The Present Truth, vol. 15

July 20, 1899

“Daniel in the Den of Lions. Daniel 6:10-23” The Present Truth 15, 29.

E. J. Waggoner

In the third chapter of Daniel we have the record of a trial that came to the three companions of Daniel: in this chapter we have the account of a test to which Daniel himself was put. As in that one we read nothing of Daniel, so in this one we hear nothing of his three companions; but we may be sure that they were as loyal to the truth of God as was Daniel, and as they had previously showed themselves to be. We need not take it for granted that Daniel was the only one in the whole kingdom who was faithful to God, but as the whole affair was worked up simply to entrap Daniel, any others would not be noticed. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 449.1

Daniel's character and talents made a place for him. There is always work for those who are fitted for it. Daniel had held the position of greatest responsibility in the kingdom of Babylon, and when the kingdom passed into the hands of the Medes and Persians he was really indispensable, so he was first under Darius as he had been under Nebuchadnezzar. There were three presidents over the one hundred and twenty provinces of the empire, and of these three Daniel was one, and was preferred above the others. All the accounts of the realm had to pass through the hands of these three presidents, and we may be sure that there was no cheating as long as Daniel was one of the three. The princes who had to render account regularly to the presidents, could not bribe them, for Daniel would not suffer such a thing; and his two companions in the presidency were prevented by his sturdy integrity from filching from the public treasury. Such honesty in public affairs was an unprecedented thing, and was appreciated by the king, who thought to place Daniel over the whole realm. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 449.2

The favour in which Daniel was held, together with his strictness in business, made the other presidents and the princes envious. Small minds are always envious at the success of others; but they were incensed against Daniel by the additional fact that he was a check upon their evil purposes. There was no opportunity for them to enrich themselves while he was at the head of affairs. So they sought to find some occasion against him in his conduct of the affairs of the kingdom, but could not find anything whereof to accuse him, “forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.” His adversaries were forced to acknowledge his integrity, saying, “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” What a grand thing it is when that can be said of a man, and by those who are most anxious to find a fault in him. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 449.3

The good do not always have an easy time in this world. Jesus said to His disciples: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.” John 15:18. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12. The reason for this is given in this exhortation: “This is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” 1 John 3:11-13. From this text we are assured of the reason why the princes of Medo-Persia wished to have Daniel out of the way. It was because his works were righteous, while theirs were evil. With him removed, they could manipulate the funds as they pleased, and they would not be under the condemnation of his presence. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 450.1

Accordingly a conspiracy was formed, and the king was made a party to it, without his knowledge. Indeed, nothing could be accomplished unless they had the king's consent, and they could not expect that the king would remove his most faithful officer. So they had to manufacture a new crime. Very subtly was their plan laid. It was a very common thing for Eastern monarchs to receive divine honours, as though they were gods, and such homage was quite acceptable to them, since it was easy for them to persuade themselves that they really were what their flatterers called them. Therefore it was not at all surprising to Darius when a great company of the chief men in his kingdom came to him, and said, “King Darius, live for ever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask any petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into a den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 450.2

“Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.” He readily fell into the trap, never thinking of his favourite, Daniel. If they had not lied, in saying that all the presidents had been in consultation over this matter, his suspicions might possibly have been aroused; nevertheless when integrity and loyalty to principle are so rare as they are, it is not natural for kings to consider the few in whom such virtues are found, especially when they are persuaded that any measure will be “for the public good.” It does not take long to persuade most officials or seekers after office that whatever contributes to their advancement and exaltation is for the good of the public. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 450.3

The plot was fairly hatched, and the decree was published. How did it affect Daniel? It did not affect him in the least. When he knew that the writing was signed, “he went to his house; and his windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as aforetime.” Think how much is conveyed in that statement. Daniel prayed to his God just as he had done before. Note that as he prayed he gave thanks. Not a word about the decree; no frantic request for protection; he acted as though there were no such thing. He saw no cause for fear, but only for thanksgiving, “as aforetime.” In this he fulfilled the Divine injunction, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6. Without thanksgiving there is no prayer. The peace of God which passeth all understanding kept Daniel. He was the least perturbed man in the whole kingdom. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 450.4

