The Present Truth, vol. 15

January 25, 1899

“The Gospel of Isaiah. The Downfall of Pride. Isaiah 47:1-15” The Present Truth 15, 4.

E. J. Waggoner

“Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones, and grind meal; remove thy veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen; I will take vengeance, and will accept no man. Our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name, the Holy one of Israel. Sit thee silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called the Lady of kingdoms. I was wroth with My people, I profaned Mine inheritance, and gave them into thine hand; thou didst show them no mercy; upon the ancients hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke. And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever; so thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst thou remember the latter end thereof. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 50.1

“Now therefore hear this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and there is none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children; but these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children and widowhood; in their full measure shall they come upon thee, despite of the multitude of thy sorceries, and the great abundance of thine enchantments. For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness; thou hast said, None seeth Me; thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and there is none else beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee, thou shalt not know the dawning thereof; and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it away; and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou knewest not. Stand thou with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels; let now the astrologers, and stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from the things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame; it shall not be a coal to warm at, nor a fire to sit before. Thus shall the things be unto thee wherein thou hast laboured; they that have trafficked with thee from thy youth shall wander every one to his quarter; there shall be none to save thee.” Isaiah 47:1-15. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 50.2

TO WHOM IS THIS SPOKEN

Of what interest is all this to us? How does it concern us to know that such things were prophesied of Babylon, and that they were fulfilled more than twenty-five centuries ago? Is it to us anything more than a mere matter of curiosity such as that with which we read any other record of the past? Or if it be more than a matter of curiosity, has the record any more than an historical interest for us, proving the truthfulness of God's word? Why were these things placed in the Bible for us to read, and why do we read them? PTUK January 25, 1899, page 50.3

“Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Romans 16:4. Not unto themselves, but unto us, did the prophets minister the things which are now reported unto us by them that have preached the Gospel by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. 1 Peter 1:11, 12. The things written in this chapter concern us in this age, at this present time, more than they have ever concerned any other people on this earth. We live very much nearer the fulfillment of these things than did Isaiah or the Jews who were carried captive to Babylon. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 50.4

ISAIAH AND REVELATION

Compare this chapter with the eighteenth of Revelation, and you cannot fail to see that both prophets are speaking of the very same thing. Indeed, they use exactly the same expressions, so that the higher critic would doubtless say that John copied from Isaiah. But when God has an important message, He is able to send it by more than one messenger, and to give the message to each one of them independently. Revelation 18:7, 8, is identical with Isaiah 47:8, 9. In the last verse of Isaiah 47 we have summed up all that is contained in Revelation 18:9-18. In Revelation 17:5, 6 we have the parallel to Isaiah 47:6, 7. Now just as surely as the prophecy concerning Babylon, in the Revelation, has not yet been fulfilled, so surely does the prophecy in Isaiah yet await its fulfilment. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 50.5

A RIVAL TO GOD

Note that this Babylon is represented both in Isaiah and Revelation as being opposed to God and His people. She is opposed to them, not as an atheistic power, but as a power professing to be above God. God says, “There is none beside Me” (Isaiah 45:6, 18, 21, 22; 46:9); and Babylon says, “I am, and none else beside me.” Isaiah 47:10. So we see that she sets herself up as the rival of God, claiming to be all that He is. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 50.6

This was the position of ancient Babylon. In the fourth chapter of Daniel we have an account of a test as to whether Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, or God, was supreme. Although Nebuchadnezzar had learned of the true God, and had been told that “the heavens do rule,” and that the God of heaven had given him his kingdom and power and strength and glory, he said, as he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” Daniel 4:30. Then the judgment of God came upon him, until he learned and acknowledged that the God of heaven “liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation; and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?” “and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.” Daniel 4:34, 35, 37. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 50.7

BABYLON'S BLASPHEMOUS PRIDE

But that did not settle the question with Babylon, for although Nebuchadnezzar doubtless went to his grave in the faith of this confession, Belshazzar, who knew all these things did not profit by them, but in his insolent impiety, in the midst of the heathen revel, “brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.” Daniel 5:2-4. See also verses 17-23. Daniel recalled to Belshazzar the pride and humiliation of Nebuchadnezzar, and said, “And thou, his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the god of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.” PTUK January 25, 1899, page 51.1

