The Present Truth, vol. 15

September 7, 1899

“The Miracle of the Harvest” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

“Whoever plants a seed beneath the sod,
And waits to see it push away the clod,
He trusts in God.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 561.1

Not consciously, perhaps, but yet he is reckoning on the operation of that Word of which the seed is the embodiment,-“Let the earth bring forth grass, herbs and fruit trees, each “after its kind.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 561.2

So the labourer who upturns the soil and prepares the earth for the reception of the seed, the farmer who casts the seed upon the ground, is, whether or not he recognises and realises the dignity of his calling, a “labourer together with God.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 561.3

This he virtually acknowledges when, having cast the seed into the earth, without further thought or care he sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed springs and grows up, “he knoweth not how.” He can do nothing, yet he waits in confident expectation of the harvest. Those “laws of nature” which he trusts to multiply the seed and produce the harvest are but the Word of life working out its own fulfillment. Therefore, though he may not know it, he is really relying upon the Word of God, which not only bids the earth bring forth, but also declares that “while the earth remaineth... seed-time and harvest shall not cease.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 561.4

Of the works of Jesus it has been truly said that “His miracles were parables.” Not only did they meet and satisfy the need of those for whose immediate benefit they were wrought, but they were also demonstrations of eternal truth. Thus, in the feeding of the five thousand, we have the demonstration of the truth and the facts that underlie the yearly miracle of the harvest,-the annual multiplication of the bread for the feeding of the multitude. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 561.5

By doing immediately, before the eyes of the people, what He does constantly by a slower process, through the operations of nature, He taught them and us that it is by His personal working that the seed is multiplied, the yearly harvest given, and the world's hunger satisfied. Yet even in this instance He did not dispense with human co-operation. He took the small store of loaves that the disciples brought to Him, just as He takes and uses the small quantity of seed that the farmer casts into the ground; and when He had multiplied it, the disciples took what He had produced and conveyed it to the people,-which is all that the farmer is doing when he gathers in his corps and disposes of them to the people. “That Thou givest them they gather.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 561.6

That man needs to be constantly reminded of this fact is seen from the Lord's lament over His people in the first chapter of Isaiah: “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib,”-even the animals know the hand that feeds them,-“but My people doth not consider.” Therefore He says of them again: “She did not know that I gave her corn and wine and oil.” Hosea 2. “Stand still, and consider the wondrous works God,” and learn that He is the One from cometh whom every good and perfect gift cometh down. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 561.7

But another and deeper lesson, yet so simple and unmistakable, was taught in the feeding of the five thousand, that henceforth men might more clearly discern it, not in the yearly harvest only, but in all that their eyes can see and their hands handle. Whence came the bread that in the hands of Jesus grew before the eyes of the astonished multitude, and conveyed life to their frames? The life in was identical with the life contained in every seed, in every grain, in every loaf made from the grain,-the life of Him who alone is “the Life.” He was feeding them with His own Iife, but no more so on that occasion than in all the all lives before and after. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 561.8

In order to convey His life to the people, so that they might feed upon Him, Christ clothed it with the visible form of bread. Thus the bread became His body, the life proceeding from Him, which took this shape that could be seen and handled and eaten by the people. Yet this bread was no different in this respect from that upon which these same people were accustomed to feed, as proved by the words of Christ when He took the bread at the Passover supper and said of it, “This is My body.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 561.9

All life proceeds from God, and all the varied forms in the earth are the body with which He has clothed Himself that the life may be manifested and we may see it, and feed upon Him. To His life in all things, God “giveth a body as it hath pleased Him,” even as He give “to every every seed own body.” Yet how few “discern the Lord's body,” and behold their God in all the things in which He is revealing Himself. Even those whom He fed with His body in the desert did not all discern it; for among them were those who shortly afterwards questioned, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.1

All through the summer months the personal presence of God, His everlasting power and divinity, has been working in the waving fields of grain, preparing for His life “a body as it hath pleased Him,” even as He gave it visible form to feed the people in the desert. Let us then as we partake of that which His bounty has provided, “eat in faith” “discerning the Lord's body.” Thus will it be to us indeed “spiritual meat,” “the bread of God that cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.2

“A Poor Memory and a Good One” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

Many people complain, when the Word of God is preached to them, or when they read it, that they have such poor memories that they cannot retain it nor call it to mind. Well, it is a fact that people have by nature very poor memories, but not in the way that they think. Their memories are poor in that they forget things that they ought to remember, and remember very vividly the things that they ought to forget. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.3

The man who says that his memory is so poor that he cannot possibly remember a text of Scripture, nor where it is found, will recall with the utmost minuteness of detail every word and act of somebody whom he thinks has injured or meant to injure him; and he will, even months and years afterward, tell exactly where everything occurred or was said. Is not that in truth a poor memory, which forgets the good things, and remembers only that which is bad? It would really be better to have no memory at all. Such a person needs to cultivate the art of forgetting fully as much as that of remembering. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.4

Now there is a perfect remedy for this kind of memory, and that is to “let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” His mind is the mind of the Spirit. If we have that mind, the Spirit Himself will be our memory, bringing to our remembrance all things that the Lord has said. John 14:26. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.5

That is good, but it is not all. God says of His people, “their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12. Therefore if we let Him put His mind in us, we shall not remember the evil things that have been said and done against us, or against anybody else. That is a good memory. Get it, and you will find it a continual delight, for the Word of Christ will dwell in you richly in all wisdom, so that you will continually sing with grace in your heart unto the Lord. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.6

