The Present Truth, vol. 15

September 14, 1899

“Front Page” The Present Truth 15, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

Why does the earth bring forth fruits and grains so abundantly, as we see in the harvest of this present year? Is it an accident? PTUK September 14, 1899, page 577.1

Not by any means. It is true, that “the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear;” but this is only after the man has first cast seed into the ground. Mark 4:26-28. There is no accident about it; it is the working out of law. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 577.2

Moreover the earth itself does not take the initiative. If there were no seed in the ground, there would never be any more. Now “the seed is the Word of God” (Luke 8:11), for in the beginning, when the earth was utterly empty, God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth and it was so.” Genesis 1:11. God's word is the seed, the source whence every living thing springs. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 577.3

But does not the Saviour say that “the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself”? He does, and the word that He uses is most striking. The Greek word is “automatic,” so that what He really says is that the earth brings forth fruit automatically, or like an automaton. The only other place in the Bible where the word occurs is Acts 12:10, in the story of Peter's deliverance from prison. As he and the angel came to the iron gate leading to the city, it “opened to them of its own accord,” automatically. Now we know that an automaton works only by virtue of power previously applied to it; so the word which the Saviour uses makes most prominent the fact that God Himself is the cause of all growth. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 577.4

It is God, therefore, who works in the earth both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Some will say, “We knew that before; you did not need to take the trouble to prove that to us.” Yes, so we might all say; yet, as a matter of fact, we have not known it; we have but assented to what we have heard, taking it for granted without knowing the reality of it God would have us “prove all things.” Now we can see for ourselves that it is God's Word, continually spoken to the earth, that makes the harvest. Let us then come back to the original creation. Why does the earth bring forth food? That is, Why does the Lord cause it to do so. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 577.5

The answer is ready in every mouth: the food grows in order that we may be fed, in order that we may live. Right! “He watereth the hills from His chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works, He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man; that He may bring forth food out of the earth; and wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengthneth man's heart.” Psalm 104:13-15. God “giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17), our daily bread, in order that day by day we may receive new life. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.1

But why does He desire that we should live?-It is because He hath not pleasure in the death of any. “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his wicked ways, and live?” Ezekiel 18:23. So these daily blessings that contribute to our life, are for our eternal salvation. All blessings, whatever they may be, come to us only through Christ, and He is sent to bless us in turning us away from our iniquities (Acts 3:26); for only in righteousness is there life. In the food with which God supplies us day by day, He is bringing to us righteousness. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.2

“Surely salvation is nigh them that fear Him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good, and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before Him; and shall set us in the way of His steps.” Psalm 85:9-11. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.3

The skies pour down righteousness (Isaiah 45:8), and thus it is that truth springs out of the earth: thus it is that the Lord gives that which is good. He withholdeth no good thing. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.” James 1:17. God keeps nothing back that is good. Everything comes down to us. He has reserved nothing for Himself; He shares everything-Himself, His own life-with His creatures. Thus it is that righteousness goes before Him, to set the way of His steps. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.4

Let us not lightly esteem these daily and annual blessings from the Lord. We sometimes call them “common bIessings.” That is what they are indeed, for the most common thing for the Lord is to do good to them, and He does it in order that to do good may be the most common thing with us. The ripened grain and the tree bending under the burden of luscious fruit,-the glory of the land,-are evidences that God's salvation is nigh unto us. Shall we not gladly lay hold of it, receiving it even as we receive our daily food from the hands of the great Giver? PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.5

“The Devil's Power” The Present Truth 15, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom be may devour.” “The lion hath roared, who will not fear?” The power of the devil is in his roar, not in big strength. He comes at people in such a way that they are overawed, almost frightened out of their senses and while in this condition they are his easy victims. The Bible does not say that the devil has come down with great power, but “great wrath.” And why? “Because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Just as a child, powerless to get what it wants, stamps and kicks and works itself into a perfect rage, so the devil, as he realises that the end is approaching, and the cords are tightening about him, with no power to stay the inevitable result, is in a perfect frenzy. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.6

No one is afraid of a lion's roar when the beast is securely caged; so why should we fear the devil's roar when we know that a stranger than he has bound him and taken away all his armour wherein he trusted? Christ has spoiled principalities and powers, together with their chief, making a show of them openly, triumphing over them in Himself. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.7

When the devil came to Jesus in the wilderness and tempted Him, the reply was, “It is written.” Then the devil tried Him on another point, and got the same answer-“It is written.” And in the last effort, the Saviour replied, “Get thee hence, Satan,” and at this the record says, “the devil leaveth Him.” So even the weakest saint, has power to say to the devil in the most trying temptation, “Depart,”-and he will go. Remember the promise, “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape.” And again, “I will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.8

