The Present Truth, vol. 15

September 28, 1899

“The Gospel of Isaiah. Strength for the Helpless. Isaiah 40:25-31” The Present Truth 15, 39.

E. J. Waggoner

(Isaiah 40:25-31.)

25. To whom then will ye liken Me?
And to whom shall I be equaled? saith the
Holy One. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.1

26. Lift up your eyes on high;
And see, who hath created these.
He draweth forth their armies by number;
He calleth them all by name;
Through the greatness of His strength, and
the mightiness of His power,
Not one of them faileth to appear. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.2

27. Wherefore sayest thou then, O Jacob,
And why speakest thou thus, O Israel,
My way is hidden from Jehovah,
And my cause passesth unregarded by my God. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.3

28. Hast thou not know, hast thou not heard,
That Jehovah is the everlasting God,
The Creator of the bounds of the earth?
That He neither fainteth, nor is wearied;
And that His understanding is unsearchable? PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.4

29. He giveth strength to the faint,
And to the infirm He multiplieth force. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.5

30. The young men shall faint and be wearied;
And the chosen youths shall stumble and fall; PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.6

31. But they that trust in Jehovah shall gather
new strength:
They shall put forth fresh feathers like the
moulting eagle;
They shall run, and not be wearied;
They shall march onward, and shall not faint. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.7

In the verses just preceding, in this chapter, we have a vivid presentation of the weakness and insignificance of man. As compared with God, he is less than nothing, and vanity. He is only emptiness. All nations together are but as the fine dust of the balance, which makes no perceptible difference in the weight of any article, and which cannot be seen, to be brushed off. A breath from God would blow away the whole race; and yet these very men presume to make gods for themselves, that is, they presume to make a likeness of the God of heaven. But whatever a man makes must be less than himself; therefore his gods are nothing. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.8

Who can make a likeness of the true God? God manifested Himself to the children of Israel as He never did to any other people (Deuteronomy 4:7), but Moses, speaking of the time when the Lord spoke to them from Sinai, said, “Ye heard the voice of the words, but ye saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.” “Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire.” Verses 12, 15. Nobody has ever seen God, so that he could make a likeness of His form; whatever image anyone makes, therefore, professing to be a likeness of God, is but his conception of the power and attributes of God. But if men would but use the reason that God has given them, and learn the very first and simplest lesson from creation, they would at once see how impossible it is to make any representation of the living God. How can such a thing be done, when He is in all things? He fills heaven and earth. Every created thing reveals His everlasting power and Divinity; every tint of rose or rainbow exhibits a little of the loveliness of His face. In order to get a representation of God, one would need to bring together every separate phrase of strength and beauty in the entire universe; and even then he would not have a representation of God, because what he would have would be dead, and God is life itself. No one can make an image of life. Therefore there can be no likeness of God. God is, and that is the sum of the matter. Beside Him there is nothing. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.9

“But men need something to keep God in mind,” say some, as an excuse for the making of images of the Lord; “something to aid their devotion.” Very true; and since that is so, God has provided for it. Do you think that God needed to depend on man to make something as a memento to Himself? Was God so thoughtless that He forgot an important need of mankind? What a libel upon God all such “aids to devotion” are! No; lift up your eyes to the heavens, and see the work of God's fingers, the moon and stars which He has ordained, and there you can always have an aid to devotion. Some one has said that “an undevout astronomer is mad.” Why so? Because a man who is continually turning his eyes to the heavens, and exploring their depths, and gazing on their wondrous beauty, beholding the glory of God, which they declare, and yet does not worship their Creator, must be devoid of reason. So it is indeed with anyone who does not worship the God of heaven. Whoever does not recognise and worship the true God, has less sense than his ox or his ass. Isaiah 1:2, 3. Moreover, God has given us the Sabbath, in which the works of His hands are specially to be remembered. God's created works are the reminders of His power and goodness, and the Sabbath, the last day of every week, is for contemplation of the works of creation, so that none need forget God. Plenty of aids to devotion has God provided. If all kept the Sabbath of the Lord in truth, the knowledge of the glory of God would cover the earth. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 609.10