How easy it would have been for most professed Christians to find “a way out of the difficulty;” only Daniel did not find himself in any difficulty. Some would say, “There is no harm in complying with the law, since it does not demand the worship of any false god, or of any man; it merely says that we must not ask anything of any god or man except the king; and for the next thirty days we will not ask anything of anybody.” Very plausible, isn't it? Or they would say, “If you will pray, then do it so that no one will know it. You are not obliged to let anybody know when you pray.” Ah, what a movement in favour of secret prayer there would have been about that time, if any prayer at all. Daniel, however, was not seeking plausible excuses for not praying to his God. He was too well acquainted with the Lord, and loved Him too well for that. He served the Lord, and that continually. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 450.5

Suppose that Daniel had acted according to any of these or similar excuses; what would he have virtually been saying? Simply this, that he could not trust the Lord to take care of him when everything seemed to be against him. It would have been admitting all the claims to the heathen, that their gods were greater than the God of Israel. It would have been exalting the king and his decree above God and His law. It would have shown that all his previous prayers had been a mere form, a pretence, without heart or feeling. It would have shown that Daniel had no faith in God. But he had faith, and therefore he could not act in any such way. His service of God was from the heart, and he had prayed because he believed in God; and just because he believed in God, he could not act as though he did not believe in Him. It is such times as that, that determine whether or not a man really loves and serves the Lord. Daniel would not bear false witness against God. When men were banded together against God, in the person of His servant, then was the time for faithfulness. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 450.6

Yet Daniel was not the man to flaunt his religion in the faces of men; no vain boaster; his religion was a part of his life; the same every day, and therefore he did just as he had been in the habit of doing. When he went to his room his windows were open, and he did not take the trouble to shut them. Why should he? He had not done so before, and there was no more reason now than there ever was, since his God had not changed. He went about his devotions as quietly and regularly as in former days. That he was not in the habit of making noisy demonstrations when he prayed is evident from the fact that his enemies had to assemble to find him praying. But it is worth noting that they were quite sure of finding him at prayer. In that heathen kingdom Daniel was not ashamed to have it known that he worshipped Jehovah. And why should he be? is not Jehovah King over all? He is not One to be ashamed of. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 450.7

Only one step now remained to fasten Daniel in the trap that was set for him. The grave counselors of State, whose minds were supposed to be absorbed in considerations of public interest, had plotted against an innocent, upright man, had acted the part of sneaking spies, and now they had only to be informers. But it would not do to go at once and denounce Daniel to the king, for they knew that he was Daniel's friend. So they took the precaution to get the king committed to the enforcement of the law. They said to him: “Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any god or man within thirty days, save of thee, O King, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.” That was just what they wanted. The king could not escape now. Having admitted that the law could not be changed, he could not possibly make an exception in favour of Daniel. “Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.” How artfully they sought to prejudice the king against Daniel. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 451.1

“Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him, and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.” But all was in vain. The princes were inexorable. They had framed the law for the express purpose of catching Daniel, and they did not propose to allow him to escape; so they held the king to the decree, reminding him that the honour of the kingdom was at stake, since a law once passed could not be revoked or changed. “Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee.” What a wonderful influence there is in a steadfast Christian life! The king well knew that there was a power with Daniel that was with none of his other officers, and not even with himself, king though he was. He knew that Daniel had more than human power with him, and therefore he believed that the power that had made Daniel what he was, and that had kept him amid all temptations, would still keep him, even in the den of lions. And he was right; for there was no greater miracle wrought for Daniel when he was in the lions’ den than when he was in the king's court. The same power that will keep a man upright in the midst of temptation will keep him from the jaws of wild beasts. Our adversary the devil goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour; and when a man is kept safe from his attacks, it is but a light thing to keep him from the beasts of the forest. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 451.2

