruction, and all his attainments perish with him, while the other has before him endless ages of association with God and angels, whose acquaintance he has made on earth. Say you not that even the very first day of the life beyond, the poor man know more than the other? When you first judged, you were like one who should make his decisions as to two men upon their entrance to school. The end is the time to pass judgment. None of this that has been said by any means depreciates learning or application; far from it; for the one who knows the Lord will by that very companionship be stimulated to reach out for every attainable thing, and will be enabled to make more advancement in solid knowledge than an unbeliever can. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 243.10

“He shall teach you all things.” The Spirit is the only teacher. Whatever one learns from any other person he does not really know. “Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” 1 John 2:20. “The anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.” Verse 27. No one is to learn of man. It is true that God has set teachers in the church, and He uses men as agents for conveying instruction; but the one who receives the instruction as coming from man, instead of direct from God, does not know the truth. No matter by whom the instruction comes, unless the learner receives it so directly from the Spirit that he knows it as a personal revelation from God, he does not have it as he ought to have it. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.1

“The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, ... shall bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” Since all things that are worth remembering come from Christ alone, and the Spirit brings them all to our remembrance, when we receive Him, it follows that the Spirit is given to us to be memory for us. Mind, the Spirit is not a substitute for study and application, and is not given to encourage laziness; but He is our Teacher, spurring us on, and helping us, and becoming so one with us that He takes complete possession, so that we have no mind but that of the Spirit. Then the Spirit is understanding, and memory as well, enabling us to think of the right thing at just the right time. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.2

THE DECLARATION OF PEACE

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.3

So the chapter ends where it began. “Let not your heart be troubled.” Peace is ours, then how can we be troubled. Do not get things reversed. We are not to believe that we have peace because we have no trouble; but since Christ has given us His peace, we are not to be troubled, no matter how great the trouble. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.4

“My peace I give unto you.” Peace, perfect peace, means victory. In that Christ gives us His peace, He gives us His victory. He has conquered, and put the enemy to flight, after taking from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and He gives us peace. Not only so, but He gives us His peace-the peace that was unruffled even in the fiercest fight. He was oppressed and persecuted as no other man ever was; spies were continually on His track, perverting His words, seeking to exasperate Him, whispering about Him, bearing false witness, defaming His character, arousing suspicion, contradicting and abusing Him; yet never once was He impatient. What perfect peace! And this peace He has given us. We are not able to keep patient under trials, but the peace of Jesus can keep us. “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6, 7. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.5

“The Gospel of Isaiah. Trust and Protection. Isaiah 26:1-14” The Present Truth 15, 16.

E. J. Waggoner

(ISAIAH 26:1-14, LOWTH'S TRANSLATION.)

1. In that day shall this song be sung:-
In the land of Judah we have a strong city;
Salvation shall He establish for walls and
bulwarks. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.6

2. Open ye the gates, and let the righteous
nation enter: PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.7

3. Contrast in the truth, stayed in mind:
Thou shalt preserve them in perpetual peace,
Because they have trusted in Thee. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.8

4. Trust ye in Jehovah for ever;
For in Jehovah is never-failing protection. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.9

5. For He hath humbled those that dwell on high;
The lofty city, He hath brought her down.
He hath brought her down to the ground;
He hath leveled her with the dust. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.10

6. The foot shall trample upon her;
The foot of the poor, the steps of the needy. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.11

7. The way of the righteous is perfectly straight;
Thou most exactly levelest the path of the
righteous. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.12

8. Even in the way of Thy laws, O Jehovah,
We have placed our confidence in Thy name;
And in the remembrance of Thee is the desire
of our soul. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.13

9. With my soul have I desired Thee in the night;
Yea, with my inmost spirit in the morn have
I sought Thee.
For when Thy judgments are in the earth,
The inhabitants of the world learn righteous-
ness. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.14

10. Though mercy be shown to the wicked, yet
will he not learn righteousness;
In the very land of rectitude he will deal per-
versely;
And will not regard the majesty of Jehovah. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.15