“The Joy of True Martyrdom” The Present Truth 15, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

What is a martyr? and what is martyrdom? PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.9

Doubtless usually associate martyrdom with torture. They will say that a person is a martyr to rheumatism, or that another suffers martyrdom with neuralgia. The idea is that all that is necessary in order to be a martyr is that one suffers intense pain, either patiently or impatiently; whereas one may suffer extreme torture without being a martyr, and on the other hand many a martyr is unconscious of any suffering. Recall the cases of men who while being burned at the stake have sung for very joy. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.10

Our word “martyr” is simply the Greek word for “witness.” Jesus says that all His disciples, having received the power of the Holy Ghost, are to be His witnesses, or, transfer the Greek term, His martyrs. If a man is not in the fullest sense a martyr continually, he is not a perfect follower of Christ; for Christ's true followers are always witnesses to His power and Divinity. But they are not always in pain, neither do they go about with a feeling that they are depriving themselves of some very desirable thing for Christ's sake, and that there is a great lack in their lives. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.11

The true Christian martyr is a witness to the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His life is the witness, because he experiences in himself the exceeding greatness of the power of God, “according to the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right, hand in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:19, 20. With this power there must be continual joy even in the midst of hardships and deprivations and persecutions, for by this power one has continual victory, and there is always joy in victory. Thus the joy of the Lord is the Christian's strength, or, which is the same thing, the strength of the Lord is perfect joy. When the Lord is known to us as our strength, He also becomes our song. Isaiah 12:2. Such witnesses, true martyrs, will not go about pitying themselves or calling for pity because of the losses they suffer for the truth's sake. It is perfectly safe to say that whoever does not find sufficient in the gift of Christ's life to more than supply all his need, cannot be called a true martyr. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 578.12

These thoughts were suggested by the Vegetarian a short time ago a statement by the editor, to the effect that vegetarianism involved more or less martyrdom, the idea plainly being, as the context showed, that to live without eating the flesh of animals is a real hardship, and that the one who does it has a continual sense of unsatisfied longing, a feeling that he is being tortured for the sake of a principle. The writer knows many who can see nothing but bodily torture in healthful living; and for the honour of the life of the Lord by whom we live, he would endeavour to dispel the false idea. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 579.1

Nothing is plainer than that God never designed that any animal should live by eating other animals. Good Doctor Watts wrote, PTUK September 14, 1899, page 579.2

“Let dogs delight to bark and bite.
For ‘tis their nature to;
Let bears and lions growl and fight,
For God has made them so;” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 579.3

but in writing that he did not take counsel of the Bible. In the world to come, which will be only the world that was in the beginning, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, the cow and the bear shall eat together, their young ones shall lie down together, and the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the kid, the young lion and the calf, shall dwell together in peace, and a little child shall lead them. Nowhere will there be any destruction nor any injury to any living creature. Isaiah 11:6-9. Going back to the beginning, and there is where we must come if we are in Christ, because He is the Beginning, we find that God appointed fruits and seeds as the food of man, and vegetables and green herbs as the food of all beasts and birds and creeping things. Genesis 1:29, 30. In the fruits of the earth we find the life of God in the purest form in which it exists in anything that can be eaten. These things are much less affected by the curse than are other things. Now whatever God designs for us ought to be a pleasure to us, for God does not delight in seeing His creatures suffer. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 579.4

It is by the life of God that men live. His life is righteousness and joy and peace. It is absolute freedom. There is nothing forced with God. He cannot be forced to do anything against His will, neither does He drive Himself to do anything. All His work is done spontaneously. He gave His life for us willingly and gladly. Therefore in the service of God,-in the doing of anything that is right,-there can be nothing of compulsion, even though it be self-compulsion. There is no virtue in anything that we drive ourselves to do or to endure. The whole life of real right-doing is one of joy. If one finds life a burden, if he must lash himself to any task, or hold himself to any duty with set teeth and the grim determination of one whose pride makes him endure the torture of the rack without crying out, he may know that he is not a true witness for Christ. He is but a slave, whereas all the Lord's servants are freemen. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 579.5

“This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3. “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.” Psalm 19:8. If we do something because we think we ought to do it, but find no pleasure in it, and would really rather not do it if our conscience would leave us in peace, then we may know that we are not keeping the precept of the Lord, even though the thing we are doing is expressly commanded in the Bible. His commandment is life everlasting, and His life is fulness of joy. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 579.6