“O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! who hast set Thy glory upon the heavens.” Psalm 8:1. He “bringeth out their host by number.” “He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names.” Psalm 147:4. How many are there of them? Only God knows. Look up on a clear starry night, and you become lost as you try to count them; yet you see only a few of them. Visit an observatory, and the attendant will turn the huge telescope to some part of the heavens where your eye can discern nothing. Now look, and you will see swarms of suns blazing where it seemed as though there were only empty space. But you have not yet exhausted the possibilities, although such a thought as trying to count them would make you wild. We can see nothing more with the telescope, and now we resort to photography. We make the stars tell their own story. The sensitive plate is exposed for hours, and the light which is too faint, on account of infinite distance, to be taken into account even with the aid of the telescope, gradually accumulates until it makes a tiny speck. Now we have a photograph of that space which appeared to be vacant even when viewed through the most powerful telescope, and lo, there are thousands of spots, each one indicating the presence of a star. The same thing done from any part of the sky would give a similar result. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 610.1

Thus we see that the stars within man's reach so to speak; that is, the stars of which he is able to detect the existence, are many thousand times more in number than what can be seen with the naked eye. But we have not yet reached the end. We have no more reason for supposing that the limit has been reached by our telescope and camera than the child has for saying that there is nothing beyond the horizon-that his eyes take in the bounds of the universe. The more powerful the instrument through which we look into the heavens, the greater the suggestion of infinite depths beyond. So we may be sure that if we could transport our telescope and photographic apparatus to the farthest star that has yet sent us a glimpse of itself, and should gaze on in the same direction, we should but have the same experience, and so on indefinitely. We are utterly lost in the contemplation of such infinite creation, and can only say, “O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all.” PTUK September 28, 1899, page 610.2

Now we have some sort of appreciation of the expression, “The host of heaven.” “He draweth forth their armies by number; He calleth them all by name.” It is said that C?sar knew the names of all the men under his command. That, if true, was a most wonderful accomplishment; few men could retain in memory the names of so many men. Yet there were only a few tens of thousands, whereas God's host is tens of thousands of myriads. We can liken it to a vast flock, of which God is the Shepherd. As the Eastern shepherd, who spends all his life with his flock, becomes so well acquainted with them that he knows each one, so God knows the name of every one of His star flock. And as the shepherd by his faithful watchfulness and his power against the wild beasts, keeps every one of his sheep safe, so God, by His power and wisdom, guards His starry host so that not one of them is ever lacking. Man thinks of his work as great, yet it is at the greatest but a very small part of this earth that it has to do with. Compared with what we can see on this earth, man's work is puny; but what shall we say when we consider the heavens? What an inconceivably vast work God has on His hands! PTUK September 28, 1899, page 610.3

And God has this work literally on His hands. He metes out the heavens with His span. They are the work of His fingers. What is it that keeps all these vast bodies in their proper places so that there is never any clashing, although all of them are constantly in motion? “Gravitation,” they tell us. Take our solar system, for instance. Men leave God out of the question, and speak as though the force exerted was inherent in the heavenly bodies themselves. The sun, say they, keeps the planets in their orbits. Very good, we know that since God's everlasting power and Divinity are seen in everything that He has made, there is force in the sun and all other bodies; but let us think long enough to make sure that it is only God's power. See the earth revolving round the sun. Now it is flying with marvellous rapidity directly away from the sun. The attraction of the other plants is drawing it, they tell us. Very well, why does it not keep on? Why does it stop in its career, and turn back towards the sun? “Oh, the sun draws it!” Yes, but why did not the sun keep it from going? It had just as much power when the earth was flying away from it, as it had when it turned to go back. Why then did it allow it to go so far away? There is no other answer to this question, but the statement-that the hand of God is on the things that He has made. God's own personal presence sustains and controls His works. The fact that astronomers can calculate the relative power manifested through the various heavenly bodies, so that they can tell when to expect any given planet or star at any given place, does not at all destroy the fact that it is God who is personally working. There is no such think as blind force. There is intelligence directing all power. God has not gone away and left His works to take care of themselves; there would soon be chaos if He should. No, He Himself stays by, “upholding all things by the Word of His power.” PTUK September 28, 1899, page 610.4