After passing a sorrowful night, the king went to the den very early in the morning. Although he had expressed the belief that Daniel would be delivered, he was not absolutely sure of it. The king evidently had a far worse night than Daniel had. A man may be far happier and more at ease in a den of lions than others are in a palace. The king's grief showed itself in his voice; as he came to the den and called, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee?” Daniel 6:20. We can see that the king was quite convinced that his gods were nothing in comparison to the God of Daniel; but here was a test question: “Is thy God able to deliver thee?” Yes, He was. “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” Psalm 34:7. This had been fulfilled in the case of Daniel, who replied, not forgetting the respect due the king; “O king, live for ever. My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me.” The penalty had been executed, and therefore Daniel could be taken out of the den without any violence to the majesty of the law. “So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.” His faith saved him. Faith has wondrous power; by it men have “wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, cut of weakness were made strong.” Hebrews 11:33, 34. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 451.3

“Perhaps the lions were not hungry.” You may be sure that some of the enemies suggested that thought, and contended that Daniel should be left in the den until they recovered their appetite. Well, if they were not hungry, then there certainly could be no objection to putting these informers in for a little holiday from the cares of business; and whether they were hungry or not the king was disposed to deal very summarily with the malignant crowd. “The king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives, and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.” That settled the question. Those men who had been under the control of the great roaring lion who walks about seeking to devour, had no protection against these lions. The result of the whole affair was that Daniel was prospered more than ever, and the knowledge of the true God was published by the king to all people, and in all languages on earth. Thus even the wrath of man is made to praise God. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 451.4

“The Gospel of Isaiah. The Earth Restored. Isaiah 35:1-10” The Present Truth 15, 29.

E. J. Waggoner

(ISAIAH 35:1-10, LOWTH'S TRANSLATION.)

1. The desert and the waste shall be glad;
And the wilderness shall rejoice, and flourish; PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.1

2. Like the rose shall it beautifully flourish;
And the well-watered plain of Jordan shall
also rejoice;
The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it,
The beauty of Carmel and Sharon:
These shall behold the glory of Jehovah,
The majesty of our God. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.2

3. Strengthen ye the feeble hands,
Confirm ye the tottering knees. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.3

4. Say to the faint-hearted: Be ye strong;
Fear ye not, behold your God!
Vengeance will come; the retribution of God;
He Himself will come, and will deliver you. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.4

5. Then shall be unclosed the eyes of the blind;
And the ears of the deaf shall be opened: PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.5

6. Then shall the lame bound like the hart,
And the tongue of the dumb shall sing:
For in the wilderness shall burst forth waters,
And torrents in the desert: PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.6

7. And the glowing sand shall become a pool,
And the thirsty soil bubbling springs:
And in the haunt of dragons shall spring
forth
The grass, with the reed, and the bulrush. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.7

8. And a highway shall be there;
And it shall be called the way of holiness;
No unclean person shall pass through it;
But He Himself shall be with them, walking
in the way,
And the foolish shall not err therein. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.8

9. No lion shall be there;
Nor shall the tyrant of the beasts come up
thither:
Neither shall he be found there;
But the redeemed shall walk in it. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.9

10. Yea, the ransomed of Jehovah shall return:
They shall come to Sion with triumph;
And perpetual gladness shall crown their
heads.
Joy and gladness shall they obtain;
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.10

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be.” Ecclesiastes 1:9. This is most emphatically true of the things that God has made. For “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it.” Ecclesiastes 3:15. When God made the world, and all things beautiful, “He created it not in vain.” The fact that God made the earth perfect, is proof that it will be perfect. Not one of God's plans can ever fail. To man's short sight it may seem as though everything had failed; but God has eternity for His own, and can afford to be misunderstood and yet to wait. A few years, or a few thousand years are not a finger's breadth compared with eternity. So although sin brings complete desolation upon the earth, the end of sin, which is destruction, will be self-destruction; and death, the last enemy, having been swallowed up in victory, the earth will be renewed, and “the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.11