It is self-evidence, therefore, that when we live as God would have us, taking such things, and only such things, as He has designed for the support of our life, there will be continual joy in life; every act of life will be a pleasure. Coming back to the question of eating, one who thinks can readily see that the most perfect life cannot be obtained from the flesh of dead animals. Although all creatures get their life from God, that life is more or less perverted in all animals, and moreover, even at the best, degeneration begins to take place as soon as an animal is slain. Therefore it cannot be, and is not, any hardship to abstain from eating dead carcases; but of course one must be sure to eat the good things which God's bounty has provided, by which He bestows His life upon us. When one lives solely upon the food which God gave man in the beginning, and does not destroy the life in the preparation of it, or in eating, one derives as much pleasure from it as form breathing pure air. Who would think of calling it martyrdom (using the word in its perverted sense) to be obliged to breathe fresh air instead of the foul air of a closed cellar? Oh, it is a grant thing just to be alive, when one is consciously living by the perfect life of his Creator! PTUK September 14, 1899, page 579.7

This joy of the Lord is what the servant of God is commissioned to proclaim to all. Not only is there joy in the act of eating and drinking, as well as in every other act, when one does all to the glory of God, but there are no depressing or injurious after effects. “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and He addeth no sorrow with it.” Proverbs 10:22. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the Life was manifest, and we have seen it, and bear witness [are martyrs] and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” 1 John 1:1-4. This is the Word by which we are to live. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 579.8

There are so many people-nominal Christians-who profess faith in the Word of God, and affirm that they believe its promises; but there are few who really do believe them. Would you be a man of faith? Cultivate that faculty. Put your finger on the passage of Scripture on which your faith rests, and believe it, never wavering. This will give you the constancy of Jacob; and like him you may have your name changed to Israel. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 579.9

“The Gospel of Isaiah. ‘The Lord God Will Come.’ Isaiah 40:9-11” The Present Truth 15, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

(Isaiah 40:9-11.)

“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! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.1

Matthew 2:6, R.V.: “Thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah; for out of these shall come forth a Governor, which shall be shepherd of My people Israel.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.2

John 10:11, 27, 28: “I am the good Shepherd; the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.” “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.3

Revelation 22:12: “Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.4

Matthew 16:27: “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.5

2 Thessalonians 1:6-8: “It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.6

Psalm 50:3-5: “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people. Gather My saints together unto Me: those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.7

Habakkuk 3:3-13: “God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. And His brightness was as the light: He had bright beams coming out of His side [margin]; and there was the hiding of His power. Before Him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at His feet. He stood and measured the earth; He beheld and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow; His ways are everlasting... The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; at the light of Thine arrows they went, and at the shining of Thy glittering spear. Thou didst march through the land in indignation, Thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. Thou wentest forth for the salvation of Thy people, even for salvation with Thine anointed.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.8

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.9

1 Corinthians 15:51-53: “Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For the corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.10

Philippians 3:20, 21: “Our citizenship is in heaven: from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.11

Isaiah 35:3, 4: “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.12

Matthew 15:24: “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.13

Ezekiel 34:11-13: “For thus saith the Lord God: Behold I, even I, will both search My sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day he is among the sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.14

The preaching of the second coming of Christ, in glory, is as much a part of the preaching of the Gospel-the good news-as is the preaching of the cross of Calvary. In fact, the preaching of the cross is not complete without the preaching of the second advent. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.15

Nothing so awful as the coming of the Lord to judgment has ever taken place on this earth. The earth will quake, and be removed like a cottage, the heavens will depart as a scroll when it is rolled together, every mountain and island will be moved out of their places, and “the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman and every freeman” shall hide themselves in the dens and in the caves, and say to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Revelation 6:14-17. Yet the announcement of the coming of that great day is part of the message of comfort which God sends to His people. How marvelous is the comfort of God, when even the most terrible judgments are comfort! PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.16

The comfort is that Christ is coming to save His people. The prophet Habakkuk, to whom a view of the terrors of the last day were given, said, “Thou wentest forth for the salvation of Thy people.” When the hearts of the people grow fearful, and the knees tremble, and the hands hang down, the Lord tell us to strengthen them with the words, “Your God will come with vengeance.” The coming of Christ is the “blessed hope” of the Gospel. Titus 2:13. When He shall come, His saints will say, “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. The announcement of the coming of the Lord is the same comfort as the announcement of the pardon of sins. Whoever preaches the remission of sins, does it only partially if he does not preach the coming of the Lord in glory. The texts quoted in this lesson shows this. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 580.17