“What to Do With Animals” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

What should we do with the cattle if we didn't eat them?” is a question commonly asked when one talks to the people about coming back to the pure, simple diet which God in the beginning prescribed for man. “If we didn't kill and eat them,” say the people, “they would overrun the country.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.7

What a frightful prospect! One would suppose that cows and sheep are ferocious beasts, that would eat us all up, if we didn't get the start of them, and eat them up. We may certainly spare our fears in that respect. To show how utterly inconsistent, not to say senseless, such a position is, we have only to call attention to other animals. Dogs, for example, multiply much faster than cattle, bringing forth several at a birth, while cattle usually bring forth but one; yet no one counsels the killing and eating of dogs in order to keep them from overrunning the country, and overpowering the people. In view of this, the idea that gentle, grass-eating cows may crowd us out if we do not eat them, is very laughable. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.8

But what shall we do with them?-Let them enjoy themselves in their own way, the same as the birds, the dogs, and the cats. Or, if that is not sufficient, use them for bearing burdens and drawing loads, just as men do horses and camels. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.9

It is a very gross condition of mind that leads one to think that a thing is useless unless it can be eaten. In the world to come, which will be the world as God created it, and as it ought to be, all animals will be the companions and playmates of men. Even so it will be now, just to the extent that men come back to the beginning-to the perfect manner of living. And the better men become, the better will the lower animals become, and the better adapted for human companionship. Why should men cherish dogs and cats and certain birds as companions, to minister to their enjoyment, and see in the gentle, playful lamb and calf only an object for slaughter. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.10

The Lord is the great Pattern, and His is represented as our Shepherd. We are the sheep of His pasture. How horrible, and unnatural, and inconceivable the thought that he tends us only that He may eat us up! No; the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour; but God protects us that we may live and be His companions. Let us learn of God, and not of an adversary. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.11

“Temptations in the Wilderness” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

Let no one deceive himself with the thought that by getting away from society and association with men, he will be free from temptation. Remember that Jesus met His fiercest temptations alone in the wilderness. Luther in his monk's cell suffered temptations greater than any that ever came to him among his companions. There is no place on earth where one will not be exposed to temptations, and solitude in the monk's cloister of the hermit's cave gives one no immunity from it. God has placed men in the world and it is there that they are to do battle and gain the victory. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.12

This is not saying that solitude is not at times good for Christians; far from it. The secret place of prayer is where the heavenly plant fastens its roots most firmly in the Divine soil. But he who runs away from what is called “the world,” in order to avoid temptations, thereby shows himself already conquered; and the weakness exhibited in his running away, will make him an easy prey to the temptations that surely follow him. We are not to run into temptation. We are to avoid it when we can. But he who cannot overcome in the position where God has placed him, can most certainly not overcome anywhere else. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 562.13

“The Gospel of Isaiah. ‘All Flesh Is Grass.’ Isaiah 40:6-9” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

(Isaiah 40:6-9.)

“The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field; the grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the breath of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the Word of our God shall stand forever. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.1

“O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” R.V. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.2

Psalm 103:15-17: “As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children's children.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.3

Psalm 90:10: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.4

James 1:9-11, R.V. “Let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate; and the rich, in that he is made low; because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and withereth the grass; and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth; so also shall the rich man fade away in his goings.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.5

Matthew 6:28-30: “Why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.6

Jeremiah 17:5-7: Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land, and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.7

Romans 7:18: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.8

Galatians 5:17: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.9

Psalm 33:6: “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.10

1 Peter 1:22-25: “Love one another from the heart fervently; having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the Word of God, which liveth and abideth. For, PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.11

All flesh is grass,
And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower falleth;
But the Word of the Lord abideth for ever. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.12

And this is the Word of good tidings which was preached unto you.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.13

Remember that this is part of the message of comfort. God tells us that our iniquity is pardoned, and we accept the comfort. He tells us that our warfare is accomplished, since He has overcome the world, and we rejoice for the consolation. We ought to be equally glad when He goes on with His comforting words, and says that all flesh is grass, that is, that we have no might nor power nor wisdom in ourselves. That is really what is involved in the announcement that our warfare is accomplished, that Jesus has fought the battle for us; for the only reason why He has fought and overcome for us is that we had no power to fight and overcome for ourselves. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.14

The first impulse one has on reading the Lord's words, “All flesh is grass,” is to say, “That does not mean actually that all flesh is grass; I know that I am not grass, for I do not resemble grass at all; there is scarcely any likeness between me and grass.” The words are of course used in a figurative sense. It is thus that men make of none effect the words of the Lord, and keep themselves from learning anything. When God tells us something which is entirely new to us, and which we do not understand, the wisest thing for us to do is believe it, and then we shall learn the new thing. He who believes nothing but what he already knows and understands, will have a very limited range of knowledge, and his store of knowledge will continually diminish. It is astonishing what a wide field opens up to us when we accept some statements of the Lord's as actual fact, and proceed on that basis. Things that before were obscure, suddenly become plain. In the statement that “all flesh is grass,” we have in a nutshell the whole science of botany and of physiology, as well as the first part of the key to salvation. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.15