“It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.” The places once most fertile are now most desolate. The earth is waxing old like a garment; but like an old garment, it is soon to be changed, and then it will reflect to perfection the excellency and beauty of Jehovah. We have learned something of the beauty of the Lord; that wondrous beauty will yet be seen even in the most desolate and barren portions of this earth. Is it not a glorious prospect? What assurance have we of this? Is not the assurance of God's Word sufficient? But we have ample demonstration of it in the fact that man, who was made to rule over a perfect earth, and was therefore himself made perfect, but who fell, and thereby caused the desolation of the earth, is himself by the Word of God made a new creature even now in this present time. When the king is restored to his kingly state, is that not proof that he will have back his dominion? PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.12

In view of this, what is said?-“Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, Fear not.” When does this apply? Is it in the time spoken of in the first two verses?-Most certainly not; for in the earth renewed there will be no occasion to say to anybody, “Fear not!” The people shall then “dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” No; now is the time when the assurance of what God will certainly do for even this sin-cursed earth must be set before the faint-hearted, to encourage them. The “blessed hope” is “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13. “He will come and save you.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.13

What else should be said to them that are of a fearful heart?-This: “Behold your God!” Where?-Everywhere. “Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:24. When Christ appears in the clouds of heaven there will be no fearful ones among His people. That will be the moment of the joy of deliverance. No one will then need to say, “Behold your God!” for “every eye shall see Him.” “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: This is the Lord, we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Isaiah 25:9. Therefore this exclamation, “Behold your God!” is to be uttered now in the ears of all the fainting ones of earth. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.14

“That which may be known of God is manifested in them; for God manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and Divinity.” Romans 1:19, 20. He upholds all things by the Word of His power. Hebrews 1:3. To be able to see God in all the things that exist, to know that He has not forsaken the earth, is enough to put courage into any man. What means it that He is here?-Nothing less than that He claims all things as His own, and is determined to stay by them. Though they be marred, and the Divine image may be almost effaced, yet He does not become disheartened or disgusted with them, but will by His presence restore them as at the first. If He did not claim them as His own, and did not intend to make them again worthy of Himself, He would not remain in them; the fact that He tarries even amid the curse, is sufficient proof that He means salvation; and what He purposes He will surely perform. Therefore behold your God in the lowest and meanest created thing, that you may know that He has not forsaken man, His crowning work. Be of good courage; He will come and save you. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 452.15

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing.” When shall all this be? Well, it will certainly be when the Lord comes to save His people, for then the dead themselves will be raised incorruptible, and the living will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, to immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. At that time there will surely not be a saint of God with any blemish either of soul or body. Christ will have “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Ephesians 5:27. But we are warranted in believing that a restoration will take place even before the appearing of the Lord, not indeed to immortality, but to soundness of mortal bodies. When Jesus comes “every eye shall see Him.” But there is even stronger evidence than this. Christ's presence here on earth brought healing to all that were diseased in any way. The proof of the Divinity of His ministry was this, that “the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached unto them.” Matthew 11:3-5. Now there was never a time in the world when there was more need of convincing proof of the genuineness of the Gospel than now. When Satan works with “all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10), as he sees the end near, God will not leave Himself without witness among men, but will also work with many miracles and wonders and signs. The Christ who once walked among men, revealing the Father, will be reproduced in all His people, so that no particle of evidence will be lacking. So as He then healed all who were sick and blind and lame, wherever He went, we may be sure the same thing will be done again, when all His people learn to behold Him still among them and in them. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.1

“In the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” That will be fulfilled when the wilderness and the solitary place are made new, and the desert blossoms as the rose; but we may expect to see it fulfilled even before the coming of the Lord. When Israel went out from Egypt, water was brought from the flinty rock for them in the desert. God “turned the rock into standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.” Psalm 114:8. When God sets His hand again the second time to deliver His people, “there shall be an highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.” Isaiah 11:16. Therefore we may expect to see the same wonders, and even greater ones, repeated. “Behold, the days come, saith The Lord, that they shall no more say, the Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” Jeremiah 23:7, 8. The wonders of the last days will entirely eclipse the miracles of the exodus from Egypt. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.2