Jesus Christ is the good Shepherd. He is “the Chief Shepherd.” 1 Peter 5:4. He came to earth for the purpose of seeking His lost sheep, and He seeks them out, and saves them by giving His life for theirs. On the cross He suffered all the agonies of the lost. Matthew 27:46. He endured everything that men would have been obliged to endure if He had not come, and that the rejecters of Him will have to endure at the last. He took all on Himself, in order to save men. The terrors of the last day, the day of Judgment, were present in full on Calvary. Even so the blessedness and joy of Calvary will be present at the coming of the Lord the second time, in glory. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 581.1

It is only by the power of the cross that Jesus will come again. He will be seen coming in the clouds of heaven “with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30), but that will be but the power and glory of the cross. The fire that devours before Him will come from the pierced side. From the side whence flowed the healing stream of life, comes the power to render to the wicked according to their deeds. The power manifested at the coming of the Lord is the power of salvation; it is the power by which Jesus now saves His people from the hand of the enemy. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 581.2

“His mercy endureth for ever.” In wrath He remembers mercy. Habakkuk 3:2. The waters that will overflow the hiding place of the wicked, will be the waters of salvation that flow from the wounded side of Jesus. “He will swallow up death in victory,” and then those who have made a covenant with death, seeking to hide in its shadow, must necessarily be swallowed up with it. Isaiah 28:16-18. So although the last day will be the most terrible, it will contain nothing but joy for those who have accepted the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Do not the righteous joy in the cross of Christ? Is it not the one thing in which to glory? Yet the crucifixion of Christ was a most terrible event, and all the terrors of the wrath of God raged round the cross where Christ died. But for His death on the cross, the Son of man would not have the power to sit in judgment and to execute judgment on the ungodly. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 581.3

From Bethlehem comes the Governor that is to be the Shepherd of Israel. He rules His people as a shepherd rules his flock. He feeds them, and the food that He gives them is Himself. He gives Himself for the sheep. When the Lord comes, it will be at a time when the wicked will have gathered to make an end of the righteous ones on the earth. A decree will have gone forth that whosoever will not worship the beast or his image, shall be killed. Revelation 13:15. Just at the moment when Satan has stirred up all the forces of evil against the just, and to all human sight it looks as though the righteous were to be cut off from the earth, Christ will appear to save them. It will be but the crowning act in the great drama of the cross. It will be the demonstration to the whole earth that Christ is the Savior. Then those who have rejected Him, and have mocked at His offers of salvation, will be forced to acknowledge that Jesus saves. But the present comfort to the people of God lies in the fact that all that great power to salvation is theirs now. It is all in the cross. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 581.4

He comes with strong hand, as a Mighty One. “His arm shall rule for Him.” But it is that same arm with which He gathers the lambs of the flock. He is gentle, because He is strong. His strength to destroy the wolves and lions that would devour the flock, is His power to feed the flock, and to make the sheep lie down in green pastures. Strange that so many preachers of the Gospel have so little to say about the coming of the Lord, which contains so much comfort for the people of God! PTUK September 14, 1899, page 581.5

There is in this lesson valuable instruction as to the return of Israel. Jesus is the Shepherd of Israel, and when He comes the second time, “with power and great glory,” He comes as a Shepherd. It is then that He will gather together all His people,-the flock that has been scattered and torn,-“and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers.” When He was here the first time, He said that He had come to seek and to save that which was lost, and He also declared that He was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; they were the ones whom he came to seek and to save. But everybody knows that there has not yet been any gathering of Israel. The lost sheep have not yet been gathered together into their own land. Moreover He Himself tells us that it will be when He comes the second time that He will say, “Gather My saints together unto Me.” It is then that He will gather out His sheep from all the lands whither they have been scattered. Compare Ezekiel 34. and Matthew 24:30. Then there shall be one fold and one Shepherd. Ezekiel 34:22-31; John 10:16. That fold will be the fold of Israel, for all the saved will constitute the Israel of God. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 581.6

The Apostle Paul describes the coming of the Lord in glory, when the dead shall be raised, and the living caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, thus ever to be with Him, and says, “Comfort one another with these words.” This is comfort for those who mourn departed friends, who have laid in the dark grave. They need not sorrow as those who have no hope, for “the righteous hath hope in his death.” But this is not all the comfort that there is in this announcement. It is the same comfort that the Lord in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah tells His servants to give to His people. It is the comfort of the Gospel of salvation from sin. Notice: When Christ comes with the sound of the trump of God, all the saints of God, both sleeping and waking, will be changed. In the twinkling of an eye the change from mortality, from corruptible to incorruptibility, will take place. All will then be given bodies incapable of disease and decay. What a wonderful change that will be! But mark: This change of our bodies is “according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.” We are rebellious by nature, and our minds are not subject to the law of God, “neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7. But He is able to change our minds, giving us a new mind, and a new nature, so that we shall be subject to Him, and shall delight in the law of the Lord; and His power to do this is according to the power by which He will at the last change our bodies from corruption to incorruption. And note that that change will take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye; the Lord is able to do marvellous things in a very short time; therefore we may know that if we are but willing, He can in an instant effect this wonderful change in our natures. Is it not worth while to have a belief in the resurrection of the dead? Is there not great comfort in the knowledge of the coming of the Lord? All this shall take place as surely as the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it; therefore, be not afraid. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 581.7