THE SAME SPIRIT STILL ALIVE

In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 we have a description of a power identical with this, which is to exist and work even till the coming of the Lord to Judgment. It is called the “man of sin,” “the son of perdition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.” Compare this with what we have just been reading about Babylon, and it will appear that the cases are identical. Babylon was the rival of God, yet its greatest king acknowledged God at the last; but the lesson was not learned, and Babylon perished in its proud boasting of supremacy over the God of all the earth. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 51.2

TRANSMITTED TO THE SUCCESSORS

The Medo-Persian kingdom immediately took the place in the world, that had been occupied by Babylon, and although Cyrus publicly acknowledged the true God, the most of the kings of Persia received honours themselves as gods, instead of according the honour to God. They, like Belshazzar of Babylon, were weighed in the balances and found wanting. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 51.3

The same spirit was prominent throughout the Grecian supremacy; and when Rome took its place as mistress of the world, the spirit of idolatrous pride reached a pitch never before dreamed of. To that power, more than to any other ever known on earth, applies the title, “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth;” and in her are fulfilled these words: “I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Revelation 17:5, 6. Thus we see the very same power described in the prophecy of Isaiah exists unchanged until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not that in ancient Babylon we have a type of that which is described in the Revelation, but that it is one and the same power in each case; and the people of God have never been fully out of Babylon since the days of Nebuchadnezzar. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 51.4

SUDDEN DESTRUCTION

But deliverance is sure. Babylon is to be utterly destroyed, and the call of God is, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4. How quickly utter destruction may follow the greatest seeming prosperity, is seen in the case of Belshazzar. When the kingdom of Babylon had reached the height of its glory, and her kings were most self-complacent, destruction came. That, however, was but the beginning of the end. It was a warning. Just as surely as the ancient city of Babylon fell at the height of its pride and splendour, when she said, “I shall be a lady for ever,” so surely will the judgments of God come on the whole earth, when religion, no matter by what name it is called, has reached the place where it is identified with and controls the destinies of the nations. At the time when “the church” is universally acknowledged, so that men begin to say, “Peace, and safety,” then will “sudden destruction” come upon them. 1 Thessalonians 5:3. “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:38, 39. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 51.5

PRIDE THE RELIGION OF HUMAN NATURE

It is a sad mistake for anyone to apply all these prophecies to some specific organisation, and some special “system of religion.” While they undoubtedly have their most complete fulfilment in certain ecclesiastical bodies, the principle is that of human nature, instilled into all men by “the god of this world,” the “spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,” who is himself called the king of Babylon. Isaiah 14:4-27. “Thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath perverted thee.” This was what caused the fall of Lucifer. Ezekiel 28:12-18. Wisdom and knowledge are not to be despised, but the only wisdom and knowledge that are of any real worth, are “the wisdom that comes from above,” and the knowledge of God, which is life eternal. The wisdom that puffs one up with pride, that is connected with strife and vainglory, is “earthly, sensual, devilish” (James 3:14, 15); but the wisdom from above is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits,” even the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ. Complete renunciation of self, and absolute dependence upon God, deliver souls from Babylon, and from her plagues. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 51.6

“How to Prevent a Cold” The Present Truth 15, 4.

E. J. Waggoner

This is the season of colds and influenza and thousands are suffering from them. Indeed, it seems to be expected that at this time of year everybody will have a cold. One friend greets another, and asks after his health. “Only a slight cold,” or, “I am suffering somewhat from a cold,” is the reply. “Oh, yes; everybody has a cold now,” is the rejoinder, as though having a cold were a necessity. And really, very few people have any idea that a cold may be prevented. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.1

A cold is not so slight a matter as many people think. It is often the beginning of a severe case of influenza; and it is certain that if one does not catch a cold, he will never have influenza. So when we have learned how to keep from catching cold, we have saved ourselves from one of the greatest scourges of this time, a scourge so great that it almost amounts to a plague. Many a death from consumption also may be traced to a cold, which at first was so slight as to occasion no uneasiness. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.2

