The Present Truth, vol. 15

September 21, 1899

“‘The Mighty God.’ Isaiah 40:12-24” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

(Isaiah 40:12-24.)

12. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow
of His hand;
And hath meted out the heavens by His span.
And hath comprehended the dust of the earth
in a tierce;
And hath weighed in the scales the mountains
and the hills in a balance? PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.1

13. Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah;
And, as one of His council, hath informed
Him? PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.2

14. Whom hath He consulted, that he should
instruct Him,
And teach Him the path of judgment;
That he should impart to Him science,
And inform Him in the way of understand-
ing? PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.3

15. Behold, the nations are as a drop from the
bucket;
As the small dust of the balance shall they be
accounted;
Behold, the islands He taketh up as an atom. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.4

16. And Lebanon is not sufficient for the fire;
Nor his beasts sufficient for the burnt offering. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.5

17. All the nations are as nothing before Him;
They are esteemed by Him as less than naught,
and vanity. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.6

18. To whom therefore will ye liken God?
And what is the model of resemblance that ye
will prepare for Him? PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.7

19. The workman casteth an image:
And the smith overlayeth it with plates of
gold;
And forgeth for it chains of silver. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.8

20. He that cannot afford a costly oblation,
chooseth a piece of wood that will not
rot;
He procureth a skilful artist,
To erect an image, which shall not be moved. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.9

21. Will ye not know? will ye not hear?
Hath it not been declared to you from the be-
ginning?
Have ye not understood from the foundations
of the earth? PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.10

22. It is He, that sitteth on the circle of the
earth;
And the inhabitants are to Him as grass-
hoppers;
He extendeth the heavens as a thin veil;
And spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in; PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.11

23. That reduceth princes to nothing;
That maketh the judges of the earth a mere
vanity. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.12

24. Yea, they shall not leave a plant behind them,
they shall not be sown,
Their trunk shall not spread its root in the
ground;
If He but blow upon them, they instantly
wither; And the whirlwind shall bear them away like stubble. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 593.13

The psalmist sang, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8. In contrast with the gods of the heathen, that cannot see nor hear nor smell nor talk nor walk, and must needs be borne, is our God, who is in the heavens, who “hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.” Psalm 115:3. King Jehoshaphat said, when he sought help from the Lord in a time of great danger, “Art not Thou God in heaven? and rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in Thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee?” 2 Chronicles 20:6. This was his comfort. God is in the heavens, above all, the Creator and upholder of all. It is this fact that gives us strong confidence in coming to Him for help in time of need. In this lesson we have the utter nothingness and helplessness of man, and the infinite greatness and power of God emphasised. This is the special message for the last days. Man is nothing; God is everything. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 594.1

He “hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand.” Think of all the waters on the face of the earth, and under the earth, as well as the oceans of waters in the sky,-all held in the hollow of God's hand. In reading this verse we almost always think only of the oceans and seas on this earth. Well, it is a great thing that God holds them in his hand; but when we think of the expanse of waters in the heavens, we shall get a still more comprehensive idea of His power. A rain cloud capable of sending a shower of water to the depth of an inch over the surface of London, would weigh about one million tons. What an inconceivable mass and weight of water is therefore constantly floating about overhead, waiting God's command to fall upon the earth! “He bindeth up the waters in His thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.” Job 26:8. All these are gathered in the hollow of His hand. With this in mind, what comfort there is in reading the words of Christ, who comes as a shepherd, gathering the lambs with his arm, “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, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, which hath given them unto Me, is greater than all; and no one shall snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and My Father are One.” John 10:27-30. With what confidence God's people may rest in that mighty hand! PTUK September 21, 1899, page 594.2

“That hand which bears creation up,
Shall guard His children well.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 594.3

He has also meted out the heavens with His span. Take this in connection with His holding the waters in the hollow of His hand. Were you ever on the ocean in a storm, when the great steamship, the mightiest creation of man's skill and power, is but the plaything of the waves? If you are ever in such a place, and feel any sensation of fear, then comfort yourself by gathering up all the water you can hold in the hollow of your hand, and seeing what an insignificant little drop it is. You can move your hand, and thus agitate the surface of the water, but the movement is but trifling. Well, that represents the size of the ocean, and the extent of the storm in the sight of God. No, it does not represent the size of the ocean, either, for you are on only a small part of the waters which He measures in the hollow of His hand. That thought will give you comfort and peace. And then, even if He should allow the ship with all on board to go to the bottom, you would still be in the hollow of His hand. Nothing can snatch you out of that secure hiding place. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 594.4

What striking questions are asked in verses 13 and 14. Who is there who could act as counsellor to the Lord? With whom could He consult in making the earth and heavens? When we consider the heavens of God, the moon and stars which His fingers have made, we can only say, “What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?” Psalm 8:3, 4. They are not large enough to make any account of, in comparison with the great works of God's hands, much less to be consulted in the making of them. Surely, it would be very becoming in man to be still before the Lord, and listen when He speaks. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 594.5