From Matthew 6:28-30 we learn that the term “grass” is very comprehensive, including many plants not commonly classed as grass. The lilies of the field are by the Lord called grass. There are, however, very many different kinds of grass, that are so called by botanists. Every species of grain is but a kind of grass. A little thought and observation and comparison will show this fact to any who have not known it before. When this is recognised, it is not difficult to see that all flesh is grass. In fact, the wonder is that anybody should need to be told so simple a thing. Thus, we well know that any animal is composed of what it eats. Der Mensch ist vas er isst, says the old German proverb. That is, man is what he eats. Now not only all that we eat, but everything that is on the face of the earth, comes from the ground. Most men eat both vegetables and flesh of animals; but the animals which they eat feed only on vegetables, or grass, so that in every case a man's body is composed only of that which he derives from the vegetable creation. Only in the vegetable world can man find the elements prepared for the sustenance of his body; the ox makes no change whatever in the food elements which he finds in the grass; so that when a man eats the ox he is simply taking his food second hand, after it has done service in another body. He gets nothing that he would not get in a purer form if he took it direct from the plant. Therefore, it is a literal fact that “all flesh is grass.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 563.16

The stream can rise no higher than its source. Nothing can be any better than the material out of which it is made. A strong garment cannot be made out of rotten cloth. The whole cannot be any greater than the sum of all its parts. Therefore since a man's body is composed only of grass, or the fruit of grass, it is evident that there is in man no more power or wisdom than there is in the grass. How can there be, when man himself is but grass? He is not the grass of the field, but he is grass, nevertheless. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 564.1

“Well, this is anything but a comforting doctrine, I must say,” I hear somebody exclaim. “If I have no more power or wisdom than the grass, there is no use in my trying to do or be anything; there is no hope for anybody.” Not so fast, please. You have not heard the whole of the story, or at least have forgotten a part of it. “The Word of God shall stand for ever.” It “liveth and abideth.” It is almighty and everlasting. The comfort of the fact that all flesh is grass is based on the accompanying fact that God's Word, which is the life of the grass, lives and abides, all-powerful. Do not separate these two facts. Let them always be as closely united as the Lord has made them. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 564.2

Nevertheless some one will say, “I know that I have power that grass has not. I can move at will, and I can do many things that are impossible for grass.” What is the conclusion?-Oh, simply this, that you will prove that the Bible is not true. There is not enough prospect of gain in that to make it worth while trying. But let us examine your statement. You can move, you say. Well, so can the plant. Some plants can even move from place to place, and every plant has certain movements that may be seen by anybody who will take the trouble to look. Did you ever watch a plant growing in the window? You know how it will turn towards the light. Turn it half-way round, so that it leans away from the window, and you will very soon see that it has turned round, and is reaching out to the light again. Plant a tree half-way between a well and a dry sand-bank, and watch how the roots grow. Instead of reaching out in every direction, the most of them will turn towards the water. The roots of a plant always set toward the place where there is nourishment for it in solution, and they always go right the first time, and they go the most direct way. They lose no time in “prospecting,” and they do not miss the way. What is the plant doing? Just what the man does-trying to get into the best possible circumstance for living; and it accomplishes its purpose more successfully then the man does. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 564.3

Watch the plant, and you will also see that it is capable of bearing a great burden. In the first place, the seed must often exert wonderful power, in order to escape from the shell that encases it. Then think how great a weight of earth the tender shoot must push out of its way before it can reach the surface of the ground. Think how great a weight the growing tree lifts up every year. Then above all, remember that the strength of which you are wont to boast is derived from these same despised plants. You have often been hungry and faint. You have often felt so weak that you could not think of working any longer, and have had your strength and courage come back to you after eating a bit of bread. Did you not connect your increased strength with the bread that you ate? Of course you did, for you said, “I cannot do anything more until I have had something to eat.” Yet for all that you did not think that all the new strength that you received from eating was formerly in that which you ate. If it had not been, how could you have derived any strength from eating it? “Speak well of the bridge that carries you over.” Instead of being so much superior in power to the grass of the field, you are absolutely dependent upon it. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 564.4

Shall we then worship the grass of the field, as being superior to us? By no means, for you were right in a sense, that the grass has no power. It is used as a symbol of weakness and frailty. Today it is and tomorrow it is not. Whence when comes that wonderful power that is manifested in its growth, and which we derive by eating and assimilating it?-From the word of God, which liveth and abideth. “The word of God is living and active.” It is force and energy. It is wisdom. Christ upholds all things by the word of His power. Hebrews 1:3. His word in the beginning said, “Let the earth bring forth grass,” and in obedience to that word the earth brings forth grass to this day. All the life and energy that is manifested in the growing plant is the life of the word that is in it. The everlasting power and Divinity of God are clearly seen in every living plant. Romans 1:20. The seeds of the grass, which we eat made into bread, are but the means of conveying to us the life and power of God. Only God is great; only He has life, and wisdom and strength. Worship God. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 564.5

This is the lesson that we are to learn from the statement that all flesh is grass. It is the simple truth, and there is no comfort in anything but the truth. A lie may deceive us, and make us think that all is right, but it can give no real comfort. The man who tells us that there is no danger, when there is danger, is not a comforter. The comforter is the man who points out the danger and the way of escape. Now as the result of not recognising the fact that we are grass, we are all engaged in making gods of ourselves. We imagine that we have power in ourselves. The fact is that power belongs to God. Psalm 62:11. Just to the extent that we think that we have any power, do we regard ourselves as God. We propose at the very best to divide honours with God, saying, “I have so little strength,” and think that we have made a wonderfully humble confession. In reality we have said, “I am not so great a god as the One in heaven.” That is not fearing God, and giving glory to Him. God tells us the plain truth, that we have no strength at all, in order that we may learn to say, “Behold, God is my strength.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 564.6