11. Jehovah, Thy hand is lifted up, yet will they
not see:
But they shall see, with confusion, Thy zeal
for Thy people;
Yea, the fire shall burn up Thine adversaries. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.16

12. Jehovah, Thou wilt ordain for us peace;
For even all our mighty deeds Thou hast per-
formed for us. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.17

13. O Jehovah, our God!
Other lords exclusive of Thee have had do-
minion over us:
Thee only, and Thy name, henceforth will we
celebrate. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 244.18

14. They are dead, they shall not live;
They are deceased tyrants, they shall not rise.
Therefore hast Thou visited and destroyed
them;
And all memorials of them Thou hast abolished. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.1

Note the difference in punctuation in the first verse of Lowth's translation, as compared with the ordinary version. There is no difference in the sense, but Lowth's rendering makes it a little more emphatic. Not only is the song sung in the land of Judah, but the city is there. This is of course implied in the common rendering? The city is therefore Jerusalem made new-New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from God. Revelation 3:12; 21:2. It is a city built up entirely new, and will occupy the very place where the present city stands, only it will be very much more extended. See John 14:1, 2; Zechariah 14:1-9; Lowth's rendering of Isaiah 26:15 also indicates this: “Thou hast added to the nation; Thou art glorified; Thou hast extended far all the borders of the land.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.2

This is the city for which the patriarchs of old looked. Hebrews 10:10, 14-16. Its builder and maker is God; and its foundations are described in Revelation 21:18-21. Coming down, as it does, in the land of Canaan, the land that was promised to Abraham and his seed for an inheritance, the promise of God is fulfilled to the very letter. To apply the prophecies concerning the building up of Jerusalem to any work done by men, and in this present state, is a gross perversion of the Scriptures, and a depreciation of the promises of the Gospel. Only God Himself can fulfil His own promises, and only He can build a city suitable for the habitation of His redeemed ones. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.3

It will be a “strong city.” Its defense will be salvation. It will be so strong that it will be able to withstand a siege by Satan and all his hosts, including all the armies of wicked men who have trained under Satan's banner. See Revelation 20:7-9. Some one will exclaim, “Of course no enemy in the universe could take the city of God, the New Jerusalem! It would be absurd for anyone to try.” Very true; yet that city will be no safer than are God's people now; for it will be kept only by the very same power that now keeps those who trust in the Lord. The humblest and most insignificant person on earth, who trusts the Lord, is just as safe as will be the hosts of the redeemed in the New Jerusalem. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, and the mighty host marching against the city of the saved would strike terror to their hearts, if they had not individually learned the power of Christ's salvation. The Gospel is the power of God to salvation, to every one that believeth, and that is the power that will be the confidence of the redeemed in the Holy City when it is besieged by Satan's hosts. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.4

The righteous nation is the nation that keeps the truth. Jesus said, “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me.” John 14:21. God has committed His truth to men, even to wicked men, to see what they will do with it. If they repress it then the wrath of God is justly revealed from heaven against them. Romans 1:18. But if they keep it, letting it have free course in them, then it will preserve them from all evil. The truth of God is the shield of His people. Psalm 91:4. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.5

God is the God of peace (Hebrews 13:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:3), therefore all who put their trust in Him are necessarily kept in perfect peace. The peace and protection that are given are not a reward for trusting, but are the necessary consequence of that trust; “for in Jehovah is never failing protection.” “In the Lord Jehovah is an everlasting Rock,” or “the Rock of Ages.” Revised Version. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.6

There is nothing in this world that troubles people more than pride. And pride is what the Lord has promised to bring down. Pride is an abomination to the Lord. This fact, instead of alarming us, should be a cause of rejoicing, for it means deliverance from our worst enemy. Note in the chapters of Isaiah, which we have already studied, how much is said about bringing down that which is proud and lofty. “He hath humbled those that dwell on high; the lofty city, He hath brought her down.” But before that time comes, He delivers His people from pride, and therefore from the destruction that follows it. Read the promise in Psalm 31:19-21; “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! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence form the pride of man; Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord: for He hath showed me His marvellous loving kindness in a strong city.” Note that it is “from the pride of man” that God promised to keep those who trust in Him. Then of course He keeps us from our own pride, and that is the only pride from which we are in any danger. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.7