Nobody ever takes cold except as the result of carelessness. It is for the most part ignorant carelessness, but lack of care, nevertheless. Nothing is more certain than that it is not at all necessary for people to be continually having colds, and that they would not have them if they knew how to take care of themselves, and cared enough for health to make the effort. No other animal ever has a cold, except certain domestic animals, and they never do when left to themselves. They are often made to suffer from man's ill-use of them; but no wild animal ever takes cold, yet these animals are continually exposed to the conditions that are popularly supposed to be the cause of colds in human beings. It is not that these animals are so differently constituted from man, that they cannot take cold; for they do suffer from colds when in captivity; the only reason why they do not take colds when free is that they do not live the artificial lives that men do. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.3

It is often the cage that when one has a severe cold he cannot be freed from it without some help, from others; but the following principles which, if headed, will ward off colds, are simple enough to he applied by anybody who would not rather have a cold than to make a little extra exertion. In many cases, especially it the cold is but slight, or just beginning, the practice of them will drive it away. That is to say, if any reader who already has a cold sill at once begin to put these principles into practice, he will find his cold much reduced, if not entirely dissipated; and he who makes them the rules of his life will never have a cold fixed upon him. The order in which they are given does not necessarily indicate their relative importance; they are all important, and must all be practised simultaneously. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.4

FOOD

We live by eating, and therefore it follows that our habits of eating have very much to do with the life that we live, whether perfect or impaired. Very few people have any idea that the cold from which they suffer has any connection whatever with what or how they have eaten; yet it is safe to say that in nine cases out of ten, a cold is the direct result of some error in diet, which can easily be avoided. It is safe to say that every one who reads this article has at some time in his life eaten to rep... or, to be plain, has eaten so much that he could not well eat any more. It is a humiliating thought, when one puts it that way, and yet many people honestly think that they must eat until they are “full” and can eat no more. Now if this is only an occasional thing with you, you will be able to remember that after such a meal you had many of the symptoms of a cold: you had difficulty in breathing you felt your head somewhat congested, and perhaps had a rawness in your throat. Some or all of these symptoms, and perhaps others, you are familiar with. Possibly you recovered without further ill-feeling; but if at that time you were exposed to conditions favourable to a cold, you certainly took it. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.5

We will not now speak of any particular kinds of food which make it easy for one to take cold, but only of the matter of eating more than the system can appropriate. It is possible to do this even on the best of food. There is a certain amount of food necessary to repair the waste of the body, and to build it up. If more be taken than is needed, the surplus is a clog to the system. It produces congestion, and that is just what a cold is. This is the reason that simply abstaining from eating for a time will often be found sufficient to drive a beginning cold away. Do not think that this means starvation. Nothing of the kind. The body must be regularly supplied with sufficient good, nourishing food; but there are in thin country more people who die of starvation from having eaten too much food, than from insufficiency. If you never eat any more than the system actually needs, and can appropriate, you will never need to fast as a hygienic measure. If the digestive organs are active, and are not overcrowded, a cold will seldom stay long even if one has taken it by some other means. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.6

DRINK

This is closely allied with eating, but should never be done at the same time. The idea that people must have something to “wash down” their food, is responsible for much of the clogging of the system. Those who drink at their meals are almost certain to overeat, or if they do not eat more than they need, they hinder the digestion of that which they do eat, and thus have all the ill-effects of overeating. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.7

Free drinking of water, the only drink ever designed for men, at proper times, goes a long way toward keeping the system clean, and promoting a free circulation of the blood; and when there is good circulation, there cannot be a cold. Early morning, at night, before going to bed, and from two to four hours after meals, are proper times for drinking. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.8

It is a mistaken notion that hot drinks are necessary in winter in order to fortify one against the cold. The effect is just the opposite. One can make few better preparations for taking cold than to take a hat drink before going out into the cold. By it the system is relaxed, and the effect is the same as when one goes out into the cold after a hot bath. Cold water is one of the very best safeguards against cold. It may be said that by taking so much cold water into the stomach it will become too chilled to perform its duties well. This can be guarded against by drinking slowly, taking small sips, and holding each one in the mouth a moment, until it is warmed to the temperature of the body, before swallowing it. A glass or two taken in this way will warm the whole body, clear the head, and make the breathing full and easy. This alone is often sufficient to clear away so incipient cold. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.9