What therefore is the conclusion? Is it the common complaint that God has too much to attend to, to be mindful of our little cares? O foolish and blind unbelief! Why will men persistently put comfort away from themselves? “Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed away from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.” If you have not heard it, then consider the heavens, and learn it. “Who hath despised the day of small things?” Certainly not God, who warns man against such foolishness. Just because God is so great, He is able to keep the most accurate account of your case. Not a detail escapes His notice or His care. He who numbers the stars, also numbers the very hairs of your head. Matthew 10:30. Suppose there is here a great mathematician. He can make the most abstruse calculations. The largest numbers are handled by him with ease. Someone asks, “Can he count? Does he know that two and two are four?” What foolish questions! Of course he can. “Well, I thought that he dealt in such great matters that he would not be able to bother with such small affairs.” Know then that the greater includes the less. The power to do great things implies the power to do that which is least. How surprised we are to find a great man of earth to be ignorant of some simple thing. “Is it possible you do not know that?” we exclaim in wonder. But no one can ask any such question concerning God. There is no searching of His understanding. Nobody can ever get to the bounds of it, so as to find something that He does not know. He inhabits eternity, so that infinity, whether it be the infinitely large or the infinitely small, is in Him. All power and wisdom are His, for He is the Creator of all. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 610.5

“He giveth power to the faint.” All this contemplation of the wondrous power of God, as manifested in the heavens, is but a part of the comfort which God says must be proclaimed to His people. A little while ago we read about God's telling the number of the stars, and calling all them by name. Let us now read the connection, and see why that fact is stated. “The Lord doth build up Jerusalem; He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power; His understanding is infinite.” Psalm 147:2-5. So all this power, that is manifested in numbering and naming and upholding the innumerable stars, is the power with which God binds up the wounds of His people, and heals the brokenhearted. His gentleness in dealing with the wounded is equal to His power in upholding the universe. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 611.1

The pagan proverb has it that “God helps those who help themselves.” That is the way the devil tries to discourage people. All men are helpless, and there are times in every man's life when he feels himself to be absolutely without strength. God would have everybody to feel that way all the time. But when men find themselves in that condition, they think of that heathen proverb, and lose heart. Now the truth is that God helps those who cannot help themselves. “When ye were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6. His “strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. He makes men strong out of their weakness. Hebrews 11:34. “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.” He multiplies force to them that are powerless. This He does by giving them Himself. “It is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Think of that! The very same power that is manifested in the heavens, guiding all the planets and stars in their courses, is the power that works in us! All the power that is revealed in the heavens is for us. This is shown by the fact that “He gave Himself for us.” He pledged Himself for our salvation. But on Him rests the entire universe. The power that is seen in all creation is His power; it is He Himself at work. Therefore when He gave us Himself, He gave us all the power in the universe. Is it not worthwhile to look up? Do you want an “aid to devotion,” and something to put heart into you? Then look up. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 611.2

Youth is the synonym for strength and endurance. Yet “the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.” There is a limit to the endurance of youth. Besides, age comes even to youth, and with age comes weakness and debility. “But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” Mark the implied contrast between youth and age. Youths may fail, but they that wait on the Lord, no matter how old they may be, shall renew their strength. God gives to all who trust in Him eternal life; that is, those who trust in Him get the benefit of it; and the characteristic of eternal life is youth. It renews itself. “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; to show that the Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Psalm 92:13-15. There is in this the miracle of life. Those who wait on the Lord, acknowledge Him in all their ways, depending on Him, receive fresh supplies at His hands daily. He shows them the path of life, and directs them in it. He shows them how to live,-how to eat and drink in the right way to renew life. “Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8. There are wonderful possibilities in the Christian life, which no man in this generation has yet fathomed. Who will allow God to demonstrate in their bodies what He can do with them that trust Him? PTUK September 28, 1899, page 611.3

“‘Death in the Pot’” The Present Truth 15, 39.