“An highway shall be there.” Where? Without doubt in the new earth, in the holy city; but we should miss the joy of the Scripture if we put it all off till the future. Christ is the way, the way of holiness, and the way is plain. “The way ye know.” Anyone can find it; it is revealed unto babes; and the most simple cannot make any mistake in it. “The redeemed shall walk there.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.3

Even now “God hath visited and redeemed His people.” Therefore now the redeemed must have a place in which to walk. And they shall walk in the way, and they “shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads.” Mark that it is with singing that they come into Zion. They do not wait until they get there to sing; they sing now. It is because they sing that they get there. Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, and note verses 21 and 22. It was when Israel began to sing and to praise the Lord, that they gained the victory. Then let the desert resound and be made glad with singing. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.4

“Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heavenly King
Must speak their joys abroad.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.5

This they must do, because they “are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel,” and PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.6

“The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach the heavenly fields,
Or walk the golden streets.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.7

“The Jewish Sabbath” The Present Truth 15, 29.

E. J. Waggoner

It seems more than likely that before long the reproach which men have sought to fasten on the Sabbath of the Lord by calling it the “Jewish Sabbath” will be without even apparent foundation. In America business interests have led many Jews to feel that they cannot lose a day every week, and there are many indications that the same sentiment is growing here. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.8

The Daily Mail said last week, PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.9

Metropolitan Jewry is at present deeply interested in, and not a little disturbed by, a proposal which has been made to hold services on Sunday for those who cannot attend synagogue on the Sabbath. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.10

The proposal emanates from West Hampstead, the abode of a large section of Jews of the middle and upper-middle classes. Competition and the consequent necessity of constant attention to business, to say nothing of the Jewish interest in the Stock Exchange, it is argued, prevent the majority of the wealthier Israelites from attending the usual Sabbath morning service. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.11

The organisers of the movement argue that any service is better than none; but that the matter is regarded with some apprehension by the ecclesiastical authorities may be evidenced from the fact that the Chief Rabbi recently devoted the whole of his sermon at a London synagogue to strenuously opposing the innovation, which he feared might lead, as it had done in some cases in America and Germany, to the substitution of Sunday for the Jewish Sabbath. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.12

God's true Sabbath stands in no need of unconverted supporters or human legislation. It is a part of His will, and will exist and be honoured when all its detractors have passed away. Isaiah 66:22, 23; 1 John 2:17. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 453.13

The Lord desires to see His Sabbath receive its right place in the lives and hearts of men, as the sign of His sanctifying power (Ezekiel 20:12), but He does not want any to profess its observance for the sake of outward appearance. “Unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, or that thou shouldest take My covenant in thy mouth? seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest My words behind thee.” Psalm 50:16, 17. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 454.1

These words are also a strong rebuke to the many religious teachers and workers who excuse themselves from obeying the fourth commandment by saying that it would injure their influence over those whom they desire to help. When a man does not obey the Word of God himself, the Lord shows here that He does not want him to think to teach others the right way. The foundation of all real work for others is to be right one's self. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 454.2

“Little Folks. Heat” The Present Truth 15, 29.