“That which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die; and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat or some other grain; but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh; but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another in glory.” 1 Corinthians 15:36-41. Even so there is a difference in plants. Indeed, that is what the text says, for God gives to every seed such a body as pleases Him. All plants have not the same purpose. There is infinite variety in the vegetable world, yet the same life is in all plants. The same life in all brings each to the state of perfection which God designs for it. Even so the same life in the human plant will, if given free course, bring the man to the state of perfection designed for him. Nothing is too hard for the Lord, and nothing is too small to escape His attention. The grass of the field is passive in the hands of God, for Him to do with it as He will, and wonderful things are accomplished. If we will but be as passive in God's hands, He will do infinitely greater things for us, inasmuch as He created us for a higher place. But we cannot reach that higher place by striving to lift up ourselves, any more than the ivy could by its own wisdom and power climb to the top of the tower, or split the walls asunder. “It is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 564.7

“This is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.” The Gospel presents God as Creator, as supreme. It presents an Almighty Saviour, who saves by His power to create, inasmuch as He saves by creating us anew. Therefore we must expect that the nearer we approach the end, the plainer will this Gospel be presented. More and more loudly must the cry be uttered, which shows men that they are in themselves absolutely nothing, but that God is everything. In Him is all fullness, and of His fulness have all we received. We are nothing, but He gives us everything in giving us Himself. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 565.1

The Gospel does not tell us to look at ourselves, but at God. It tells us what we are, and then says, “Behold your God.” We are to accept God's statement of what we are, and that is not difficult when we have it so patent to our senses. But knowing that we are nothing, we do not need to waste any time looking at ourselves, for it is certainly a waste of time to look at nothing. Our charge is, “Behold your God!” Where shall we look, in order to see Him? Look at everything that He has made,-at the heavens, the seas, the earth, and all that is in them. When we see ourselves, as we must every day, let it be only to recognise the fact that “in Him we live, and move, and have our being.” Let no flesh glory in man, but instead, “Fear God, and give glory to Him,” “and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:7. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 565.2

“Notes on the International Sunday-School Lessons. The Source of Power. Zechariah 4:1-14” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

In the visions granted to Zechariah, one of which is the subject of the lesson, he was taken behind the scenes and shown the powerful agencies which were at work on behalf of Israel. In the third chapter is the history in brief of the struggle between God's people and their enemies, with its outcome. Satan appears as the real adversary, but in spite of his efforts, the high priest who represents Israel, is cleansed from defilement and clothed with change of raiment. Israel was unconscious of much that was taking place in connection with their experience. They saw the attacks of their enemies and walked in fear of the machinations of their hostile neighbours, but these things did not by any means complete the picture. The powers of heaven were leagued with them, and while Satan seemed often to triumph to outward appearance, in reality the adversary was compelled to stand by powerless under the Divine rebuke, while God wrought for His people in causing their iniquity to pass from them. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 565.3

There is a lesson for us in this experience. We are not to fix our attention upon earthly difficulties. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 565.4

It is true that Satan will find numerous instruments through whom he can work to tempt and harass us, but we may always rejoice in the confidence that his seeming triumph is but a hollow one. Christ is the Captain of our salvation, and He never stands aside from our spiritual conflicts, His strength is available to make us more than conquerors, and our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18. As the angels of God, although invisible to human eyes, were yet all the while encamped about Elisha, so in times of apparently overwhelming attack, we may remember that Christ has promised never to Ieave or forsake us, and that God “always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 565.5

Again, in the fourth chapter Zechariah is shown that, while success depends entirely upon the Spirit of God, abundant provision is made for every one to receive this in its fulness. The prophet was shown a candlestick with seven lamps. There was no need for any of the lamps to become extinguished, because a pipe connected each with olive trees, which poured the oil out of themselves through the pipes into the lamps. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 565.6

The candlestick with seven lamps stood for God's people. In the earthly sanctuary, the lights were to be kept always burning before the veil, showing that Israel was always in the presence and thought of God. “It shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.” Exodus 27:21. When John was shown the sanctuary in heaven, and saw the Saviour in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, it was explained to him that the seven candlesticks were the seven churches. Revelation 1:20. God's people are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15), and it was solely that the light might shine that the temple was now to be re-built. God's ambition for His people is expressed in the words, “For Zion's sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” Isaiah 62:1. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 565.7

The two olive trees it was told Zechariah by the angel, were “the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” They are referred to again in the eleventh chapter of Revelation as God's two witnesses, also as two candlesticks. Revelation 11:3, 4. There are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood, but as these three agree in one (1 John 5:8), we may conclude that the two witnesses certainly refer to the life of Christ, as revealed in the Spirit, which testifies of Him (John 16:14), the Word or Water, which is Himself (John 1:1), the Water of Life, and the Blood, which is the life of Christ. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself.” 1 John 5:10. And so also, whatever the two olive trees represented, they poured out of themselves into the lamps. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 566.1

We see, therefore, that there were infinite possibilities before the children of Israel at this time, and the vision was given that they might know something of the riches of the glory that was bestowed so freely upon them. A great work could be done if they would only learn what was the true nature of God's work, and not get the false idea that spiritual receptivity and success meant much outward display. It is evident that many were as yet labouring under this mistake, for they were despising the day of small things. Their thoughts were altogether upon externals. Had a vast army of workmen been at their command, and a splendid structure in course of rapid erection, they would have felt that things were going prosperously, but because these outward indications were lacking, they set down the whole thing as a comparative failure. They did not know how they might work the works of God, and so the instruction was given. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 566.2