E. J. Waggoner

“And Elisha came again to Gilgal; and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not. So they pound out far the men to eat. And it came pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the that they may eat. And them was harm in the pot.” 2 Kings 4:38-41. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.1

In comparing this instance of death in the pot with others of the present time, it is worth while to note that as soon as it was discovered that there was danger, steps were taken to avert it; such however is not always the case to-day. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.2

It is a sad fact that the blessings of God are by man largely turned into curses. God gives us food, that we may enjoy the blessing of life; but instead of using food as a means of life, most people make it a means of shortening life. The most of the diseases from which people suffers are due to improper food and wrong habits of eating. It is safe to say that nine-tenths of all sickness originates more or less directly from the stomach, and could be avoided as well as not. Proof of the fact that the stomach is the seat of so much trouble is seen in the multitudes of advertisements that disfigure the pages even of religious journals, of nostrums designed as aids to digestion, or to make the victim unconscious of his suffering. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.3

Quite recently a noted firm was fined ?50 for using fermented fruit in preparation of jam. In such cases the evil is very quickly seen and easily remedied remedied. If fruit is diseased it is immediately apparent, and can be discarded, but the flesh of animals may be impregnated with death without the disease being detected except by a critical examination. It is of this alarming danger, and of the indifference manifested by most people to the presence of death in their daily food that we write. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.4

Quite recently there was a little correspondence in the Daily Chronicle upon the subject of cancer and tuberculosis in cattle. First Mr. Jasper More, M.P., wrote to the Secretary of the Cancer Society, stating that as a result of his investigations he had found that cancer is far more common than tuberculosis among cattle, and that the meat of cattle suffering from it is generally sold for food. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.5

To this a veterinary surgeon replied, stating that there was no just ground for any such statement, since the information had all been obtained from men not competent to determine whether an animal has cancer or not. This is doubtless the case, and it is probably not correct to say that cancer is more common than tuberculosis. Yet cancer is nevertheless often caused by the eating of the flesh of animals. But the striking point in the reply of the veterinary surgeon, who ridiculed the idea that cancer is more prevalent than tuberculosis, is his admission that “fully thirty per cent. of the cattle of this country are affected with tuberculosis.” Surely this should give meat-eaters pause. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.6

And now comes forward another veterinary surgeon, Mr. Archibald Hodder, M.R.C.V.S., and joins the discussion. He agrees with his colleague, that cancer is not so prevalent as tuberculosis, but does not help the case for the flesh-eaters, he says:- PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.7

“The majority of farmers are as likely to refer to any tumours on a beast as cancer, as to call it anything else. For instance, when practising in Norfolk, I was often called in to cases of actinomycosis in cattle. This disease is characterised by a tumefied condition of the jaw-bones, cheeks, and tongue. Many of my clients would term these cases cancer of the tongue. I have heard farmers refer to fibrous tumours as cancers, in fact, wens, cysts, bursal enlargements, and all kinds of tumours and abnormal swellings are apt to be classified under the common name of cancer by persons unacquainted with their true nature. Then again it is not easy to diagnose the existence of carcinomata, apart from a microsocopical examination of the affected part. For these reasons it is difficult to accept the statement that cancer is far more common amongst cattle than tuberculosis.” PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.8

It is true that many morbid growths not only on cattle, but also on human beings are called cancer, when they are not cancerous at all; as many “cancer doctors” reap a rich harvest from the popular error, by removing cancers that never existed. Still it is a fact that any tumour is an evidence of an unhealthy condition. A perfectly healthy person or animal does not have tumours or abnormal enlargements. It is therefore very cold comfort that is given to a man when the veterinary surgeon says to him, in effect, “Don't be alarmed, my dear sir, that tumour that you are eating is not cancerous. It is only a wen, or some other abnormal enlargement.” PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.9

People should understand, what the doctors will know, that the diseased condition is not confined to the tumour, whether it be cancerous or not. Even if there be no malignant disease, the presence of tumours of any kind is evidence of a low state of vitality. What shall be said, then, of the way in which the writer last mentioned reassures his readers? Immediately after the remarks just quoted, he says:- PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.10