But proud man is not willing to do this. On the contrary, he wishes to be heard, and that on the very things of which God has spoken. How many there are who presume to teach God science. “The Bible,” say they, “is not an authority in science; its sphere is religion.” But religion is the sum of all science. The Gospel includes all the sciences, and only in it can we learn the exact truth of science. Thus: To know God is the sum of all wisdom. “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,” but only in that he understands and knows God. Jeremiah 9:23, 24. If he does not know God, he has nothing in which to glory, for “the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 1 Corinthians 3:20. Now eternal life, salvation, is but the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. John 17:3. So we see that all science is in eternal life. The Bible is pre-eminently a book of science. To be sure it does not deal in all the unpronounceable names and endless classifications with which so-called scientists delight to puzzle the uninitiated; but it gives the reason and the origin of all things. It takes man into a realm of fact concerning things of which the boasted man of science can only fancy. It gives positive knowledge where books of human science give only theory. Let it be set down as a fact that God's Word is true from the beginning. He has not mingled eternal truths with errors which puny man is to rectify. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 594.6

In one of our previous lessons we read, “Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?” Isaiah 2:22. To get a proper idea of the littleness of a man, go to the well or stream and let down a bucket for water. Fill it full, and then draw it up as carefully as you can. Do not spill any. You will notice, however, with all your care, that some drops fall from the bucket as it rises. But what of them? The bucket is full, and no one takes any account of the few drops that dripped from the sides as it came up. Now only one of those unconsidered drops represents, not one man merely, but “the nations”! “All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are esteemed by Him as less than naught, and vanity.” What presumption it is for one of these men to think to correct his Maker on a matter of science! Does not the very fact that man can be so presumptuous, show that he is very deficient in true science? that he has no adequate sense of the greatness of the creation of God, and consequently of the greatness of God's wisdom? And how can a man pose as a scientific man if he does not know anything about creation? PTUK September 21, 1899, page 594.7

Men are wont to speak lightly of the learning of the ancients, especially as regards what is known as “science,” although the word “science,” really embraces all learning, since it means knowledge. The reason why the learning of the ancients is so lightly esteemed, is that many of their theories concerning nature are now known to have been but nonsense. But men forget that the same thing may be said concerning the theories which scientists held but a few years ago. The theories which men hold today, are only theories, and none know better than the men themselves that in a few years these theories will give place to others. Therefore in that respect the men of old were as well off as are the men of today. But in all matters of practical science, the ancients were the equals, if not the superiors, of the men of the present generation. They were masters in the art of building. In the “fine arts” and in literature, their works serve as models for students today. Thus we see that in keenness of perception, and in range of intellect they were the equals of any. Yet these same men made idols of wood and metal. They well know that these things were not God, but they were made as likenesses of God. Think of the folly of making an image of wood as a likeness of the God who is so great that the forests of Lebanon and all the beasts are not sufficient to make a burnt offering to Him. The princes of the earth are as nothing to Him, and all the wisdom of the judges of earth is but the mutterings of an idiot, compared with the wisdom of God. If He but blows upon them they instantly wither, and the wind will bear them away as the chaff of the summer threshing floor, so that no place is found for them. See Daniel 2:35. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 594.8

Why does the Lord tell us all these things? Is it to humiliate us, to taunt us with our own littleness in comparison with Him? Not by any means. He does not wish us to become despondent. But these are facts, and cannot be other than they are. Remember that God is not like a man who is puffed up with an undue sense of his own importance, and who looks with contempt on those whom he imagines to be inferior to himself. Far from it. The Lord is great, and cannot be any other than what He is. The relation which is here set forth as existing between God and man is that which actually is, and it cannot be different. He is infinitely greater than man, yet He does not despise man on that account. “Though the Lord be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly.” Psalm 138:6. So much does He regard man, that He gave Himself to redeem him. He gave Himself for us, not for what we are, but for what He is able to make of us. Suppose we are but nothing; God is able to make that which is not bring to naught that which is. 1 Corinthians 1:28. He tells us these things that we may know how easily He can do what He will with us. And this is for our comfort. Who is a God like unto our God? PTUK September 21, 1899, page 595.1

“Notes on the International Sunday-School Lessons. Joy in God's House. Ps. cxxii” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

“I was glad when they said unto me,
Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together;
Whither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the
Lord,
For a testimony unto Israel,
To give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
For there are set thrones of judgment,
The thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
They shall prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls,
And prosperity within thy palaces.
For my brethren and companions’ sakes,
I will now say, Peace be within thee.
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek thy good.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 595.2

One great mistake that many make in reading the Scriptures is that of supposing that the writers of the Bible were as ignorant of Divine things as are the majority of people in these days. People do not put it in just that way, but that is what they think, nevertheless. They do not seem to think that the patriarchs and prophets saw anything above or beyond their immediate surroundings, and what their eyes could see. And that is why so few learn what they ought to from the Bible. They do not realise that the holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and that by the Spirit they say things that are hidden from the natural vision. These writings are designed to open our eyes, to give us spiritual sight, so that we may see what those men saw-the reality of things. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 595.3