E. J. Waggoner

When we were talking last week about heat, we said that the earth is now, during these long sunny days, staring up a supply of heat for the winter season, when it will give it out gradually. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.1

Although, as we told you, all the heat in the world comes really from the sun, yet its rays are not hot in themselves, neither do they warm the air as they pass through it. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.2

If this were so we should find that the higher we rise from the earth, and the nearer we get to the sun, the warmer it would be. But just the opposite to this is really the case. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.3

Some gentlemen who went up in a balloon five miles above the earth suffered terribly from the cold, and their beards were all crusted over with frost. The temperature was twenty-nine degrees below zero. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.4

You know, too, that the tops of high mountains are covered with snow all the year round, for at such heights there is never enough heat to melt it. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.5

You are perhaps wondering how this can be, and it is well for us to reek for the reasons and the meaning of all the works of God; for in them all He is showing us His eternal power and love, and teaching us wisdom, so that we may learn to he au by watching Him at work and learn the ways of our Heavenly Father. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.6

In order to make heat, the sun's rays must strike against something. As they touch the earth they produce heat which is reflected or “radiated” from the earth into the air to warm it. Therefore the air that is nearest to the earth is the warmest, and it gets gradually colder the farther we get from the earth's surface. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.7

In the summer the sun shines for so many hours in the day that large quantities of beat are produced and given off in this way, and the air gets very warm, as at present. During the night when the sun is not shining the earth gives out some of the heat that it has received during the day. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.8

The amount of heat that the sun's rays produce depends upon the position in which they reach the earth. When the sun is right overhead, so that its rays came straight down, they strike the earth with more force than when they come slanting direction. And besides this a larger number of rays strike in the same place. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.9

This is why it is so much hotter at noon when the sun is just over our heads than at sunrise or sunset, or any other time in the day when its rays come to us in a slanting direction. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.10

Now can you think, dear children, of any benefits that come to the earth through this wonderful arrangement? What would happen if the air were warmed directly by the sun's rays passing through it instead of by the gradual radiation of heat from the earth? The days would be unbearably hot, and at night when the sun was withdrawn everything would freeze; and nothing could live at all in the winter months. So we see how in all this God is working for the good and comfort of all His creatures, and to preserve the earth that He has created. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.11

Then there is another which those find who live countries like India and Africa. Since the higher up you go the cooler it becomes, those in these hot climates who live near the mountains find it easy to escape from the intolerable heat in the summer into the refreshing coolness of the upper air. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.12

At the bottom of Chimborazo, a mountain in South America nearly 30,000 feet high, you would find a very hot, marshy region, with rich forests inhabited by tigers, monkeys and other creatures belonging to hot climates. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.13

Higher up the mountain there is a cool, temperate region of continual spring, with trees and animals suited to the mild climate. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.14

If you should climb the mountain higher, you would at last find yourself surrounded with ice and snow, and suffering from the most intense cold. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.15

Of this place it has been said: “Summer, winter, and spring are here distinct thrones, which they never quit.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 458.16

“Jottings” The Present Truth 15, 29.

E. J. Waggoner

-The brother of the Czar and heir-apparent to the throne of Russia, has died of consumption. The Czar has three daughters but no son. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.1

-The Fen country is beginning to rival Kent as a fruit-growing district. Thousands of acres are devoted to the cultivation of small fruits and flowers. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.2

-Considerable speculation has been aroused in political circles by the exchange of complimentary telegrams between the German Emperor and the French President. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.3

-The Peace Conference is expected to close at the end of July. An Act will be drawn up embodying the scheme of arbitration which has been decided upon by the delegates. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.4

-The Chinese Government has just given out contracts for eight warships at an estimated coat of a million and a half sterling. Part of the work is coming to England. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.5

-The commercial travellers of America are organising against the trusts, in the belief that such combinations will ultimately involve a loss of ?10,000,000 per annum to the travelling salesmen. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.6

-America has refused the proposal of Austria to submit to arbitration the question of an indemnity for the relatives of the Hungarian miners shot at the Hazelton Mine Riot in Pennsylvania two years ago. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.7

-Captain Watkins, the commander of the Paris, acknowledges that the stranding of his vessel was wholly due to an “unaccountable error” on his part. His certificate has been suspended for two years. The Paris has been got off the rocks and towed into Falmouth harbour. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.8

-Over 2,000 saloons have been opened in Cuba since the Spaniards were driven out. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.9

-Protestant missions in India and China claim that 4,000,000 converts and 9,000 missionaries are now reported in these countries. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.10