What a blessed assurance is contained in verse 7. The text that we have quoted is very much more close to the original than is our common version, yet there is a very precious suggestion in this latter. Mark the expression, “Thou, Most Upright, dost weigh the path of the just.” The word rendered “weigh,” means to ponder, think upon. Compare Psalm 1:6. The Lord makes the way of His people the object of special solicitude; He makes it straight and plain, and that is why they are upright. He is no respecter of persons, and therefore He takes the same care of all people; but the wicked will not walk in the way marked out for them. All anybody has to do, to be righteous, is to walk in the way of the Lord. Psalm 119:1-2. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.8

“The Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works.” Psalm 145:9. He encompasses the wicked with the same mercy that He does the righteous. The whole earth is surrounded with an atmosphere of grace and mercy, which the inhabitants breathe in as they do the air, so that nothing is lacking for the salvation of any person. Therefore if any are destroyed, it is only because they reject the mercy of the Lord. The only thing that any lost soul will have to bring against the Lord will be that He dealt mercifully with him. “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” Surely God will be clear when He judges, since those who are lost have been hardened only by His mercy. See the case of Pharaoh, and note how it was the forbearance and mercy of the Lord that hardened his heart. He regarded the kindness of the Lord as weakness, and presumed on it. Exodus 8:15, 31, 32; 9:34, 35. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.9

“Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us; for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us.” Verse 12. “It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13. He is striving to work in all, but many will not allow Him to have His own way with them, and He will not force any, since He works only by love. It is the pride of men, their unwillingness to acknowledge that they are not their own masters, that keeps them from yielding to God. Whoever is willing to admit that he is nothing, and is not able to do anything, not even to make a single movement of himself, but will acknowledge God in all his ways, will find that God works in him, making his way perfect. What a blessed thing it is to be able to see, from the working of God in the things round about us, how able He is to do all our works in us, and to do marvelous things. In the things that are made, the everlasting power and Divinity of God are clearly seen. Romans 1:20. The least thing that He does is great, and shows His almighty power. They are all unconsciously passive in His hands, and so His will is wrought in them. Because their yielding is involuntary, there is no morality in the fulfilment of God's will in them; but when we voluntarily yield as completely as the inanimate things do involuntarily, then does God make our way even as His own, and gives to us the credit of having done that which only His omnipotence could accomplish. Read Psalm 90:16, 17. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 245.10

Other lords besides Jehovah have had dominion over us. Who is there that has not been guilty of idolatry? “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” is not an arbitrary commandment, but a blessed promise to all who will put their trust in the Lord. God rules only by love and gentleness, but other lords exercise dominion over us, compelling us to serve them. Being delivered from the bondage of corruption, we say to the Lord, “Thee only, and Thy name, henceforth will we celebrate.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 246.1

“They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased tyrants, they shall not rise.” There is no God but Jehovah. All the gods of the heathen are nothing. “They must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.” “But the Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting King.” Jeremiah 10:5, 10. A man is like that which he serves. Hence he who serves a dumb, dead idol is himself destitute of life. “They that make them are like unto them, so is every one that trusteth in them.” Psalm 115:8. When we trusted in the works of our own hands, we were lifeless-dead in trespasses and sins; but having been made alive in Christ, we reign with Him, instead of being lorded over. Not only will all false gods perish, but the very memory of them will be destroyed. The memorial of God, on the other hand, endures for ever. Psalm 135:13. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 246.2

“Little Folks. Our Fellow Creatures” The Present Truth 15, 16.