With sufficient gold they might have erected a building which would be unsurpassable in architectural splendour, but all the gold in the world could not buy one living stone for the temple which God was building. Every other agency but the Spirit was valueless and powerless for the work. Christian workers need to keep this truth in mind. When God has given success to some effort, it is often felt that if only so many more men could be engaged in the work, so much more good could be accomplished. But this is a fallacy which is based on a mistake. “It is not by might” (or an army, margin). It is not by one man or a multitude that God effects anything. Therefore when we would attain greater success in God's work, we should not seek for more men, but for more of God's Spirit. If we get this, the question of more workers will take care of itself. When the first thought is to get more men with a view to success, the real thing to be desired is partly obscured, and when the increase in men is obtained, it is often discovered that there has been no increase in real efficiency. On the other hand, the obtaining of more of God's Spirit will always ensure greater success. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 566.3

The same principle applies with respect to every other means by which men think to advance the kingdom of God. The power of numbers, the influence of the press, the lever of wealth and worldly patronage are much sought after, but it is not by these that success comes. Even when the desire for them is satisfied, they bring leanness into the soul. God's Spirit, His own character and power, are the one means by which His work of saving men can be carried forward. And the Spirit is given freely, without measure. Zechariah saw this in the vision of the two olive trees. No promise is more clear or more emphasised than the promise of the Spirit. Christ declared that if earthly fathers knew how to give good gifts to their children, much more would our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Luke 11:13. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 566.4

Notice the expression, “This is the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel,” in verse 6. What was the word? Why the very thing it spoke of. God did not say to them, “You can do nothing without My Spirit,” and then leave them to hunt for it. The pouring out of the Spirit was the word to Israel that it was the thing they needed. We may know whenever God tells us that we need anything that we have that very thing in the Word which declares our need. No word of God is given to discourage. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 566.5

Without God's Spirit, as we have seen, numbers and wealth would have availed Israel nothing, for their enemies were stronger than they in both respects. But with God's Spirit working for them, the more opposition they met, the better they would get on. Everything would work together for their good. The difficulties in their way were compared by God Himself to a “great mountain,” but that great mountain, by the working of God's Spirit would become a plain before Zerubbabel, and all that would be left of it would simply serve for a headstone for the temple, to be brought forth with shoutings of Grace, grace. Never be afraid of the mountains of difficulty that stand in your path, or sigh for might or power to remove them. God's Spirit is poured into you with an unceasing flow from the Divine reservoir, and by its working the mountain will be brought low. Out of it shall come that which is needed to crown the completed structure of your life. Where the mountain stood will be a plain, and the massive strength and solidity which blocked your path is transferred into your own life, making you an enduring monument of grace. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 566.6

“Children's Corner. ‘Stored with Fire’” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

Read, if you have not already done so, the third chapter of the second Epistle of Peter, and see what is his answer to the “scoffers” of whom we were talking this week. You will remember what it is that they say about the coming of the Lord, when His Word shows that it is just at hand: “Where is the promise of His coming?” for “all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.1

Peter says that those who say this are “willingly ignorant” of something, or “wilfully forget” it, and that is, what it was that formed the heavens and the earth in the beginning, and causes all things to continue. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.2

It was the Word of God. “In the beginning was the Word,” and God still upholds all things by “the Word of His power.” So Peter says: “By the Word of the Lord the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.3

And then he reminds them of something else that they wilfully forgot, that heavens and the earth which God made in the beginning, standing out of the water and in the water, were destroyed by the very Word them brought forth. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.4

In the first chapter of Genesis you will find that it was the Word of God that “divided the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were above the firmament,” and that gathered the waters together unto one place, and made the dry land appear. And Peter says that it was by this same Word that “the world that then was being overflowed with water, perished.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.5

God's Word in the waters in the firmament, and in the earth; and at the time of the flood, that same Word brought the waters together again. “The fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened,” and the waters covered the face of the earth, even as they did in the beginning, before they were separated by the Word. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.6

But did the people of that day believe that this flood of destruction was coming? Oh, no; they might have known, for “surely the Lord God will do nothing but He revealeth His secret unto the prophets.” He sent His servant Noah with a warning message to the world which to faithfully delivered for one hundred and twenty years, while he built the ark in which all who believed the Word of the Lord might be saved. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.7

But in those days there were “scoffers” who said that such a thing as Noah talked of could not be. They reacted just as people to to-day,-that all things had continued as they were from the beginning of the creation. The laws of nature were so firmly fixed that God Himself could not change them. No drop of water had ever fallen from the sky, the rivers had never overflowed their banks, and the seas had ever kept their decreed place. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.8

But oh, they forgot, they were “willingly ignorant,” just as people are now, that these “laws of nature” as they call them, are simply the working of the Word of God, which had gathered the waters, and kept them in their appointed place, saying, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” They did not see in this the hand of Him who “works all things after the counsel of His own will.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.9

So they went on their way, “eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away.” The Word that was holding back the waters, caused them to rush together, and the earth and its inhabitants were destroyed. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.10

Now another thing Peter tells us. The earth and the heavens before the flood, were, by the Word of God, stored with the water which God used in their destruction. “But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are stored with fire [Revised Version] against the day of judgment.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.11