Since the fall of Adam nothing on this earth has been as it should be, nor as it will be when righteousness shall have wrought restoration. “The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18. Now the Bible deals with eternal things, with things that are real. Through the veil that is spread over the face of all the earth, the prophets of old saw the world to come, even as we should. So all their calculations were made with reference to eternity, and not with reference to a few short years. The changing seasons were, as they should be to us, only evidences of the power of God, by which He will change this earth and all of its inhabitants who are willing to be changed into His image. Now we see through a glass, darkly. This earth, with all that pertains to it, is but a shadow of real things. But if we walk in the light as God is in the light, we shall have fellowship with Him, and shall see the inheritance of the saints in light. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 595.4

The tabernacle built by Moses, as well as the temple afterwards built in Jerusalem by Solomon, was only a feeble representation of real things in heaven. From between the cherubim upon the ark of the covenant, the glory of God was revealed, and from there He spoke unto the children of Israel. Exodus 25:22. But “the Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven.” Psalm 11:4. The true sanctuary is one built without hands, “which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 8:2. “A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” Jeremiah 17:12. It was to this place that God designed to lead the children of Israel immediately on their deliverance from Egypt. In the song of Moses after the crossing of the Red Sea, we read, “Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established.” Exodus 15:17. But Israel did not believe, and would not trust the Lord. In their hearts they turned back to Egypt, so that they never gained what the Lord had designed for them. Instead of coming to the realty, they had only the shadow. Instead of coming to the real sanctuary, they had all their lives only a pattern of it, and one in which they were not permitted to enter at all. Instead of being a kingdom of priests, every one of them entitled to minister before the Lord in the secret places of the Most High, only one family of one tribe were permitted to serve as priests even in the typical sanctuary. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 595.5

Yet there were always some who saw beyond the shadow, and who lived in the joy of the reality. Such were the prophets and holy men of God. They well knew that the temple in which they worshipped was altogether too small to be a real house of God, who “dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool; what house will ye build Me saith the Lord; or what is the place of My rest?” Acts 7:48, 49. See Isaiah 66:1; 1 Kings 8:27. Consequently when they spoke of the temple of the Lord, they had in mind the final temple and not the mere shadow which their natural eyes saw. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 596.1

Not only so, but they saw a new Jerusalem. Old Jerusalem was never large enough to hold the new temple of the Lord. That temple contains more angels waiting for the commands of the Lord, than there were ever inhabitants in Jerusalem . Revelation 10:11. So when the prophets spoke of Jerusalem, and praised its beauty, it was the Jerusalem restored and made new, that they had before their sanctified vision. True, there was a promise from the Lord, that if the people would serve Him in truth, keeping His Sabbath, city should stand for ever (Jeremiah 17:24, 25); but that very promise carried with it the promise of restoration; for no city built by man could stand for ever. It was a part of the promise made to Abraham, to which we “look for new and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:13. It was with this in view that the psalmist wrote: “But Thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion; for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory. when the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory.” Psalm 102:12-16. The stones in which the servants of the Lord take pleasure are not the old, moss-covered stones of the old Jerusalem, but “all manner of precious stones,” with which the real city is garnished. Revelation 21:19. Isaiah had a vision of this restored and beautified city, when he wrote:- PTUK September 21, 1899, page 596.2

“O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear; and from terror; for it shall not come nigh thee.” Isaiah 54:11-14. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 596.3

This is the city, and these are the stones, in which the servants of the Lord take pleasure. It is this city, and not the Old Jerusalem, some remnants of which are still standing, that the psalmist always had reference to when he broke forth in transports over its beauty. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge.” Psalm 48:1-3. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 596.4

This city is the home of God's people. “Our citizenship is in heaven.” Philippians 3:21. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God;” therefore they “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, and heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:10, 13-16. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 596.5

The city is already prepared, and only waits for the preparation of its inhabitants. To it all the faithful now come and worship. For “ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:22-24. Toward this city and sanctuary we are to turn our eyes when we pray. We are to “lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens” (Lamentations 3:41), even as David, when he said, “I lift up my hands toward Thy holy oracle.” Psalm 28:2. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 596.6

It is to this city that the tribes go up; for on the twelve gates are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. Revelation 21:12. In it there is perfect unity; for where in our version we read that “Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together,” the Jewish translation by Rabbi Leeser has it, “Jerusalem, which are built as a city wherein all associate together.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 596.7

In this city, this real dwelling-place of God, there is joy. “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house; they will be still praising thee.” “For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Psalm 84:4, 19, a margin. “Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” Psalm 92:13, 14. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 596.8

Then come to the house of the Lord. There we may abide, not merely for a day, nor occasionally, but from now throughout eternity. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1. Here there is safety. Here also there is joy “fulness of joy,” and “pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11. Peace is within its walls, and prosperity within its palaces, so that we may be rich and happy even though we are poor and afflicted. Faith makes us inhabitants of that glorious city even now, although our bodies are confined to this sin-cursed earth; but soon the Lord will come, to take us to Himself, and then, our bodies made spiritual, we shall with our eyes see that which these natural eyes are not able to look upon. “Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne; mercy and truth shall go before Thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day; and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 596.9