“The Bible and the Jews” The Present Truth 15, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

The opposition to the Jews is becoming more and more systematic, and is being pursued with zeal in almost every country. Indeed, it may be said that in none of the great nations of the earth, except in England, is a Jew on absolutely equal footing with people of other nationalities. The anti-Jewish feeling in Russia is so well known as to need no comment; in France it is the all absorbing theme; in Germany a conference of Anti-Semites is soon to be held, at which steps are to be taken for more vigorously pursuing the work of opposition to the despised race to which Jesus of Nazareth belonged; and news comes that two Jewish cadets have recently been obliged to leave the Military Academy, at West Point, U.S.A., on account of the persistent persecution to which they were subjected. The unreasoning prejudice is said to have been carried so far that life in the Academy was made unbearable for another young man, not a Jew, because he found his Jewish mess mate a pleasant companion, and liked his society. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 582.1

Unjust and unreasonable as all this is, we can see in it some evidences of the fulfilment of the wish expressed by the leaders of the Jews when at the trial of Christ before Pilate they cried out, “His blood be on us and on our children!” We do not mean by this that God is vindictively punishing that people for the act of their forefathers. God is not vindictive. The curse causeless does not come. Every curse that comes upon men or nations is the direct consequence, the natural result, of some cause. We are not concerned now to trace this cause and effect in the case of the Jews; it is sufficient to call attention to the fact. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 582.2

The anti Jewish crusade in Germany is taking a turn quite to be expected, and which will doubtless extend to other countries. One of their leaders proposes agitating against the use of the Old Testament as a religious book in the schools. “He considers that it is a book written by Jews for Jews and he maintains that the history of the Jewish patriarchs, kings, and prophets, forms no part of Christian religious instruction.” From what we know of the position taken by many professed Christians, with regard to at least a portion of the Old Testament, we are sure that this new movement will find the way prepared for its quite general acceptance, and the results will be most disastrous to those accepting it. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 582.3

In the first place it ought to be understood that the Old Testament is no more a Jewish book than is the New. All the writers of the New Testament, with the possible exception of Luke, were Jews, so that whoever would throw away the Old Testament on the ground of its being a Jewish book must in consistency throw away the New Testament also; and this will be the inevitable result in so far as the proposed movement finds acceptance. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 582.4

Not only was the New Testament written by Jews, but it was written for the Jews just as much as the Old Testament was. The Epistle of James is addressed “to the Twelve Tribes scattered abroad.” Peter was the Apostle of Circumcision, and Paul declared that the Gospel which he preached-the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth-was “to the Jew first.” Romans 1:16. On the other hand, we find that Jeremiah, who wrote the longest book of the Old Testament, was specially chosen and ordained by the Lord as the prophet to the Gentiles. Jeremiah 1:5. The word nations in this verse is the same as Gentiles; but even without this explanation, the word “nations” shows that his mission was not limited to any one people. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 582.5

Christ was “born of the seed of David according to the flesh.” Romans 1:3. He Himself declared that “salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22. Whoever therefore throws away the Old Testament because it is Jewish, must on the same ground throw away Christ and His salvation. Indeed, this necessarily follows, whether one intends it or not; for Christ said, “Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for He wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?” John 5:46, 47. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 582.6

In the early centuries of the Christian era there was great opposition to the Jews, on the part of professed Christians. This race prejudice led to many changes in the church. It was one great cause for the exchanging of the Jewish Passover festival for the Pagan Easter, and celebrating it always upon Sunday instead of on the fourteenth day of the Jewish month, regardless of the day of the week, as was the original order. This of course was part of the movement which substituted Sunday for the Sabbath, the remark of Constantine, “Let us have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd,” showing the real ground of that change. Of course the Sabbath is not Jewish, any more than the Bible is; but prejudice never takes facts into account. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,” and is for all men just as much as is the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” The rejection of the Old Testament means really the rejection of God Himself. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 582.7