E. J. Waggoner

“Through created things thrills one pulse of life from the great heart of God.” We are told in the Book of Proverbs that “out of the heart are the issues of life,” and you know that every time your heart beats it sends the blood pulsing through your whole body, carrying life to every part of it. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.1

So from the heart of God comes the life that supplies the whole creation, and pulsates through all the things that He has made. It is His life that PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.2

“Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze,
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.3

His Spirit is in the air, the breath of life to all His creatures. All breathe in the same air, the same breath, and so share one life,-the life of God. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.4

We sometimes think of the animals, the birds, the fishes, and the plants, as altogether different beings from ourselves. But the wise King Solomon, speaking of animals and man, tells us that “they have all one breath,” one life. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.5

So all these other creatures are only different forms of the same life that we share. They as our fellow-creatures; they all spring from the same Father as ourselves, and live by breathing in His life, just as we do. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.6

If we really love God, we shall love everything in which we see God, everything that shares with us the life of God,-even the grass beneath our feet, the flowers, the trees, the birds, the animals, as well as our human brothers and sisters. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.7

Love delights in the happiness of all things. So as we learn to see God's life in all, and to love them because of it, we shall delight more and more in seeing them happy. The life that we have in common with them will be a bond of sympathy and love between us, so that we shall be able to understand them better,-to understand their wants and to supply them, and to learn the lessons that God is teaching us by them. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.8

All the animal creation God made for man, and gave to him to rule and to have dominion over. In this way man would be always learning lessons of love, as God should use him as the channel through which to shed His kindness and love upon them. And besides this it must have added directly to man's own happiness, to be the instrument used by God to bring blessing and happiness to all His other works. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.9

“There is no fear in love,” and so man and all the animals were perfectly free and fearless in the beginning. But when man lost the spirit of love out of his heart, the animals began to fear and flee from him, and to try to defend themselves from him, so that he was led to fear them also. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.10

This fear of man that most of the animals have, makes it hard for him to get near to them in their natural state, to find out much about them, and the wonderful lessons they teach. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.11

Thoreau, an American naturalist, shut himself away from all human society in the lonely depths of a wood for two years and a half, so that he might study the works of God around him,-the creatures that made their home there. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.12

We are told of him that “he knew how to sit immoveable, a part of the rock he rested on, until the bird, the reptile, the fish, which had retired from him, should come back and resume its habits-nay, moved by curiosity should come to him and watch him.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.13

The birds in Walden Woods would come at his call and perch upon his arms and shoulders. The snakes coiled, round at legs, and fishes swam between his hands and even the foxes, we are told, would run to him for protection from the hunter. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.14

This was because he was so gentle and harmless, and had studied these animals so well that he was able to make then, understand that he would not hurt them. So they did not fear him, nor try to hurt him. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.15

In the good time that is coming, when God shall “make all things new,” all the “new creatures” that live in His “new earth” will be holy and harmless. Perfect love, the perfect life of God, will cast out all fear, and unite all living creature in one great brotherhood. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 250.16

“Jottings” The Present Truth 15, 16.

E. J. Waggoner

-General Booth has stated that Mr. Cecil Rhodes has promised him all the land he wants on which to establish colonies of the “submerged tenth.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.1

-The secretary of a local Building Society at Cambridge has disappeared with ?800 of the funds. Obedience to the words of Christ would save men from these losses. Matthew 6:19. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.2

-The serious disasters to the Lowestoft fishing fleet off the Cornish coast during the recent storms is said to have involved a loss of 520,000, the heaviest blow inflicted on the fleet for half a century. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.3

-The recent successful experiments in wireless telegraphy have given a tremendous impetus to commercial interest in the new discovery. It is already proposed to connect Paris with England by means of the Eiffel Tower, and a syndicate has approached the inventors with an offer for exclusive rights between New York and England. The messages are not affected by the worst of weather, and the only expense is the erection of terminals of the proper height. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.4

-The Governor of Santiago has notified the War Department that it is unsafe to withdraw the Volunteers from Cuba until they are replaced by regulars, as the mountains are filled with bandits, and trouble is feared. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.5

-One of the two Professors who will represent Germany at the “Peace Conference,” has wrote a pamphlet in which he maintains that peace is neither desirable nor possible, and that universal peace is rather a danger than a blessing for humanity. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.6

-Fighting continues in Samoa, where a body of English and American troops fell into an ambush and lost several men. The feeling against Germany runs very high on account of her favouring the claims of the rival king, and thus prolonging the fighting. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.7