“Ministering the Spirit” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go way; for if I go not a way, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” John 16:7, 8. To whom is the Spirit of God given? To the believer. What work is wrought when the Spirit is given to the believer? The world is reproved, or convinced, or convicted of sin. How? Not simply because the one who received the Spirit goes and tells people that they are sinners, but because in that power of life, the Spirit which is given, the works of God are so manifested in the individual, that His life is a reproof to those who walk contrary to God's Word. It is not necessary that one should stand in a public place and declare to people that they are sinners, in order that the world should be reproved of sin, although words spoken in the power and demonstration of the Spirit will convict,-but the individual who has within him the Spirit of Christ will be as a witness, whose life without a word will convict of sin. So it can be stated as fact that all success in working for God in the extension of His kingdom, is based upon a person's own individual experience, and his work is simply to minister to others the experience that God has given him. What else can he do? “Such as I have give I unto you.” What else can we give? PTUK September 21, 1899, page 597.1

“Walk in the Light” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

It is said that when Galileo discovered with a telescope of very moderate magnifying power four of the five moons of Jupiter, and announced the fact to his friends, they were very sceptical. Some said the moons must be in the telescope, for they were not in the sky, while others refused even to look through the telescope lest they should be convinced. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 597.2

The attitude of these last especially, is so like that assumed by many toward God's truth. They refuse to investigate for fear they will find that their way is not God's way. They argue, “Father and mother believed this way; they were good people, and will be saved. If I live up to the light they had, I shall be saved. Why need I change?” This is a trick of the devil. The path of the just shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Truth is light, but a ray rejected is a ray lost, and to just that extent is the light dimmed. Truth does not stand still. It is progressive. The command is, “Walk [keep moving] while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you.” There was a time when God winked at that the ignorance of the people, but now He commands all men everywhere to repent,-accept all the light that shines on their pathway. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 597.3

But why assume this attitude when it is the truth and the truth only that can save any man? Why deceive ourselves? Strange as it seems, there is a reason for it. In us there is no good thing, and though we know it, yet we dislike to acknowledge it, especially when the “hidden works of darkness” are to be brought to light. We know we are bad, but we dislike to have other people know how bad we are, and so think to keep our wickedness hid by refusing the light. But this the Saviour says is our condemnation-“that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 597.4

Oh, why will man be so blinded to their best interests? What if they have sinned? That has all been made right long ago. “Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people.... and cry unto her that her iniquity is pardoned.” All that remains is for the sinner to accept the pardon, and the Lord says, He will “cast all their sins into the depths of the sea,” and “remember them no more forever.” Christ is the way, the life, and the truth. The truth makes a man free, and whom the Son maketh free is free indeed. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 597.5

“How to Change a Bad Law” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

By a bad law we do not mean a law that some people do not like, but a law that requires something that is wrong. Many people dislike that which is good; and human nature is ever inclined to make itself the standard of goodness, and to say that whatever is opposed to its desires is bad; but our tastes and inclinations are not to be taken into account at all; there is one standard of right, and that is the law of God-God's own life. Whatever is contrary to God's Word-the Word of life-is bad, and should be shunned as one would shun the plague. To obey a bad law is identical with breaking a good law. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 597.6

Now there are laws that are bad. They are found to a greater or lesser extent in every nation. Such are the laws that are directly opposed to the law of God, although they may be in harmony with the sentiments of the majority of the people. In every nation there are also to be found men who are sorely distressed over the existence of such laws, and to exert themselves in various ways to have them repealed. This opposition usually takes the form of political agitation, of the same nature as that by which the laws were enacted, sometimes going even to the extent of armed rebellion and revolution. In some instances the opposition is apparently successful, but in most it is an open failure, and in no case is the success real and lasting. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 597.7

At the present time in this country the burning question is that of ritualism in the Church. Inasmuch as the Established Church is in reality a State institution, so long as it remains an established church, dissenters as a rule feel that they have as much interest in the controversy as have Churchmen. Accordingly both Protestant and Catholic journals discuss the question freely, but there is a great difference of opinion among anti-ritualists as to how the swelling flood of sacerdotalism in the Church is to be checked. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 597.8

In the Contemporary Review, Dr. Guinness Rogers has an article on “The Archbishops and the Ritualists,” in which he says, “I do not believe in coercive legislation, even in the interests of Protestantism.” To this statement the Methodist Times takes exception. It should be stated that Dr. Rogers declares that “we shall resist all efforts to Romanise the Establishment-that is, we shall do our utmost to prevent the present compromise from being altered in a sacerdotal direction.” Whereupon the Methodist Times responds thus:. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 597.9

But how does he propose to resist the Romanisers except by “coercive legislation”? At every period of history the only kind of suasion that has any effective influence over clerical extremists is legal suasion. In the last resort, as in the days of the Reformation, the House of Commons, representing the laity, must compel lawless priests to obey or resign. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.1

It is not our purpose to enter into the controversy; but it is a duty to point out that since State legislation-politics in the Church-brought about the present state of things, State legislation, even though it be called into requisition for the purpose of reformation, can only perpetuate the existing evil, possibly under another form. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.2

How then can any reform ever be effected? This is what we propose to show; and since nothing is so convincing as a case already worked out, we shall content ourselves with referring to an instance where a bad law was effectually changed. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.3