AIR

We live by breathing, and fresh air in abundance is one of the beet preventives of cold. The open-air treatment of consumption is receiving much attention at the present time, and is remarkably successful, even in this climate. The report of the working of the Victoria Hospital for Consumption, Craigleith, Edinburgh, by Dr. R. W. Philip, is most interesting and intructive. We quote a few sentences: “Each room has at least one large window, which is constantly open, day and night, and the larger rooms have three windows, which afford free ventilation by a constant current of fresh air.” “The windows have never been shut, day or night, since the hospital was opened.” Much more of a similar character is given, and the Doctor says, “It is right to emphasise that during prolonged experience of this treatment I have not witnessed one untoward incident resulting therefrom. During the years that have elapsed since the hospital was opened, there has not been a single day on which some of the patients have not been outside, and on most days almost all have been able to be out for a time. Rain and snow have not been allowed to form a contra-indication.” Under this treatment, of which the sentences given afford only a hint, “night sweats disappear almost at once,” “the cough quickly lessens, and finally disappears,” and “the body weight, too, and general condition show corresponding improvement.” With this testimony, it is evident that the value of fresh air in preventing colds cannot be overestimated. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 56.10

There is a common idea, almost amounting to a superstition, that draughts are very dangerous. It would seem as though people think that the Lord made a mistake in causing the wind to blow. Now it is true that a draught will cause one to take cold, if one is not accustomed to it; but it is also true that if a person shuts himself up closely in the house, relaxing his system over a hot fire, he will take cold on going out doors; but it will hardly be claimed that people should never go out doors lest they take cold. On the contrary, all should accustom themselves to the open air as much as possible. Fresh air is one of God's best gifts to man; it is life; and the more we can get of it at all times and in every way, the better it will be for us. A little care will be necessary at first in accustoming oneself to draughts of fresh air; but those who make the trial will soon find that a draught, instead of being dangerous, is one of the most refreshing and invigorating things in the world. The man who is afraid of a draught is like a horse that is afraid of a haystack. A good way to become accustomed to it, is to wash the neck, especially the back of the neck, with cold water, applying the water freely every time the face is washed. The child that is taught to do this, will have no more fear of a draught of fresh air than of his dinner; and when other people are complaining that “that open window lets a draught come on the back of my neck,” he will not be conscious that there is any draught. Of course it is understood that one must not sit in a damp, cold room, or in any place where he is cold; but a room where the air is dead is much more favourable to colds than one where the air is in full circulation. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 57.1

BATHING

To those who are accustomed to it, the cool bath in the morning is not only refreshing and invigorating, but one of the best preventives of cold. It should not be prolonged,-only a momentary dip,and then a brisk rub, with vigorous exercise, to keep up the circulation. It should not be taken if there is not sufficient vitality to react from the shock, so that it is a pleasure. It is a mistaken idea that the body can be hardened by punishing it. Very weak people, however, can with care soon become used to the cold bath, so that it will be expected and depended upon as much as the breakfast, for which it is an excellent preparation. Nothing is better for hardening the skin, ana strengthening the heart and nerves. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 57.2

If one is not used to cold bathing, or is too bloodless to respond to it readily at once, the next best thing, which should also always accompany cold bathing, is the air bath. The naked body should be exposed to the cold air for several minutes each day, brisk rubbing and vigorous exercise being maintained all the while. Do not get the idea that you must hereby become accustomed to being chilled; quite the contrary. The point is to get the body used to the cold air without being chilled. The rubbing should be so brisk, and the movements so active, that the absence of clothing should not be felt. The value of this treatment can be vouched for from experience. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 57.3

In this connection, another thing should be attended to, which properly comes under the preceding heading, and that is, deep breathing. While you are taking your air bath, stop your other exercise for a moment, and slowly inflate the lungs to their utmost capacity, holding the air as long as you can do so easily, and then exhale it, but not too rapidly. Do this several times, and you will be surprised to see what a feeling of warmth it gives. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 57.4