“Even did such a state of things exist (namely, if cancer were more common than tuberculosis), the danger of eating the meat of affected animals would probably be small, since, owing to the unsalable appearance of diseased meat, such things as tumours are usually removed by the butchers before the carcass is offered for sale.” PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.11

That is to say, the evidence of the disease is removed before the purchaser sees it, so that he need not know that he is eating diseased flesh. We have heard of the coloured waiter at a restaurant, who, when a guest ordered soft-boiled eggs, said, “You'd better hab dem eggs scrambled, for de fac’ is, boss, dam eggs ain't very fresh, and dey looks better scrambled.” We used to think that was a manufactured joke, but now we see no reason for disbelieving it. People seem to think that nothing that they eat can possibly injure them, provided they don't see anything wrong about it. It is the child's game, “Shut your eyes, and open your mouth.” Instead of cutting off the tumours, why would it not do as well to have the customers blindfolded? What the doctors and others are trying to do it in very fact, is to shut the eyes of the people to the fact that they are daily consuming disease and death. Even the man who sounds the alarm about the prevalence of cancer, has nothing to suggest except that meat should be thoroughly cooked. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.12

Another testimony comes to hand from a man who was for several years a superintendent in one of the great meat-packing establishments in America. The statement was sworn to, and is, in part, as follows:- PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.13

I have seen cattle come into a stockyard so weak and exhausted that they expired in the corrals, where they lay for an hour or two dead, until they were afterwards hauled in, opened and put on the market for beef, or into the canning department for cans. It was the custom to make a pretence of killing in such cases. The coagulated blood in their veins was too sluggish to flow, and instead of getting five gallons of blood, which is the amount commonly taken from a healthy steer, a mere dark red clot would form at the wound. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 612.14

In cases where tuberculosis became evident to the men who were skinning the cattle, it was their duty, on instruction, to remove the tubercules, and cast them into a trap-door provided for that purpose. The order went out to dispose of all evidence of disease, whenever these evidences manifested themselves to the naked eye. I have seen hundreds and thousands of cattle pass inspection, that should have been consigned to the tube. I have witnessed men tearing off with their naked hands large tubercles growing along the ribs, intestines, lungs, and vital parts of the slaughtered steers. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.1

I have seen as much as forty pounds of flesh affected with gangrene cut from the carcass of a beef, in order that the rest of the animal might be utilised in trade. It was at that time, and is still, regarded as wasteful to discard any portion of a steer that can possibly be used. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.2

This seems too fearful to be true, yet it is not at all incredible. It must not be supposed that the men who do these things are wilful plotters against the lives of their fellow-men; for they and their families eat that same meat. It is simply an evidence of the growing indifference to life, and that which may have a tendency to destroy it. The writer himself recalls an instance where a farmer was slaughtering swine for his own table. On the liver of one of the hogs there was a very large, disgusting ulcer. The writer called the attention of one of the men to it, supposing that the whole liver would be thrown away; but the farmer merely took his knife and coolly removed the ulcer, sending the remaining portion of the liver into the house to be prepared for eating. When men show so little care in that which concerns only themselves, what can be expected of those who are working for the general public? PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.3

The question may be asked, “If disease is so prevalent among cattle, and so much diseased meat is eaten, why is there not more disease, and a greater death-rate, among the people?” The answer is two-fold. In the first place, disease is alarmingly prevalent, the increase of consumption alone in the last few years being so great as to startle those who take heed to it; and in the second place, the evils arising from eating flesh meat at all are so great that the added affections are rising from eating markedly diseased meat are not so noticeable. The best meat that is eaten is more or less corrupt, so that it is only a question of degree, and the degeneration is so gradual that people overlook it. Disease in the system doesn't always show itself at once. Many a person is carried off suddenly by consumption or some other disease, the seeds of which he had been caring about with him, unnoticed, for years. In a time of an epidemic it is made apparent who had been storing up disease, and who have lived healthfully. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.4

There is nothing that affects mankind that the Gospel is not concerned about. The Gospel promises life, and offers it to all who will accept it. This life is not simply life in some future state, but life-fulness of life-here and now. But when people manifest such stolid indifference to a matter which affects their daily life, how can it be expected that they will be moved by appeals to accept life in the world to come? Many become so accustomed to death, not only by slaughtering animals, but by subsisting on the carcasses of dead animals, that they are indifferent as to their own lives. Is it not time for a loud cry to be raised that will startle some from their lethargy, and hold them awake long enough to get them to thinking? There is death in the pot, but there is life for those who will have it. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.5

“Is Boycotting Ever Justifiable?” The Present Truth 15, 39.