Since the time of the flood, and as the result of it, fire has been stored in the depths of the earth; for at that time great forests of trees, and all sorts of vegetation, were buried deep in the ground. These have in the course of ages turned to coal, which, as you know, is dug out of the depths of the earth. These coal beds give quantities of oil, and the coal and oil often catch fire and burn deep in the earth, heating great rocks and stones, and causing loud explosions and volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, as we learned a little while ago. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.12

“When the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil,” and as the steam must have an outlet, it forces up the surface of the ground. This is how volcanoes or burning mountains are formed. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.13

In all these things we see evidences of the truth of God's word that the earth is “stored with fire against the day of judgment;” while the lightnings which shook from heave at times remind us of the day when fire from heaven will unite with the fires which will burst forth from the earth, as did the waters above with the waters below in the days of the blood. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 570.14

Then “the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat;” “the earth also; and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which the righteous shall dwell.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.1

Now you see, dear children, that these two things of which we have lately been learning, fire and water, both but different forms of the all-powerful life of God, are used by Him to destroy everything that cannot be brought into perfect harmony with His will. The dreadful curse of sin must be removed and destroyed by His life which swallows up death, and all who will not be “saved by His life,” must at last be destroyed by it. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.2

“A Light in a Dark Place” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

Are you wondering what is the meaning of the little picture on the opposite page, and what it has to do with the words printed beside it? PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.3

Perhaps some of you have already thought of some texts which will explain its meaning. It not, try to do so before you read further. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.4

Here is one: “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” But what is it in the lamp that makes the light and keeps it burning? You can see what is being poured into it from the hand above,-the oil. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.5

The Word of God is a lamp, and the holy oil which makes it a light to our path, is the Spirit of God which is in it. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.6

David, one of these holy prophets, said: “The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His Word was in my tongue.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.7

The precious oil, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, came upon them from above, and God spoke through them words which were to give light to His people in all parts of the earth and through all the ages. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.8

So Peter tells us that we “do well to take heed” to these words of the prophets, “as unto a light that shineth in a dark place.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.9

“God will do nothing but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets,” to show His children the things that are coming to pass on the earth. So we none of us need walk in darkness not knowing what is before us, if we will do as the Apostle Peter tells us, “and remember the words which were spoken by the holy prophets.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.10

“This lamp through all the tedious night
Of life shall guide our way,
Till we behold the clearer light
Of an eternal day.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 571.11

“Life from Life” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

There is nothing in the world that more clearly shows the strength of the life which God has placed in the human body, and its renewing, recuperative power, than the way in which people live in spite of all the poisonous medicines they swallow. One or two instances that have recently come to our notice, will illustrate this. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 573.1

An American paper tells of a gentleman who entered a chemist's shop with two prescriptions, one of which the chemist judged to be intended for a person with a cough. The gentleman was coughing severely, and the chemist put up the cough mixture first, and handed it to the customer, with the remark that he might wish to take a dose at once, while he was waiting for the other. “No;” said the gentleman, “I do not wish to take that; it is for my little girl, two years old, who has a cold.” The chemist saw at once that a mistake had been made, and, making an excuse, sent his assistant to the physician who had given the prescription, which contained a poison a full dose of which for an adult would have killed the baby. So, as the paper said, the father's cough saved the baby's life. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 573.2

Another example: In the question department of the Echo, the one who answers the medical questions recently gave advice as to the treatment of a young girl with chorea. Here is the substance of it: “Absolute rest in bed and freedom from excitement are essentials. Plenty of fresh air, cold sponging, and good food are also necessary. Underlying conditions, such as an?mia require attention. Arsenic and iron do the most good, the mistake being to give the former in small doses, because it has been found that children, and in particular choreic children, bear large doses well, and in fact arsenic should be ‘pushed’ till griping indigestion, or signs of conjuctival or nasal irritation be induced.” Then follows the prescription. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 573.3

Just think of that! A man, presumably a physician, deliberately advising the giving of poison to a child, and of “pushing” it until distinct signs of poisoning are produced! These two instances are good illustrations of the fact that the ordinary study of medicine consists largely in the grading of poisons to various ages and temperaments, so that the physician may know how much poison the human system will endure at different stages and under different conditions. Of course the size of the dose is based upon an average of many cases, and when a person is found who is more susceptible to poison than the average man, it is his misfortune, and he must pay for it with his life. No one thinks of blaming the physician who administered the poison, if he prescribed only so much as the generality of people could take and still live. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 573.4

Does not this suggest to the reader that the taking of poisonous medicines is both senseless and wicked? Think of the inconsistency of taking death in order to get life! of taking as much poison as one can endure without dying, in order to be saved from dying! Common sense should teach a person that one disease is quite enough to endure, without imposing another upon the already weakened body. The fact that many people do get well in some of all this drugging, shows the power of the life which God has given mankind. What glorious results might not one expect to see if people depended only on the life of the Lord, and did not try to get life by taking death. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 573.5

“Well,” somebody may ask, “what has all this to do with the Gospel? What has a religious journal to do with medical questions?” Much every way. The Gospel is the good news of life; it brings life and immortality to light, and therefore it has to do with everything that in any way affects life. God is the Great Physician; He, and He only, is the One who heals every disease that is healed; and He heals by imparting His own life which, because it is righteousness closeness from sin. So the forgiveness of sin and the healing of disease are designed to go together. Witness the case of healing by the Lord, in which sins were at the same time forgiven. In the new earth “the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick; the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.” Isaiah 33:24. The reason why they are not sick is that their sins we forgiven. The Lord says to those who will serve Him perfectly “I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” Exodus 23:25. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 573.6