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, the greatest king that the world ever saw, made a great image of gold, ninety feet high, and set it up in the plain of Dura, and then gathered the chief men from all parts of the world to come and fall down before it. Under threat of the most terrible death if they disobeyed, all were commanded to fall down and worship the image at a given signal. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.4

Here was a law directly contrary to God's Iaw, which says: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.” It was therefore a bad law, although the most of the people had nothing against it. At least they obeyed it without question. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.5

But there were three men who knew the law to be bad, and who knew that to obey it would be to sin against God; so while the others fell down and worshipped, they stood upright. We all know the story well. The king was very gracious toward them, and though they had not heeded his law, he was willing to give them another chance. But they gave him to understand that they were fully decided, and did not need any time to think over the matter. They said, “Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.6

This was not disobedience but obedience. They were not law-breakers, but lawkeepers. The true law was, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve;” the king's law was in itself an act of despite to the law, so that when the three men refused to regard it, they were only showing their faithfulness to law. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.7

Let it be noted, however, that these man were not rebellious. They did not attempt to raise any insurrection. They did not harangue the people about the injustice of the law, and the wickedness of the threatened punishment. They made no appeal for sympathy, but simply proclaimed the power of their God. They were not there to oppose the king, nor to defend themselves, but to honour God. So they refused to be disobedient to their Creator, and willingly allowed themselves to be bound and cast into the burning furnace. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.8

Everybody knows the result. They fell down in the furnace, bound hand and foot, but immediately stood up again, for the fire destroyed their bonds, and set them free. Rather, it demonstrated their freedom. It had no power over them. They walked about in the fire, with the Lord by their side, as comfortably as though they were promenading in the cool of a summer evening. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.9

Then the king called them out, and bore witness before all the assembled rulers that these three men had changed the law. “Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent His angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word.” Daniel 3:28. There is no doubt but that the law was changed, abolished, for nobody was again commanded to worship the golden image. Nebuchadnezzar himself recognised God as the only One to be worshipped, and declared that these three captive Jews had changed his decree. Surely this was a wonderful deed. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.10

How did they do it? As we have seen; they made no stir, they did not appeal to the people, they circulated no petitions, they did not plead, and they did not threaten. They used no coercive legislation, nor any other kind. How then did they succeed in getting the law changed? King Nebuchadnezzar himself tells us. He said, “They have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.11

This confirms what we have said. They were not disobedient, but obedient. They were not rebellious, but yielding. They changed the laws by yielding their bodies to death, rather than do wrong. That was all, but was sufficient, for there is almighty power in righteousness. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.12

Those three men, in yielding their bodies, did exactly what we are exhorted to do: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Romans 6:12, 13. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.13

We are to resist the devil, and he will flee from us; but we resist the devil only by yielding to God. When we yield our bodies as instruments of righteousness unto God, we have in our bodies the power of the living God. Against that power nothing can stand. If all the people in England, who know of the Bible, and who have read in it the will of God, would simply yield themselves wholly to the Lord, they would find that bad laws, whether in Church or State, would soon be as though they had not been. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord at hosts.” Zechariah 4:6. Who would reign as a king with God, having power greater than all the kings of earth combined?-let him yield himself, soul and body, to the Lord, and the power that renews all things, even the face of the sin-cursed earth, is his. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.14

It is said that once a Chinaman came to a missionary and asked to be baptized. Being a stranger, the missionary replied if he had ever heard the Gospel. He replied, “No, I have never heard the Gospel, but I have seen it.” Yes, it is the fruits of the Spirit-the life of Christ manifest-that convinces an unbelieving world of the genuineness of Christianity, and leads them to Christ. In every professed Christian's life there ought to be seen so much genuine Christianity, that a stranger seeing his good works, though ignorant of the faith he professes, will be led to inquire, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.15

Jesus breathed upon His disciples and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” The reception of the Holy Spirit is not for our own pleasure, but is a preparation for service. The flesh that Christ bore is the same that we bear, but “the flesh profiteth nothing.” It was not in the flesh to do the work God would have done in earth; it must be by the power of His own life; so Christ took His place with us, and was an example to us of what God can do by His own power in just such flesh as we bear, when opportunity is given for Him to have His way. When we think of Jesus, we must not put Him so far away from us as we are wont to do, because what God wrought through Jesus Christ in His ministry, He will do through us by the same power. So if we would receive the greatest benefit, we must take His experience as a real one, offered to us, and which we may have if we will but accept it. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 598.16

“Little Folks. The Work of the Leaven” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

Now the green leaves for whose first appearance we watched so eagerly in the Spring, are already falling from the trees; and making a soft rustling carpet over the ground. Some that are still upon the trees show by their bright garments that they are preparing to leave. Their work, which can only be done in their green dresses, is now over, and they put on their holiday clothing for a little while before they leave us altogether. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.1

Have you ever wondered why the leaves fall off as they do in the Autumn, and the trees are left standing so bare all through the Winter? It is because the work of the trees is over for the year; they do not work at all in the Winter, but go to sleep and rest all through the cold weather. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.2