In this connection it should be noted that “Judaism” is a thing entirely distinct from the religion of the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul said that he had before his conversion to Christianity made advancement “in the Jews religion” beyond others of his own age, and this advancement was due to the fact that he was “more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of the fathers.” Galatians 1:14. These traditions were not drawn from the Bible, but on the contrary made the commandment of God of none effect. Matthew 15:3-9. “In vain do they worship Me,” said the Lord, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” The Jews in the time of Christ did not believe the Bible, and it is exceedingly rare to find one now who does. “Even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:15. This, however is no more true of the Jews than it is of the most of those who are for statistical purposes, grouped under the name Christians. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 582.8

“When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” It will be a rare commodity, yet it will be found, for faith, hope, and love abide for ever, and just before the Lord comes, and at the time of His appearing, there will be found people of whom the Lord Himself can say, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. There will be great faith manifested by a few, and wherever it is found there will be perfect obedience to the commandments of God, with a total disregard of the traditions of men. The spirit that is shown in the persecution of the Jews to-day is identical with that manifested by the Jews themselves in the persecution of Christ nearly nineteen hundred years ago, and the results will be the same. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 582.9

“Children's Corner. The Burning Bush” The Present Truth 15, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

Autumn, the richest and most beautiful season of the year, has come. The shortening days and failing leaves remind us that it is getting late in the year, and Winter, the time for Nature's rest and sleep, is hastening on. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.1

Spring is the bright sunrise of the year, and, like the dawn of summer days, it comes in with a burst of song and of beauty. But even more beautiful is Autumn, the year's sunset. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.2

You have seen, when the sun is setting in the evening, the clouds take up and reflect his departing glory in all shades of lovely rose and amber tints. In the same way now, as he is preparing to leave us for a season, all nature seems to be doing him honour, bursting forth into a blaze of richest colour, revealing the glory which has been gathered from his own bright rays all through the summer sunshine. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.3

What, dear children, do you see in all this glory and beauty? ls it to you only a wonderful and beautiful sight, or do you see and worship God, of whom it is all the revelation? PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.4

Once when Moses was leading his flock in a quiet country place, he saw a great sight,”-a burning bush, which though it was in a full blaze, was “not consumed.” He thought this very strange, and turned aside to wonder and admire. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.5

Moses did not at first see God in the burning bush, but as he gazed and considered, he heard a voice, the voice of God, speaking to him out of the midst of the bush, and saying: “Take off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.6

Oh, what a different place that spot became to Moses at that instant. His eyes were opened. In that burning bush he now saw the glory of the Lord, and he worshipped Him, while God talked with him. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.7

Did you ever think it a strange thing that God should reveal Himself to Moses and talk with him out of a common bush? Well, in this He was not doing anything different from what He is doing all the time to those who can see and hear Him for “every common bush is afire with God.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.8

In the glorious glowing colours now to be seen in the blossoms and leaves, the fruit and berries, on the bushes and plants and trees, we are looking upon just the same glory that Moses saw when “the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” For remember that all colour is the reflected light of the sun, and this is the glory of Jesus, the Light of the world. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.9

But many do not even see the glory; they pass all these beautiful “burning bushes” by unheeded. Others, like Moses turn aside to see and admire the sight, so beautiful, so wonderful; but they do not see God in it, so they do not know that the place is holy, and they do not “take off their shoes,”-that is, they do not worship the One whose glory they are beholding. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.10

But to those who have “ears to hear” as well as eyes to see, out of the midst every bush and tree and plant comes the voice of God saying, “The place whereon thou standest is holy ground,” for the presence and glory of the Lord are here. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.11

Then, when He has taught us to see His glory and to hear His voice in all the things, He can talk with us, as He did with Moses, “out of the midst of the bush.” In all His works His voice will speak us, teaching us day by day just the lessons that He sees we are needing, and telling us those secrets of His love which He wants us to know. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 586.12

“News and Notes” The Present Truth 15, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

-Post cards in England are to be increased in size on November 1. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.1

-Thirteen men were severely injured at Salford by the explosion of an iron furnace. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.2

-Yellow fever has broken out at Key West, eighteen cases being reported in one day. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.3

-The Russian squadron in the Pacific has just been increased by two iron-clads and one gun-boat. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.4

-A world's exhibition in Rome is proposed for 1910, and plans are being laid to carry it into effect. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.5

-A copious rain fell in the interior of India on the 2nd inst. that has greatly relieved the drouth situation there. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.6

-Swarms of locusts, similar to those which do so much damage in Algeria, have made their appearance at Friburg. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.7

-An Egyptian railway company has just ordered 400 steel freight cars of a firm of builders in the United States. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.8

-A new type of inflammable shell, said to be of a most destructive discription, is being tested by the French Mediterranean Fleet. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.9

-Wireless telegraphy is now being successfully employed by the Americans in the Philippines, messages being exchanged between the advanced posts and Manila. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.10