-The latest trade combination announced from America is a coffin trust, which is capitalised at 20,000,000 dollars. It is said that ninety per cent, of the coffin factories throughout the United States will, in consequence of this combination, have to close their works, throwing some 6,000 men out of employment. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.8

-Gambling is said to be rampant in the University of Oxford at the present time. Although generally confined to the larger and more important colleges, men from smaller societies are welcomed in gambling circles, and many an undergraduate whose future depends upon his academic success is ruined by his participation in the vice. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.9

-At the International Alcoholic Conference in Paris it was stated that France has a public-house for every eighty-five inhabitants. The enormous consumption of cheap brandy, rum and absinthe was said to be sending thousands to the asylums. Brandy drinking had become a regular thing In Italy. Next year's Congress will be held in Vienna. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.10

-A device to develop 1,000 horse power from the waves of the ocean is about to be constructed at Sea Gate, New York, at a cost of ?20,000. Every wave that rolls over the machine means so much air compressed by the machine. The power will be converted into electricity for lighting, heating and motive forte. The device works independently of tides. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.11

-A remarkable feat in shipbuilding has just been completed on the Tyne. Last autumn the steamship Milwaukee ran ashore on the coast of Aberdeen, the main hold being penetrated by a huge rock. The bulkheads in the stern division were undamaged, so that no water reached the engines. It was determined to cut the steamer in two, which was done by the aid of dynamite. Eventually the forward section of the steamer was left upon the rocks and the stern was floated into deep water and towed to the Tyne, where the reconstructed vessel was successfully Iaunched a few days ago. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.12

-Serious fires continue to be reported from the United States, and it is noticeable that in each instance it is the wealthiest class that suffers. The Windsor Hotel, which was frequented by very rich people, is believed to have been set fire to by an incendiary. A few days after this was destroyed, with great loss of life, a millionaire named Andrews, and his wife with ten other persons, perished in the conflagration which destroyed their mansion. A few days before Mr. Andre, had been the recipient of an infernal machine sent by post, and it is believed that a similar attempt to destroy him was the origin of the fire. An explosion was heard at the time. Still another case of supposed incendiarism is reported. This time one of the Vanderbilts, who was lately married, is the sufferer, losing a country home valued at ?60,000, but escaping with his life. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 254.13

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 16.

E. J. Waggoner

People get discouraged sometimes because they see so many difficulties in their path. If it were not for this obstacle and that, the way would be open for them to live as they would like to, and to be thorough Christians. But every one who reasons in this way makes a great mistake. There are no difficulties. The things which he looks upon as hindrances are helps. If he were to go up to them in faith, he would find it so, but many are too frightened at their appearance to go near them. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.1

The promise of the Lord to those who accept His mercy is, “They shall take them captives whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.” Isaiah 14:2. It is not in the plan of God that any of His people shall be led captive by Satan. Instead, Satan is to be led captive by them. Christ spoiled Satan and all his angels, and “made a show of them openly, triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15), and, in the same way, God “always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:14. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.2

Satan under the feet of Christ. But the feet of Christ are a part of His body, and His body is the church; so that the lowest part of the church of Christ is set far above the power and might of the adversary. We read concerning Satan, when he is seen in his true aspect and condition, that he is “as a carcass trodden under feet.” Isaiah 14:19. So we see that instead of finding him an almost insuperable barrier between us and God, we may make him a stepping-stone every time he thrusts himself upon us. Satan can do nothing against the truth, but all his efforts, in spite of their malicious animus, will work for the truth. 2 Corinthians 13:8. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.3

This was made evident in the case of Christ. The Saviour receives His exaltation, and the name which is above every name, by reason of His humbling Himself to death, even the death of the cross. But if it had not been for Satan, Christ would not have been crucified. The princes of this world would not have done it (1 Corinthians 2:8), if Satan had not blinded their eyes. 2 Corinthians 4:4. So that when Satan was making his supreme attempt, to overthrow the truth, he was contributing more than ever to its successful establishment. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.4