Special breathing exercises should be taken several times a day. If at any moment as you are about your work, or walking along the street, your attention is called to the matter, you will find that you are only partially breathing. Few people really know how to breathe, but this must be dealt with another time. Air provides both food and exercise for the lungs, and indeed for the whole body. If, as you are walking on the street, you will practise taking long, full breaths, measuring the breaths by your steps, so many steps to inspiration, and so many to expiration, you will find it highly beneficial. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 57.5

EXERCISE

This is by no means a minor matter. Abundant exercise in the open air should be taken every day, regardless of the weather. Just as truly as “he that regardeth the clouds shall not sow,” shall he also not be free from colds. If one has no manual labour that can be performed out of doors, then walking and cycling are the best things. One should walk rapidly, until the whole body is in a delightful glow. Deep regular breathing should be kept up during the exercise. In many cases influenza may be kept off by vigorous exercise just as it is coming on, if one has the will to resist the disinclination to move, which is one of the first symptoms. Sweating from bodily exercise is much better than sweating artificially produced. Often a busy person will say, “I have not time to take exercise.” Nobody has any right to be so busy. To take all the precautions necessary to keep the body in a healthful condition, is a religious duty. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 57.6

CLOTHING

This should of course be suitable to the season; but the less weight of clothing one can have, and still be comfortable, the better. To as great a degree as possible, one should make exercise take the place of extra clothing and of all artificial heat. Particular attention should be paid to the feet. There is no danger whatever in getting them wet while exercising out of doors, provided they are dried afterwards, and well rubbed. Dry them by rubbing, and not before the fire. At night the stockings should be turned wrong side out, and hung where they can be thoroughly dried from all dampness that has accumulated during the day. A better plan still is to have two pairs in constant use, wearing one pair one day, and the other the next. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 57.7

Follow these directions carefully and conscientiously, as well as other things that good sense will suggest in the same line, and you may live free from fear of colds, influenza, and consumption. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 57.8

“For Little Ones. Joseph in Egypt” The Present Truth 15, 4.

E. J. Waggoner

We left Joseph on the way down into Egypt, where he was carried by the Ishmaelites, to whom his brothers sold him. Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officers, the captain of the guard, bought him of the Ishmaelites, and he was taken into the house of his new master. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.1

We may be sure that Joseph was very sad at being separated from his father without a word of farewell, and with no opportunity to send him any message, even to let him know that he was still alive. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.2

But he did not waste his time in mourning; he remembered that “God was with him,” and this gave him hope and courage to do the new duties that now came to him in Potiphar's house. He did his work so well and faithfully that Potiphar “made him overseer over all his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.” PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.3

It might have seemed to Joseph that he was now on the way to the high position that his dreams had led him to expect. But even here he had enemies, and Satan was working to try to hinder God's purpose. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.4

His enemy in Potiphar's house was his master's own wife, a wicked woman who hated Joseph because of his faithfulness to God. She told lies to her husband about Joseph, which made Potiphar so angry that he put him in the prison where the king's prisoners were bound. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.5

This was another bitter trial for Joseph. Writing about it long after, the psalmist said: “His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in irons.” But he still remembered that it was God who was trying him, and that His hand would work out His own will in spite of everything. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.6

So again, instead of being wrapped up in his own sorrows, he looked about him for something to do, and did with his might all that his hand found. The result of this was that the keeper of the prison soon put as much trust in him as Potiphar had done, and left everything in his charge. “Whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.” PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.7

Joseph had the charge of all the prisoners, and among them were the chief butler and chief baker of Pharaoh's household. When Joseph went into their cell one morning, he noticed that both of these men looked very unhappy. His own troubles had made him kind and sympathetic, and he asked them kindly, “Why look ye so sadly to-day?” PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.8

They told him: “We have dreamed a dream, but there is no interpreter of it.” Joseph then asked them to tell him their dreams, and he explained to them the meaning. Read the dreams and the interpretation in the 40th chapter of Genesis. The chief butler was to be restored to the king's favour, and to his place as cupbearer, but the baker was to be hanged. Joseph asked the butler to remember him when it should be well with him, and to speak to Pharaoh about him, so that he might be brought up out of the prison. But when the dreams came to pass just as Joseph had foretold, “yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him,” until something happened which brought Joseph again to his mind. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.9