-According to a reliable authority, for every missionary landed in Africa, there are landed 70,000 casks of rum, 10,000 casks of gin, and fifteen tons of gunpowder. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.11

-The town of Dover is suffering from a plague of green flies such as was never known in their history before. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.12

-Plague similar to the bubonic has broken out at Grand Balsam, on the Gold Coast. Three hundred people, including three European physicians, are stated to have died from it. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.13

-An American Colonel has discovered that by using spectacles, field-glasses, or a telescope fitted with violet glasses, the flash of the rifle and the atmospheric effects of smokeless powder can be detected from long distances. The soldiers in the Philippines are to be supplied with spectacles of this colour. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.14

-The 1,300 buses of the General Omnibus Company carry 190,000,000 passengers a year and rum 29,000,000 miles. The yearly receipts are ?1,200,000. The 18,931 horses consume 250,000 quarters of provender every year at a cost of ?828,000. The number of men operating this traffic is 5,000. The ticket system saves the company ?100,000 a year. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.15

-A large number of German colonists in the southern provinces of Russia are preparing to leave for the United States and other countries in order to escape military service and certain special taxes which have lately been imposed upon them, and which they were promised immunity from when they emigrated to Russia from Germany. Prominent among these are the Mennonites. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.16

-It is believed that London is about to experience another water famine, which will be even more serious than the one of last summer. The flow in the Thames has been lower during May and June than it has ever been before. Even though rain should fall in abundance it will not now suffice to prevent the water famine. It is getting very evident that the present sources of supply are insufficient. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.17

-A pest has appeared in a number of American cities on the Atlantic Coast, in the form of a species of flying beetle, which has been dubbed the “kissing bug.” It seems to sting people for the most part on the lips, causing the parts to swell to an enormous size, and one case of death has been reported from the effects of its bite. So serious is the pest regarded, that the National Government has granted public funds for research concerning it. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.18

-There has lately been started in New York City a new organisation whose principal work is the establishing of “tea saloons” to offset the saloons that dispense wines, beers and liquors. Philanthropic as this appears on the surface, it will indirectly support the publicans, for the excessive use of tea creates an appetite for something stronger, which can only be satisfied by what is dispensed at the saloon. True temperance goes deeper than most people think. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.19

-The fiercest hail and thunder storm within living recollection has visited Canterbury. It would appear that a waterspout broke in that vicinity. Thousands of gallons of water, mud, and shingle washed down into the city, and the basements of all the houses and tenements in the suburb were soon filled with the turbid liquid. The rush of water was preceded by a hailstorm of such fierceness that it was dangerous for anyone to be out. In many cases the lumps of ice measured over an inch and a half in diameter, one nusery man having over 1,000 panes of glass broken. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 462.20

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 29.

E. J. Waggoner

“How much ought I to give? PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.1

This question, frequently asked, means very often, “How little can I give?” “How much is necessary in order to have it, look well in comparison to the gifts of others?” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.2

There is just one standard of liberality, just as there is but one standard of everything good and that is the Lord Himself. He “giveth to all liberally.” Whoever gives less than God gives, does not give enough, and cannot be called liberal. This is not a rash assertion, but a Bible truth. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.3

What does God give? He gives Himself. He purchased the church with His own blood. Acts 20:28. God was in Christ, who loved us, and “gave Himself for us.” This gift includes everything; for “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. It could not be otherwise; for “in Him all things consist.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.4

God gives us all things in giving us Himself, yet if He should withhold Himself, He would give us nothing; for we cannot get anything at all outside of Him, and He is not divided, He cannot give us a part of Himself without giving us the whole. With Him it is everything or nothing, and so it is always everything. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.5

The grace of God is manifested in giving. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9. He impoverished Himself to enrich us; He gave everything He had; He “emptied Himself.” Philippians 2:7, R.V. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.6