As most of the work of the tree is done by the leaves, these busy little hands are not needed any more. When the work is over, they dropped away, and helped to nourish the ground and prepare it for another Summer's work. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.3

Perhaps you never thought of the leaves as the hands of the tree. In a beautiful figure of speech which the prophet Isaiah uses, he says, “All the trees of the field shall clap their hands;” and in this he seems to refer to the movement and the sound that the leaves make when they are stirred by the breeze. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.4

But what about the work that these little hands have to do? You did not know they are so busy, for their work is done so quietly; and yet every green thing upon the earth, even every little blade of grass, is busily working all through the sunny day. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.5

One very important work that the leaves do is to prepare the food that the tree or plant needs. The raw food is sucked up from the earth by the roots, and carried by the sap into the leaves, and until it is there prepared and changed and cooked at the sun fire, it cannot be used by the plant for food to build itself up, and store in grain or fruit, according to the nature of the plant. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.6

For besides its own growth, there is something else for the plant to do before its year's work is over, and for this it is preparing all the time. Even the beautiful blossoms which have pleased us so much during the summer, are only a part of this preparation. It must multiply in obedience to the command of God. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.7

Every plant must obey the Word which said: “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and fruit tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.8

The seed, as you know, is formed in the flower, but the flower depends upon the green leaf to prepare all the food it needs to produce the tiny baby plant, and store the seed with nourishment which will last until it can put forth green leaves of its own to do this work for it. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.9

Remember now what God said to man about these plants bearing seed and fruit, which He commanded the earth to bring forth, “To you it shall be for meat.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.10

For whom, then, are the green leaves working? Not for the plants on which to grow only, but for you,-to prepare a store of food for you which shall last until another season brings a fresh supply. This is what the green leaves of the fruit trees, the nut trees, and the waving fields of green corn, have been busy doing all through the Summer. And all this is the fulfilling of the Word of God,-the working out of what was in His mind when He created every green thing upon the earth. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.11

Not only for us, but the whole animal creation, the plants prepare the food that is needed, and there is no other source of supply for any living creature. For to the animals God said, “I have given you every green herb for meat.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.12

The insects feed upon the flowers, the little squirrels and monkeys upon nuts, the rabbits upon lettuce leaves and other vegetables, the birds upon fruit and seeds, the elephants upon rice and other grains. Think of all the animals that you know, and the food that God has provided and prepared for them in the plants. Even those which feed upon other animals only get second-hand the food which the animals they eat got from the plants. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.13

How important, then, is the work of the leaves! Will you not look with more interest and love at these fellow creatures of ours, and think of the kind work that God is so lovingly doing for us and all His creatures by them? Next week we hope to tell you more about this work. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 602.14

“The Lily's Clothing” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

How is the lily clothed? It has a beautiful garment of white and green and various other colours. Solomon in all his glory, arrayed in his royal apparel, must have been a wonderful sight. The Queen of Sheba came a long wait to see the glory of Solomon, and when she saw it her heart fainted. “The half was not told me,” she said, “and I could not believe what I did hear.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 604.1

Who would not go a long way to see one of the kings of the earth, although he might not be arrayed as gloriously as Solomon was? and in order to see this sight one would trample underfoot a score of the lilies without noticing them. If one should place before him a stalk of modest lilies, he would consider them very plain. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 604.2

“See the glory and all the magnificent array of Solomon!” Yes, but Solomon in all his glory was not a arrayed like one of these lilies, for the royal apparel of Solomon was something that could be put on and taken off; and when he took it off, nobody would know, to look at him, that he was any different from other men. But the clothing of the lily is the life of the lily. It is not something that is put on, but something that comes from within; it is the inner life that the lily draws from God's great storehouse in the air and in the earth, manifested in the beautiful green, the delicate white, and all the variegated colours-the manifestation of life in its freshness and brightness,-that is the clothing of the lily. It is God's own clothing, such as God Himself wears,-His own life shining forth in making this beautiful garment. Now what does He say? “If God so clothe the grass of the field, shall He not much more clothe you?” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 604.3

“The Castor-oil Plant” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

From the natural history column of an exchange we clip the following concerning the castor-oil plant:- PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.1

The castor-oil plant is so universally detested by the whole of the animal world that no bird, beast, or creeping thing will touch one. It seems to be a rank poison to all kinds of animals; even a goat will starve before biting off a leaf, and a horse will sniff at it and turn up his upper lip as if it had the most detestable odour on the face of the earth. Army worms and the locust pass it by, though they will eat every other green thing in sight, and there is no surer way to drive moles away from a lawn than to plant a few castor beans here and there. Even the tobacco worm will refuse to be fed on its leaves. The castor-oil plant varies in size in different countries, being seldom seen in this country more than 3ft. or 4ft. in height, while in India it grows to be a good-sized tree. Clusins mentioned it in Spain as measuring from 2ft. to 4ft. in circumference. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.2

Yet the oil of this same plant is given to people, and especially to children, all over the world-in civilised countries. No doubt the writer of the preceding paragraph thinking that he was sinning against the helpless one. “Man's inhumanity to man” must be a cause of mourning among the angels in heaven. When will people learn that dosing themselves with poisonous or nauseating-substances is not the way of life. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.3