For two full years after the butler left, Joseph was forgotten and left in the prison; but at the end of that time Pharaoh himself dreamed two strange dreams in one night which greatly troubled and perplexed him, and none of the magicians or wise men of Egypt could tell the king the meaning of his dreams. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.10

Then the chief butler remembered Joseph, and he was brought out of the prison in haste to interpret Pharaoh's dreams. He showed the king that it was God who had sent him these dreams to warn him of a time of famine that was coming over the whole world. (See Genesis 41) PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.11

Before the seven years of famine there were to be seven years of great plenty. So Joseph advised Pharaoh to appoint someone to gather up a great store of food during the seven plenteous years, and keep it for the years of famine. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.12

Pharaoh could not think of anyone so well suited for this work as Joseph himself, to whom God had given the wisdom to interpret his dreams, and to give him such good advice. So he made Joseph the Chief Ruler of the land of Egypt, like himself in everything except that he did not sit on the throne. “And he made him to ride in the second chariot that he had, and they cried before him, bow the knee.” PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.13

Now you see to what Joseph's hard and trying experiences, when he was sent down into Egypt, and again when he was cast into prison, were really leading him,-to be made the governor of Egypt. The work of his brothers and Potiphar's wife against him only helped him on to the place God had appointed for him. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.14

Besides this, his work in Potiphar's house and in the prison, where everything had been left in his charge, was the best preparation that he could have had for the important and responsible position to which God had now brought him. Joseph had been faithful in doing the little duties that came to him day by day, and now he could be trusted with great responsibilities. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.15

Remember that God has a plan for the life of each one of His children, for you just as much as He had for Joseph. And all the little duties and trials, and experiences that each day brings are to fit you for your part in His plan, and to bring you to the place that He has appointed for you. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 58.16

Another time we will tell you more about Joseph's brothers, and how they came to see him in Egypt. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 59.1

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth 15, 4.

E. J. Waggoner

-The patents brought out by Edison are said to number seven hundred and forty. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.1

-An alarming increase of rabbits has lately taken place In several districts of New South Wales. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.2

-Measles are reported to have broken out in 80 per cent. of the houses at Broadbottom, near Manchester. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.3

-The Nile cataracts are soon to be used to generate electricity, for lighting the city of Cairo, 400 miles away. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.4

-The rice crops of Burma available for export is announced as 2,020,881 tons, as compared with 1,486,000 tons last year. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.5

-Mr. Carnegie's gifts of money to building and maintaining public libraries for ten years past amount to more than ?1,800,000. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.6

-Twenty thousand Austrian miners in the districts of Kiadno and Gateau have struck for an eight-hour day and an increase of wages. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.7

-Many wrecks of sailing and other vessels have been reported in the English Channel during the pest two weeks, and over one hundred lives have been lost. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.8

-Thirteen children have been frozen to death at Munichschalg, in South Bohemia. They were caught, in returning from school, in a heavy snowstorm. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.9

-Probably the sum devoted annually by England to provide drugs for the adulteration of its own beer would have founded lovely little museums and perfect libraries in every village.-Ruskin. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.10

-The average term of life in India is twenty-six years. Fifty millions of her people have only one meal a day. The average population per square mile is 184. America has only 18 to the square mile. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.11

-The “Lyddite shells,” now being used by the English Army in the Transvaal, are expensive things. Each shell represents about ?60. But the expense is not the only point about them-they are destructive as well. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.12

-The mortality in Bombay has reached an exceedingly high figure, jumping in one day from 282 to 870 (the normal rate is 75). Plague accounts for the larger part of the increase, but diseases of other kinds are very rife. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.13

-The death rate has been so high in London from the epidemic of influenza, that one of the leading undertakers of the city reports that he is sending out on an average 200 horses a day for funerals, while in ordinary times the demand does not exceed half that number. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.14

-The great Krupp Manufacturing Company have been officially notified by the German Government that the firm must cease to supply either England or the Transvaal with weapons, cannon, munitions, or other war material, as to do so would be inconsistent with German neutrality. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.15

-It is reported that the United States Government is now constructing a gun which will throw a shell weighing 2,870 pounds a distance of twenty-one miles. In order to strike at this distance, the shell must rise a distance of 80,000 feet. Hitherto the longest range on record is said to be that of a Krupp gun fired at Meppen in 1892, which threw a shell twelve and one-half miles in seventy seconds. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.16