-Count Tolstoi has little faith in the Czar's peace manifesto, for in his own words, he regards it as merely a part of the “vast deception practised by all governments.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.11

-A bicycle thief was captured recently in France, who confessed to stealing 250 bicycles in eight days. He sent them to London where they were disposed of by an accomplice. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.12

-A packet endorsed “Dried Fruits” was recently received by the Bishop of Nardo, Rome, which when opened was found to contain eight deadly vipers, which sprang out, and were with difficulty killed. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.13

-Owing to the numerous complaints of trans-atlantic travellers as to the scandalous conduct of the United States Custom offices, President McKinley has appointed a commission to revise the Custom's rules. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.14

-The annual report of the Board of Trade has been issued, in which it is stated that during 1898 there were 7,538 bankruptcies in England with liabilities of over ?10,000,000, of which over ?8,000,000 was a loss to the creditors. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.15

-In England this year there is an area of 51,843 acres devoted to the cultivation of hops, the product of which is almost wholly used in the manufacture of beer. How much better for the people it would be if this area were devoted to fruit culture. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.16

-Dr. Manley read a paper at the recent Congress at Southampton, in which he stated that many cases of typhoid fever had been directly traced to the use of ice cream and ices sold on the streets of the cities and at local fairs. The safest way is never to eat them since they are unfit, as ordinarily made, to go into a human stomach, even though free from bacteria. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.17

-Forty thousand deaths are reported to have lately taken place on the East Coast of Africa, owing to the terrible famine. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.18

-During the third week of August, according to the report of a Local Government Board, there were, within the metropolitan area, 98,987 paupers who were in receipt of relief. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.19

-A Conservative statistician has just published a report to the effect that in the United States there is an “average of 200 divorces granted each day, and the number is increasing at an alarming rate.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.20

-Commissioner Poge, of the Paris Exposition, has conferred with the gold miners of Cripple Creek, and has secured a pledge of a million dollars’ worth of gold bullion in the shape of a pyramid for the Paris Exposition. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.21

-At Cleveland, U.S.A., the scene of the recent street railway car strike, an explosive was placed on the track, and a car completely demolished. Of the six passengers aboard, five, including three women, had their legs broken. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.22

-A railway has been planned to connect Philadelphia (U.S.A.) with Atlantic City, to be run by electricity “at a speed of more than 100 miles per hour.” The company has been organised with ?1,200,000 capital, and the right of some of the way has been secured. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.23

-The City of Rome on her last trip to New York, collided with an iceberg in mid-ocean. Luckily she was steaming at only two knots an hour, or the results might have been most disastrous. As it was she was badly shaken up, and there was almost a panic among the passengers. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.24

-Owing to “conflict between Great Britain and Russia on political grounds,” it is found necessary, in order “to study this perpetual adversary,” to “increase the number of Russians conversant with the English language,” and hence, “the teaching of English should be in the programme of all the colleges.” Such is the announcement made in connection with a late report of the Russian Minister of Public Instruction. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.25

-Mrs. Mary Eddy, the “Discoverer of Christain Science,” lies dying of consumption in Bosom U.S.A. The theory of Christian Scientists is thet all the sickness anyone has is in his mind, and that all a sick one has to do to get well is to believe that he is well, and he will be so. The leading Christian Scientists of the United States have been summoned to the bedside of Mrs. Eddy “to make a supreme test of their faith in their endeavour to save her.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.26

-For some time past, there have been in Kent numerous prosecutions against small tradesmen under an Act of Charles I. for Sunday trading. The magistrates have, however, imposed but small fines of 8d. each, and disallowed police costs, as a mark of disfavour of the action taken. As a consequence, heavy legal expenses have been paid out of the rates. The standing joint committee have instructed the chief constables not to issue any more summonses, and to leave the prosecutions to private individuals. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.27

-A strange complaint has lately prostrated large numbers of Parisians, due, according to medical men, to salts of lead in their morning rolls, deposited on the floors and walls of the oven from old timber which is largely used for fuel in France. The Paris Council of Hygiene has issued an edict forbidding the employment of bakers of wood from old houses, disused railway sleepers or wooden paving blocks for their furnaces. Such timber is usually impregnated with sulphate of copper or creosote, and poisonous volatile salts are liable to rise from it when heated. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 590.28

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

Do not murmur at God's providences. When He shuts one door, it is because He has another standing open before us. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.1

God has shown His unselfishness by freely giving for the benefit of others, every atom of His universe, from the kernel of wheat the life of which is given for ours, to that of His Son, who died that we might live. The more we become like God, the easier it will be to give all we have for the benefit of others. We are not to give that we may become more like God, but to be transformed that it may be to give. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.2