“Pain” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

Pain is the cry of some organ that needs attention. If a child were crying because of hunger, you might take it by the throat, and hold it a while, and stop its crying, but it would be bad for the child. So when you administer a drug that throttles the pain, it has the same result. Pain is the cry of some organ for help; the drug relieves the pain, but it has made the case worse. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.4

“News and Notes” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

-An outbreak of typhoid fever is reported from Bridgend, Wales, with high mortality. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.5

-Thirty excursionists were injured in a railway collision at Manchester on the 11th instant. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.6

-Up to this date there have been nearly 200 cases of yellow fever at Key West, about twenty of which have proved fatal. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.7

-The Admiralty have just placed orders with private firms for the construction of twelve now torpedo boat-destroyers for the Royal Navy. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.8

-Gold has been discovered in the Isle of Man in sufficient quantities to warrant its being mined, and a company has been formed for this purpose. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.9

-Over 12,000 manufacturers have refused to pay the new taxes imposed at Barcelona, and many landowners have decided to follow their example. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.10

-A world's council on missions is to be held in New York City, twelve days, beginning April 21, 1900. Three thousand delegates are expected to be present, from every nation on earth. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.11

-The year 1900, being the jubilee year of the re-establishment of the Hierarchy of England, plans have been laid for the formation of a federation of Catholic Associations and the inauguration of a periodical Catholic Congress. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.12

-Over 20,000 persons are said to have fled from Oporto on account of the plague. The business houses still remain closed, and the trade of the city is paralysed. There seem to be signs of an abatement of the disease, as the number of fresh cases has largely decreased. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.13

-Trusts in America car tines to multiply. The interest is a silk ribbon trust, and a printing press trust, with about ?6,000,009 capital each. One of those times a religious trust will be formed in the world, and then only those who conform to its dictates will be permitted to buy or sell. Revelation 13:16, 17. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.14

-As an indication of what it costs an enterprising newspaper for its telegraphic reports, it may be stated that one Australian journal paid ?208 for sending the report of the ending of the Dreyfus case from Rennes. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.15

-According to the first Secretary to Cardinal Rampolia, in an interview with the Central News Agency, the Pope is as anxious for an amicable settlement of the difficulties in the Transvaal that he is willing to act as arbitrator if England desires it. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.16

-Chicago has taken steps to abolish horse-car funerals, and install automobile hearses and carriages instead. Many of the largest undertaking firms in the United States have completed arrangements to change their entire plant to motor-driven vehicles. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.17

-On the 9th inst., soon after noon, a violent rain-storm burst over London, an inch of water falling in half an hour. The lightning and thunder were unusually severe, and much damage was done to property. This was a fittng conclusion for the hottest summer on record. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.18

-The Royal Gun Factories at Woolwich have just turned out a gun with a range so much in excess of any previous ordnance that the Government butts at Shoeburyness have been found insufficient to ascertain its maximum. It is believed to have a range of fifteen miles. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.19

-Captain Dreyfus, after a trial lasting twenty nine days, has been found guilty by five judges to two, and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. The case has been appealed. The verdict is universally condemned by the European and American press, and there is a strong movement already inaugurated in many countries to withdraw their representation at the forthcoming Paris Exposition, as an indication of their disapproval of the verdict. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.20

-A new law has lately gone into effect in Japan, placing all sects, pagan or Christian, under the absolute control of a local governor. His consent must be had before any religious propagators can begin work, before churches can be built, before ministers can be changed, or their number increased. Although this appears on the face of it very restrictive, yet the representatives of the empire say its object is only to keep a record of the various sects and their work. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.21

-In an interesting communication from Mr. Jasper More, M.P., to the Cancer Society in London, published in the Chronicle, he states that he has found by investigation that cancer is more prevalent than tuberculosis among cattle in England, and that such diseased cattle are usually sold for food. He argues that the eating of cancerous meat is a cause of cancer in human beings just the same as tuberculosis in cattle produces the same disease in people. While it is estimated that fully one-third of them are suffering from tuberculosis, and more are cancerous than tuberculosis, is it not pretty nearly time to discard the use of beef as an article of food? PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.22

-The report of the Postmaster-General for the British Isles has just been issued, and contains many interesting items. There are in all 21,569 post-offices in the Kingdom. During the year the postal matter delivered (letters, postcards, parcels, ate.) amounted to 8,600,000,000 pieces. There were over 8,000,000 pieces of mail that for want of proper address could not be delivered, and of this number 666,000 could not even be returned to the senders. In the letters opened at the Returned Letter Offices there was found property to the amount of ?720,000, one letter having in it an uncrossed cheque for ?600, payable to bearer. During the year, ?87,000,000 telegraphic messages were sent, and over ?60,000,000 were handled in post and money orders. Four in every eighteen of the inhabitants of England have deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank, averaging a little over ?16 each depositor. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 606.23

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

“Chains of habit that are generally so small as not to be felt until there are too strong to be broken.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.1