-The Germania, of the White Star Line, on its last trip from New York, reports having passed an iceberg in lat. 45.22, long. 48.33, which measured 325 feet high. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.17

-The whole shipbuilding output of 1899 in the United Kingdom broke all previous records; 761 vessels of 1,585,381 tons were launched. Of these thirty-five were warships of 168,590 tons displacement, and twelve only were sailing ships. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.18

-England has now under construction fifty warships, thirty-six at private yards, and the remainder at the Royal Dock Yards. Thirteen of these are first class battleships, ten first class armoured cruisers, and seventeen torpedo boat destroyers. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.19

-In the little village of Hinstock, near Newport (Shropshire) there lived an old man whom, from his reticent demeanour, the neighbours thought to be destitute, and out of pure pity for him, kindly assisted in various ways. He died the other day, leaving a will in which ?2,005 is distributed amongst those who succoured him. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.20

-It has been determined that the Government will ask for a further credit of ?20,000,000 immediately after the reassembling of Parliament, for the expenses of the war. Over ?2,000,000 have already been sent on transportation alone, and over three times this amount for war material, food, and the equipment for the troops, mules, and horses. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.21

-The pink eye, of the most virulent form, has broken out among the horses in Liverpool. The losses are reported as being very heavy, and business is seriously interfered with in consequence. So grave is the situation, that a London bacteriologist has been called to consult with the local veterinary surgeons as to the best means of coping with the outbreak. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.22

-At Stettin, on the 10th inst., in the presence of the Kaiser and other German dignitaries, the Deutschland was launched. This vessel is second only in capacity to the Oceanic, and is expected to be the fastest liner in the world. She is a ship of 23,000 tons displacement, and 16,000 tens burden, is 687 feet long, and will carry a crew of 550 men. Count Von Bulow performed the christening ceremony. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.23

-The daily press reports a singular case where a Roman Catholic lady in Australia seems to have fallen victim to a female Spiritualist medium. Alleging instructions from the Virgin Mary, the medium procured from the lady all manner of clothes, jewels, and furniture. Then thinking that travel was desirable, she acquired from the same source tickets for a circular tour through England, America, and the Holy Land. At that point the situation of affairs became known, the police interfered, and the lady awoke to the fact that she was being victimised. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.24

-January 10th marked the sixtieth anniversary of the Penny Poes in England. Rowland Hill introduced the system, and through his energetic efforts the then novel idea of prepaying letter postage was inaugurated. Soon the adhesive stamp was introduced. When the penny post was first introduced, in the late thirties, the number of letters carried was less than 10,000,000 a year, or about one for each inhabitant. Now the Post Office transmits about one hundred times as much correspondence as was transmitted then. The latest figures show that the people of Great Britain write 2,186,000,000 letters a year, or more than fifty-four for each man, woman, and child in the country. This is exclusive of the gross totals for postcards, newspapers, circulars, book packets and parcels, to say nothing of the telegrams, money orders, etc. The business is now carried on by a staff of nearly 160,000 persons, of whom 32,000 are women and girls. In London alone 2,622 inland mails are despatched every day, and 2,380 received. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 62.25

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 4.

E. J. Waggoner

When humility is so prominent that it is obtrusive, so that you are continually reminded of it, and can see nothing else about the individual, it is the worst sort of pride. Beware of ostentatious humility. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.1

Twenty-two million persons in British territory in India, and twenty-seven millions in native territory, are affected by the famine, and nearly three and a quarter millions are receiving relief. Lord Curzon says that the famine-stricken area has expanded to a degree surpassing the worst fears. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.2

The council which is superintending the construction of the large telescope which is to be a great feature of the Paris Exhibition, say that they hope for such a magnifying power that the surface of the moon will be seen as if it were only sixty-seven kilometres (a little more than four miles) away from us. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.3

The Daily Mail’s correspondent at Capetown says in a cablegram, January 15:- PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.4

Lord Roberts has visited the huge sanitarium at Claremont, of the Seventh-Day Adventists, which is a branch of the famous institution at Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.A. He expressed himself delighted with the appointments and accommodation. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.5