God gives His life freely to all men. The record is that “God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” 1 John 5:11. Most people do not believe it, and many of those who profess to believe it, do not show any appreciation of it. This lack of appreciation is shown most frequently by disdaining the things by which God conveys to us His perfect life and choosing instead those things that tend to death. God's life cannot injure anybody, if it is not perverted, and in that case the life is gone. The life of God taken with conscious, grateful recognition of Him, can give only life and health, joy and blessing. Now when God gives His life so freely and so abundantly, is it not a sin to reject it? and does it not show gross stupidity and lack of appreciation when we take death for our healing, instead of holding fast to God's life, and that alone? PTUK September 7, 1899, page 573.7

There is a marvellous power in the life of God, for He is the Almighty. The least thing that He has made reveals His everlasting power. As already noted, the wonderful life force which He has placed in men is shown in the fact that so many live in spite of all the poisons they take and of all the other ways in which they fight against life. Who can measure the amount of strength, and the buoyancy of life that would be manifested in a man who would accept only the perfect life of God, and who would not pervert it? The only measure is the power of Jesus Christ. He gave Himself for us; and we may have Him in His fulness now. If we are willing to die with Him, His life and power may be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10, 11), and we shall know that godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 573.8

“News and Notes” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

-The river Nile was never known to be so low as it is at the present time. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.1

-There is no break in the drought in India, and the suffering grows more intense every day. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.2

-Within the last six years there have been 900 people lynched in the United States, most of them in the southern part. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.3

-The White Star liner Oceanic, the largest ship in the world, will sail from Liverpool for New York on her maiden trip, September 6. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.4

-There is a great scarcity of water in Kent, and as a consequence typhoid and scarlet fever have broken out in many parishes, with a high mortality. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.5

-The plague is on the increase in China in spite of all efforts to check it. It has broken out in a fresh place in Russia, and its ravages are being felt at other points where it has appeared. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.6

-For thirteen weeks until the 18th ult., there had been but one wet day in London, and that was July 1. The average heat in the sun has been 106.34; in the shade the average has been 79.19. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.7

-It is the intention of the United States to give Cuba a constitutional government and complete independence at an early date. This is the substance of a declaration to the Cubans just signed by President McKinley. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.8

-A tobacconist was summoned at Ilfracombe for the fifteenth time for Sunday trading. The case was adjourned to allow the solicitor for the defence to join in an agitation throughout the country to appeal to the Home Secretary to repeal the ancient Act against Sunday trading. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.9

-An asylum for the waif children of New York City, located a short distance in the country, was set on fire by an incendiary during the night of August 25th. There were 350 inmates, and it was almost a miracle that they were not all burned. As it was four lost their lives, and twenty were seriously injured. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.10

-In consequence of the great expenditure in behalf of the Philippine war beyond what was expected, the Congress of the United States will be asked to raise additional inland revenue among the suggestions being, taxes on all patent articles and firearms. The United States War Department's expenditures are now ?40,000,000 annually. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.11

-Piracy has become so common on and in the vicinity of the West River, in China, that a gunboat and torpedo boat have been despatched from Canton to capture the pirates or suppress their depredations. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.12

-During the last twenty years the consumption of tea in England has increased over 74,000,000 pounds. According to an eminent authority there was consumed during 1896 in England 231,369,000 pounds of tea. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.13

-On the 28th ult., at the Couchard Mine, at Haute Croix, France, just after sixteen men had stepped into a skip to go down the shaft, the cable broke, and they were precipitated to the bottom. Every one was killed. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.14

-Ninety-three years ago, when the first Bible Society was formed, there were only about 4,000 copies of the Bible in the world. Now there are nearly that number of million copies scattered among the people. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.15

-Tuberculosis is reported to be so common in the workhouses of Liverpool, that the Poor Laws unions in and around the city have appointed a joint committee to deal with the question as it affects the paupers under their care. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.16

-It has been less than seventy-five years since the first railroad was built in the United States. The railway mileage there is now nearly 200,000 miles, and there are 875,000 men employed in various capacities by the different lines. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.17

-As an indication of the zeal manifested by the believers in heathen religions to make converts, it may be stated that from the one town of Poorse, India, there are sent out every year 7,000 Hindu missionaries to proclaim the worship of one of the many Hindu gods. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.18

-The whole of the nearly-completed steel framework of the new coliseum in course of erection at Chicago collapsed on the 28th ult. Fully a hundred men, women and children were inside the building besides a number of workmen. Nearly all of them were either killed or terribly injured. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.19

-The Pope has just held a conference with the General of the Jesuits with reference to latest aspect of the Dreyfus case, which is beginning to cause alarm at the Vatican, where it is feared that if Dreyfus is found guilty, the result will be a violent campaign against the French Catholic religious orders. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.20

-Owing to the recent raising of the price of beef by the Meat Trust in New York the poor in the tenement districts are organising vegetarian societies, the members of which pledged themselves to abstain from meat till the old prices are restored. The members of the organisation are counted by thousands. Many butchers have been driven out of business. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.21

-Between July 1, 1897, and June 30, 1898, according to the official report, there were 184 casualties to vessels belonging to the United Kingdom which resulted in loss of life. In all these cases only 681 lives were lost. This is the lowest record for twenty-one years. Never once before during this time has the number of lives lost fallen below 1,000, and in 1895 there were 2,544 lives lost, of which 1,200 were passengers. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.22