Twenty doctors and thirty trained nurses, all of whom have been subjected to a rigid examination, are just being sent out from England by the India Office to fight the bubonic plague in Bombay. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.2

It is the spirit of unselfish labour for others, no matter whether it is appreciated or not, that brings out the true qualities of a Christian. It gives stability and loveliness to the character, and enables him to grow in grace. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.3

As an indication of the alarming tendency to suicide and murder in these times, it may be stated that a London physician recently announced the fact that he knew a poison that would produce instant death, and yet was painless in its operation. He refused to tell its name. This doctor stated under oath that in two weeks’ time from his announcement he received three thousand letters from men and women begging the name of the poison. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.4

Here is a statement by Cardinal Manning, that is as true as anything that ever was said, and it is true not only of those who are called creatures, but of everybody; for every real Christian is a preacher:- PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.5

It is what we are that preaches; and we are, not only what we know, but what we feel, what we realise, what by experience has become a part of ourselves. Every man speaks readily of that which chiefly fills his mind. If we lived more for God, with God, and in God, we should have little difficulty in speaking about Him. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.6

A barber in Merthyr was fined last week, under a statute of Charles II., for pursuing his ordinary calling on Sunday. The prosecution, however, was not due to any respect for the Sunday, but was undertaken by the Hair Dressers’ Association because the barber in question was not a member. The Magistrate expressed his regret at the action, but had no option as to the imposing of the fine. The medi?val machinery for persecution lies at all ready to the hand of any who wish to give vent to their spite or fanaticism. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.7

It is said that the Hausa language, spoken by one of the finest of the African peoples, is already the language of one per cent. of the population of the globe, and there is a committee in this country, upon which are the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, the main object of which is to further the scientific study of the language. A Hausa-English dictionary is soon to be published by the Cambridge University press. The author, Mr. Charles Avery Robinson, things that the Hausa language will be the language of the future in Tropical Africa. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.8

“Increase of Crime” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

The Rev. J. W. Horsley, who as chaplain for a long time of one of the largest prisons of England, has had an opportunity of learning much about the criminal population of the country, in an interview published in The Young Man says: “The habitual woman prisoners are increasing at a higher rate than the men. It is an alarming state of things. Last year, while there were 3,830 convictions of men who had been convicted over twenty times (some of them hundreds), there were 6,762 such cases among women.” “And the number of women who had been convicted eleven times and upwards was also largely in excess of the number of men. This class of women ‘habituals’ has increased from 5,000 cases in 1878, and 7,000 in 1881, to nearly 12,000 at the present time. The chief cause of this growth of habitual crime amongst women is undoubtedly intemperance. Drunkenness amongst women is growing very largely.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.9

“Double Scavengers” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

Last year considerable stir was made by leading medical men over the spread of typhoid fever by oysters, whose food, as all know, is sewage. An endeavour is now being made in the interest of trade, of course, to allay any fears that may have a risen, and the House of Lords has issued a Blue Book, the object of which is to assure the people that they can eat the sea-scavenger with impunity. The Daily Chronicle thinks that their Lordships have been altogether too feeble in their defence of the oyster. It says: “Sewage does no harm to the oyster, so long as the oyster digests it and there is plenty of salt or brackish water to keep him clean.” Indeed, it would seem that filth is an absolute necessity to the creature, for the Chronicle says: “In the wide expanse of Falmouth Harbour there are oyster beds on the east shore public, that is to say corporate, property, which never gets sewage, yet which are unwholesome until they have been relaid on the west shore, where they get sewage.” PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.10

This is one of the strongest indictments of the oyster that we have yet heard, and should for ever banish the filthy creature from the tables and stomachs of all decent, self-respecting persons. Every animal is composed of that which it feeds, and when people eat oysters they are actually feeding upon their own excretions. The thing is too horrible to think about. After this, let no one who continues to eat oysters ever venture to exclaimed against the filthy habits of the savage. Think how such people are preparing their bodies to be a prey to any epidemic or plague that may come along. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.11

“War a Crime” The Present Truth 15, 38.

E. J. Waggoner

It is well that amidst all the excited talk about war between this country and the Transvaal Republic, there are some voices heard counselling peace. Amongst the most prominent of these is that of Mr. John Morley. Near the close of his recent speech in Manchester, in speaking of the things that would make for the influence of England, he said:- PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.12

The sword won't help you. I ask myself very often whether the man with the sword blundering in and slashing at the knots that statesmen ought to have untied, is not responsible for half the worst catastrophes in the political history of Europe. You may carry fire and sword into the midst of peace and industry, but such a war of the strongest Government in the world against this weak little Republic, and the strongest Government in the world with untold wealth and inexhaustible resources, will bring you no glory. It will bring you no profit, but mischief will be wrought. You may make thousands of women widows and thousands of children fatherless. It will be wrong. You may add a new province to your Empire. It will still be wrong. You may give greater buoyancy to the South African Stock and Share Market. You may create South African booms. You may send the price of Mr. Rhodes chartereds up to a point beyond the dream of avarice. Yes, even then it will be wrong. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.13

It is well for the people to be reminded that improvement in trade does not sanctify nor justify the slaughter of human beings. PTUK September 21, 1899, page 608.14