Every day we live, we are more and more convinced that it is not creed, or dogma, or any set form of worship, or worldly eloquence that wins men to Christ, but rather His life revealed in His followers. God could not reveal Himself to the world except through the life of Christ, and Christ can be made known to the world only through His disciples. “And I, if I be lifted up ... will draw all unto Me.” The drawing power is in His life, nowhere else. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.3

During the visit of the English fleet to Livorno, Italy, five hundred Catholic sailors from the marched through the street on Sunday to mass, which caused the Osservatore Romano to remark that “Protestant England sends its Catholic soldiers and sailors to mass, while Italy deprives its soldiers of chaplains and of any trace of religious worship.” But the Catholic Times much concludes from this fact “that England very much less Protestant and Italy very much less Catholic than the Osservatore fancies.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.4

In keeping with the delusion so fondly cherished by everybody, that “we are better than our neighbours,” it has always been held that so barbarous an institution as the bull-fight, which flourishes in Spain and southern France, could not exist in England,-that it would perish for lack of support. But when we read that at a recent bull-fight at Boulogne a thousand English men and women were present, and applauded the dexterous cruelty of the torturers, we may believe that the game would not lack patronage on this soil. We learned that a special excursion from Brighton was advertised for “the third and final bull-fight,” to take place last Sunday. Has the world as a whole made any real advancement since the days of the C?sars? PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.5

At an inquest on the body of a little five-year-old girl at Huxton the other day, it was found that she was well until the day before, when her mother gave her a meal of stewed eels’ meat pie, and kippers, followed by raw monkey nuts. Death was said to be due to “exhaustion from diarrh?a and vomiting.” There are tens of thousands of parents to feed their children, just as they do themselves, as though the digestive organs of the human body were cast iron machinery, capable of grinding up and disposing of all sorts of material that may be thrown in. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.6

In the report of the first year's work of the hospital at Assouan, constructed for the benefit of the army of work men engaged in certain work on the Nile, there is an interesting item on sunstroke. Of the 128 “in-patients,” thirty-three were sufferers from sunstroke, and all these but one were Europeans. The chief doctor of the hospital states that “in almost every serious case the patient was found to have drunk to excess, whiskey and beer being the source of harm with Englishmen.” The report adds that there is no doubt that provided a man be temperant, and take proper precautions, there is not much risk of sunstroke. Indeed there is not. If one does not drink alcoholic liquor of any kind, and does not manufacture alcohol and other poisons in his own body by wretched food or overeating, there is no danger of sunstroke or apoplexy. The word of the Lord is sure, “The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.” Psalm 121:5, 6. This will be literally fulfilled to every one who does not take himself out of the Lord's keeping, taking poisons instead of the pure life from God. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.7

“Fault-finding and Fault-repairing” The Present Truth 15, 37.

E. J. Waggoner

The devil is charged with being “the accuser of the brethren.” It is the easiest thing in the world to find fault, they impugn motives, and sow seeds of discord and distrust where peace and union should be cultivated. It is not strange that this spirit is manifested in the world, among men whose only object in life is to build up self at the expense of some one else; but in the church, among God's people, it is inexcusable. PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.8

It is not that there is no occasion to find fault, for opportunities exist on every hand. No one is perfect. It was the ministry of Christ to help, not to condemn. The command is, “Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ.” So hereafter, when we see something going wrong, instead of going about and telling everyone we meet out differently we would do it, let us go to the one bearing the burden, and give him a friendly hand-if need be lend a helping hand. It is wonderfully stimulating to the one carrying the load, and such an one can be called “the repair of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.9

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby.” The Lord said to Israel, “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” And why? Because there was so much cross, and the furnace is a purifier. When the three Hebrews were cast into the fiery furnace, their bands were loosened, and they were set free. So always it has been with those who would do God's will. But when we are in the furnace, we mustn't begin to shrink from the fire. The “peaceable fruits of righteousness” are given only to those “who are exercised thereby.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.10

Jesus passed in and out among the people,-He was one of them. He went about doing good. He was a physician as well as a teacher. He knew how to minister to the people just what was needed, and at just the right time. Never was a sorrowing heart or a burdened soul turned empty away who looked to him for sympathy and help. He ministered to all alike. It was the one deepest in sin and the one who had spent all her living to be cured of her infirmity, that He for gave and healed the most readily. It was their very helplessness that most appeal to Him. And then when the people saw all of His wonderful works, the record says, “they gave glory to God.” That was Jesus Christ, and to His followers he says, “As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.” PTUK September 14, 1899, page 592.11