-According to reports just issued, the British and Foreign Bible Society have during the past year supported the colporteurs, who have sold 1,500,000 copies of the Scriptures. Outside of England, Russia has in many respects given the largest facilities and the warmest welcome to the Bible Society, one way being, by allowing their agents free transportation on the State railways. The income of the Society during the year has been ?220,000. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 574.23

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

Six hundred lives have been lost by the flooding of a copper nine at Hesshikoku, Japan. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.1

The garrison at Key West, U.S.A., has been ordered to leave, on account of the appearance of yellow fever. This gives an idea of how quickly the strongest army may be forced to flee, or destroyed, without noise or discharge of weapons. The destruction of Sennacherib's army is an instance. The powers will sometimes find that the question of disarmament will be settled for them by a highest Power. “There is no king saved by the multitude of an host.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.2

“A Needed Warning” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

At the Sanitary Congress session at Southampton, Mr. Malcolm Morris delivered a lecture on Tuberculosis, and expounded the policy of the National Preventive Association. The existence of such an association was justified by the fact that “tuberculosis at the present time causes one in every eight deaths in the country, that of all deaths occurring in this kingdom between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five nearly one half are due to consumption, and that some 30,000 persons are at this moment suffering from the disease in Great Britain.” Dr. Scarborough said that every fatal case of consumption infected one other person with disease. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.3

But there is hope. It was set forth that “phthisis is preventable by measures which are completely within the range of personal and public hygiene;” and this fact ought to lead everybody who loves life to seek a speedy understanding of those measures, and to adopt them. One very marked indication of how to guard against the consumption plague is given in the fact that it is from cattle that the bulk of tuberculosis is derived. If therefore people would abstain from flesh and milk,-from all animal products,-they would effectually close up one grand avenue for the entrance of consumption. The most of people will pay no attention to this warning; but some will, and their respect for life will be rewarded. Of course it is understood that the mere abstinence from flesh will by no means prevent consumption among men; there must be care to supply the body with all the nourishment it needs, and of the best kind, not only in the way of food and drink, but of fresh air, sunlight, and exercise. Let the pure life of God have free course, and there need be no fear. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.4

“Truth” The Present Truth 15, 36.

E. J. Waggoner

Jesus said, “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31, 32. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.5

Truth is not a form of words, but a living thing. One cannot write the truth out in dogmas and creeds; it must be written in the hearts of men. Even the law of God, as the Jews had it, and as it has been transmitted to us in the Bible, although, “the form of knowledge and of the truth.” Romans 2:20. The living Christ-the Word of God-is “the Truth and the Life.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.6

This truth may be known by all. Whoever is willing to do the will of God will know that will. John 7:17. Christ is the truth; He is the Word of God; and God's Word is truth (John 17:17); the word that Jesus speaks is His own life; He breathes into us His own Spirit; He is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), and Wisdom says to all who will hear: “I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My words unto you.” Proverbs 1:23. Therefore it is that whoever hears and accepts and continues in the words of Jesus is His true disciples and knows the truth. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.7

The truth is that which makes men free. It matters not how many true things a man believes;-if he is not a free man, he does not know the truth; he has not yet learned Christ, and been taught by Him, “as the truth is in Jesus.” It is impossible that a man who knows the truth (mark this, he is not merely to have truth, or to know some true things, but to know the truth) should be a slave to anything. He must be free, for the truth makes every one free who knows it. There is living power in truth; it delivers form all bondage, and gives victory in every conflict. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.8

Remember also that it is the true disciple of Christ, who knows the truth. Those who continue in His Word, are truly His disciples, and they know the truth. But the truth makes men free, therefore all the true disciples of Christ are free. If anybody, therefore, says on any occasion, at any time, or under any circumstances, “I am not free,” meaning that somebody or something keeps him back from doing what he ought to do, that is a confession that he is not in very deed a disciple of Christ. His own mouth convicts him. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.9

Many people unconsciously acknowledge themselves to be slaves, and thus not full and unconditional servants of Christ. They say of some habit, “I cannot give that up.” Something in their manner of living is pointed out to them as being a snare to them, and they say, “Oh, but I couldn't live without that.” Or, some plain duty is set before them from the Bible, and they say, “Well, I never can do that.” What are they saying?-Simply this: “I am a slave.” It is not pitiful to see a slave so lost to the sense of what liberty is, that he delights in his chains, and loves the lash that drives him to bondage and death? PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.10

Who are the servants of the Lord?-“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16. Whoever yields himself wholly to the Lord Jesus, is the servant of Christ, and can say, “O Lord, truly I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid; Thou hast loosed My bonds.” Psalm 116:16. Such an one knows the joys of freedom, for in accepting us as His servants, the Lord pledges Himself to make and keep us free from every sort of bondage. Accept His gift, taste the sweets of liberty, and you will never again consent to be a slave. PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.11

Confess your own faith as much as you please, but do not attempt to do it for another. There are some people, although they are comparatively few in number, who can tell for certain what they believe; but there is not a person in the world who can truthfully tell what another person believes. Every attempt to set forth another's faith must necessarily be more or less than the exact truth, that is, an untruth. Be content, therefore, with the statement of your own faith when it is necessary, and leave other to tell their own. “Hast thou faith? have it to thy self before God.” PTUK September 7, 1899, page 576.12