A large number of wounded British officers are now quartered in the institution, undergoing treatment. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.6

The Daily Chronicle publishes the report that the Vatican is PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.7

“giving serious consideration to a suggestion which, if carried out, may ultimately lead to a vary important change in the Roman Catholic Church. It is that priests in South America shall be permitted to marry, as proposed by their bishops at the recent Synod in Rome, on account of the extraordinary difficulty found in procuring eligible candidates for the priesthood. It is rumoured that this concession may, under restrictions, not improbably be made.” PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.8

That which stands only on human authority may of course consistently be abolished by human authority. A religion of expediency and policy is always subject to change. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.9

The Christian says that Dr. Stalker “has made the life of our Saviour an almost special study.” That is good; but every man who, professes to be a Christian, whether he be Doctor of Divinity or ditcher, ought to make the life of Christ not only almost, but altogether, a special study. “Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and, let us run with patience, the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.” “For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, last ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.10

When John saw Jesus walking by the Jordan, he said to those about him: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Many people lose the force of this statement, by not reading the more literal rendering in the margin, namely, “beareth.” Even at that time, unknown to the public, because He had not begun His public ministry, Jesus was bearing the sins of the world. The sins of the world were upon Him, “in His own body,” yet the Father was well pleased with Him. Why?-Because although He bore the sin, it was never allowed to manifest itself. He swallowed it up, and annihilated it by His life. That is our hope to-day. Jesus still lives, the same to-day that He was then, and if we allow Him to live in us, He bears our sins so effectually that none will be seen upon us. Let Him live according to His own will. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.11

“Angels or Demons” The Present Truth 15, 4.

E. J. Waggoner

Angels or Demons? -Here is a paragraph from a report of the recent assault on Ladysmith:- PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.12

The men on both sides are reported to have fought like demons, the horror and bewilderment of the scene presenting a picture without parallel in the experience of those who took part in the encounter. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.13

The expression used, “fought like demons,” is a well-known one in the description of battles. It is very appropriate, too; but if, as we are continually assured, war is consistent with Christianity, and is even at times a part of Christianity, why do we not sometimes hear of men “fighting like angels”? Surely this ought to be the case when two “Christian nations” engage in war. Ah, everybody knows that there is nothing angelic about war, and it is only Jesuitical casuistry that enables anybody to reconcile it with Christianity. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.14

“Sound Advice” The Present Truth 15, 4.

E. J. Waggoner

Zimmerman, who was once the world's champion bicycle rider, gives the following advice to cyclists:- PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.15

“Don't smoke, it depresses the heart and shortens the wind. Don't drink; drink never wine races. I have trophies at home which would have belonged to others if they had left liquor alone.” PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.16

No one scoffs at such advice to an athlete; but as soon as the Gospel minister begins to talk about how to preserve the body in the best condition, he is told that he ought to keep to his business. As if the Gospel did not include the redemption of the body. “I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” “Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” Christians ought to be as much more alive to the matter of health than ordinary athletes are, as an incorruptible crown is more valuable than a corruptible. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.17

“A Change for the Worse” The Present Truth 15, 4.

E. J. Waggoner

Under the heading of “How Times Have Changed,” the Cigarette World has the following paragraph, which is very striking from whichever side one views it:- PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.18

The Iron Duke would have looked with horror at the quantities of tobacco and pipes which tire being sent out to the troops with the full approval of the War Office. The duke's opinion of smoking may be found in the general order which he issued a few years before he ceased to be Commander-in-Chief:-“The Commander-in-Chief has been informed that the practice of smoking, by the use of pipes, cigars, or cheroots, has become prevalent among the officers of the Army, which is not only in itself a species of Intoxication occasioned by the fumes of tobacco, but undoubtedly occasions drinking and tippling by those who acquire the habit; and he entreats the officers commanding regiments to prevent smoking in the mess-rooms of their several regiments, and in the adjoining apartments, and to discourage the practice among the officers of junior rank in their regiments.” PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.19

The Cigarette World would of course regard the Duke's order as a relic of old-fogeyism; but the disinterested, candid, scientific observer must regard it as an evidence of the great commander's sound sense, and the present consumption of tobacco by the army as a sign of degeneracy. PTUK January 25, 1899, page 64.20