The same was true in the experience of the apostles. Paul and Silas were taken captive at Philippi, and thrust into the inner prison, but it resulted in the gaoler himself being led captive and in the morning Paul and Silas ruled over their oppressors. So when Paul was taken captive to Rome, it seemed to every one that he was very much a prisoner, with a centurion and a large band of soldiers to keep him, yet before the journey was ended Paul had taken them all captive. God gave him all that sailed with him. Acts 27:24. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.5

So let no one be dismayed because of the lions in the way. They are all chained. Captivity has been led captive by Christ. Ephesians 4:8. The Lord has turned again the captivity of His people. The things that threaten to hinder us are only permitted to help us, so long as we abide in Christ. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” Romans 8:28. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.6

In his Budget speech in his Budget speech the Chancellor of the Exchequer said that he had refrained from re-imposing the duty on tobacco, although it was necessary to increase the sources of revenue, because it would tend to diminish the consumption of tobacco in this country. He was anxious to avoid doing this. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.7

I saw that that article, in spite of the fondness of all classes of our population for it, was consumed much less per head of the population than in Continental countries, where the duty is lower. I was anxious at least to take a step towards the establishment of a reserve of force in one of the greatest sources of our revenue. I knew then, and I know now, that this could not be affected in one year, but I do urge the Committee to give the experiment a fair trial in the interests of the revenue. I do assure them of my complete conviction that if they will do so they will reap from it a golden harvest in the future by the increased consumption. I anticipate a great increase of consumption in the year now before us. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.8

All is not gold that glitters, and even if there is such a harvest as is anticipated from the sale of tobacco, there will have to be set against it the physical, mental and moral deterioration which comes of wholesale indulgence in a hurtful drug. The Hospital, in a recent number, said:- PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.9

We have sometimes wondered whether the annual consumption of fifteen minions’ worth of tobacco may not be exerting a slowly prejudicial influence upon the national character, and then goes on to suggest that the widespread use of tobacco and its “soothing” effects, may be “one of the influences under which British commerce is showing a disposition to languish, and to make way for competitors who regard strenuousness as the high road to success.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.10

The controversy over matters of ritual in the Church of England continues with unabated ardour. The Roman Catholic press states that the Pope is watching the contest with keen interest, and that, if necessary, the Roman Catholics of England are prepared to join with the Ritualists in contending for the ceremonies which are so dear to both. On the other hand Mr. A. J. Balfour, in the House of Commons, has set forth the impression which the struggle is calculated to make upon the minds of those to whom the Church owes the preaching of the Gospel. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.11

After all, while we are disputing about these matters of relatively small importance, there are vast questions, lying at the very root of all religion, which are being called in doubt from day to day by those who are far removed from the plans of controversy in which we are forced to dwell. I am convinced that no greater injury can be done to the cause of religion than the sight of ministers of religion apparently absorbed and prepared to sacrifice everything to matters which, compared with the subjects to which I refer, are almost nothing. It makes me grieved, and I find it almost impossible to express adequately the strength of my feeling on this subject, when I find that there is not merely an injury, and perhaps an irreparable injury, done to the fabric of the Church, but to the whole cause of religion. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.12

But the church is the body of Christ, and when man are members of that body in name only, it is well that they should expose their true condition, lest others get the idea that the service of Christ consists in putting on vestments and adopting fanciful attitudes, or getting up an agitation against those who do so. “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed.” John 8:31. PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.13

The Jews in America are divided over the question of transferring “the Jewish Sabbath” from Saturday to Sunday. One Rabbi says that ten years ago in Chicago “before we dropped our Saturday services the attendance got down to three, the sexton, the organist, and myself,” whereas now, he adds, “our congregation numbers between 1,500 and 2,000, representing nearly 500 families,” and he continues, “within another decade I expect to see practically every Jewish congregation worshipping on Sunday.” The “Jewish Sabbath” always was a burden. “The Sabbath of the Lord thy God” is rest, and so it is found by those who honour it.” PTUK April 20, 1899, page 256.14