The spirit of Satan is directly opposed to the Spirit of God. Christ would not hold on to what was His by right; Satan, on the other hand, was determined to get everything for himself, even when he had no right to it. Christ said, “I will give;” Satan said, “I will get.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.7

There are only these two minds in the world. When the spirit of Satan controls, there is selfishness, so that even though large donations be made, an evil motive takes away all their value. When the Spirit of Christ prevails, there is unselfish liberality, It is always the Spirit of Christ in a man, that leads him to make a real gift; therefore since it is only Christ who gives, the truly liberal man gives everything. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.8

Whoever gives everything, gives himself. He gives everything, in that he gives himself. A man may give all his goods to the poor, and yet really give nothing. If love be lacking,-the love that purifies the heart,-there is no liberality. The offering that God accepts is the “offering in righteousness.” It is with the “sacrifices of righteousness,” that God is well pleased. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.9

Christ saw the rich men cast of their abundance into the treasury, and He saw a poor widow drop in “two mites; which make a farthing,” and He declared that she had given more than they all. Why?-Because she gave all she had. Her gift showed that her soul was in the work of God; she had given herself. The brethren in Macedonia gave liberally out of their deep poverty, because they “first gave their own selves.” 2 Corinthians 8:5. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.10

Men are often deceived by appearances. See some one make a donation of thousands of pounds, they say, “What a liberal man!” It may be, and it may not be. Money is the easiest thing in the world to give. The man who has not a penny may be more liberal, and may actually give more than the one who bestows thousands. The man with the money may withhold that which is most needed, namely, himself, his love and sympathy. Christ had no money, the apostles had no money, but they imparted the gift of life, and that includes everything. Their lives flowed out to others. He who gives this, gives as much as God does, by God's own system of reckoning. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.11

The poor person need not, therefore, waste time in regrets, saying, “How I wish I were able to give something!” Why you are able to give everything; you can give yourself. That is the most that God Himself can give, and yet it is the least that you can give and give anything at all. God is not deceived, although men are, and by Him the vile person is not called liberal, nor the churl-or the deceitful person-bountiful. Isaiah 32:5. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.12

This settles the whole question of giving. A heart given to God, that He may purify it, and then the life of God, which has cleansed it, flowing out to others, is the whole of the matter. “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.” Romans 12:1. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.13

The man who attempts to compel respect for himself generally succeeds only in making himself an object of ridicule. People respect, without compulsion, those who are worthy of it. The numerous prosecutions in Germany of authors and editors for commenting on the Kaiser's speeches, simply serve to sharpen the wits of unfriendly journalists, and provide additional matter for scathing comment. One paper in Berlin discourses on the “inflexible will,” which the Kaiser attributes to himself, and while careful to keep within the bounds of the law, writes in this wise:- PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.14

The Tsar Nicholas I., had his will broken at Alma, Balaclava and Inkerman, and died of a broken heart. Napoleon's inflexible will led him to Moscow, Elba, Waterloo and St. Helena. Charles XII., of Sweden, had his will broken at Pultava and Bender. Charles I., of England, was a man of inflexible will. It led him to Naceby and Marston Moor. Philip II.'s will resulted in the downfall of the Spanish world dominion PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.15

The journal concludes by saying, “The great Elector, Frederick the and William I. never glorified their inflexible wills. This wise reserve was part of the historical greatness of these rulers.” PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.16

It is not well to glory in the possession of an inflexible will. If one were right in every respect, it would be different, for then there would be no need to change, but in view of the corruption harboured by every human heart, it becomes men to walk humbly. Too often men, whose wills cannot be bent, are not above stooping to fraud and meanness in the execution of their purposes. All flesh is grass, and all the glory of it as the flower of the field, which soon passes away! God does not change, but men must, or they will never become like Him. The curse of militarism which turns whole nations into machines for war, exerts even a worse influence on the head of the nation than his unfortunate subjects, and the more he partakes of the nature of a machine, the more “inflexible” he gets. It is a pitiable state. PTUK July 20, 1899, page 464.17