E. J. Waggoner

In these days the one hand the weapon which is in almost universal demand is the boycott. Everybody knows what it means, so we need not take time to tell how the term originated. The thing is known in all lands. In all sorts of cases, religious, political, and commercial, whenever any man or company pursues a course disapproved of by the rest, at the first cry is, “Boycott him!” and the cry is taken out by the mob in broadcloth as well as by the mob in corduroy. Without any reference to the justice or injustice of any case in which it is used or proposed, we ask, Is it ever right? Can Christians ever engage in it under any circumstances? We say, No, most emphatically, and say so because we have the word of the Author of Christianity. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.6

Unchangeable as the throne of God is the commandment: “All things whatsoever ye would that man should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is all law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12. Men laud this very highly in their talk, as the “golden rule,” but very few follow it in practice, and it is wholly ignored and trampled under foot by every one who engages in boycotting. Nobody wishes to be ostracised, and to have his livelihood taken away from him; therefore nobody can rightly do the same to anybody else. This one rule is sufficient to settle the question. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.7

Our feelings of indignation-“righteous” we'd love to call it-have nothing to do with the matter. God has not set us to be judges and executioners against others. “The wrath of man worketh not to the righteousness of God.” James 1:20. We may seek to save our consciences by calling our wrath “righteous;” no matter for that; it is wrath nevertheless, and those sort of human wrath can work the righteousness of God, and since it cannot work the righteousness of God, it works unrighteousness. Boycotting is the devil's weapon, and is wholly a devilish, no matter by whom or against whom it is used, nor in what case. It can never serve a good cause. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.8

The case is so simple, the evil boycotting is so apparent on the face of it, that it ought not to be necessary to ward Christians against being led into it; yet there is a great necessity, for it is now the professed Christians who are foremost in resorting to it. Not long since The Christian raised the question, “Is it a Christian act to boycott?” and immediately quoted the following from the British weekly as a good answer:- PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.9

Boycotting in the right sense is one-half of Christianity. “Touch not, taste not, handled not.” “Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.” PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.10

When boycotting is not only endorsed by such influential religious leaders, but is actually recommended as being one-half of Christianity, it is not at all to be wondered at if many Christians thoughtlessly follow their leadership; and therefore we would sound a warning. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.11

Consider the text first quoted to sustain boycotting. “Touch not, taste not, handle not.” Even if we take it just as it stands, torn from its connection, it does not sanction boycotting. The most that can be made of it is a personal exhortation to each individual to abstain from evil. But it is not necessary for me to kill every heathen, in order to show that I am a worshipper of the true God. I can abstain from liquor, without making war on the man who drinks it. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 613.12

But let us read the whole text, it is Colossians 2:20-22: “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as those living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances (touch not taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” The words, “touch not; taste not; handle not;” are not a command, but are simply thrown in as an example of the ordinances “after the commandments and doctrines of men,” to which we are not to be subject. And so the text most emphatically condemns boycotting, or anything else that comes from man and not from God. There are few text that are more abuse than this one. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 614.1

Again, “Abhor that which is evil.” Good; but you are not to abhor the evil man. Cause wrath is revealed from heaven, not against and godly men but against the and godliness of men. Romans 1:18. Christ receiveth sinners. The Pharisees believed in boycotting those who did not do as they did; but their zeal was often only a cloak to cover up their own sinfulness; and that is what the most of the outcry against others usually is. But Christ did not countenance any such methods. “I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44, 45. This is vastly different from trying to injure them, and to ruin their business. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 614.2

So we say, yet not we, but the Lord, “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst give him a drink; for in so doing ye shall heap coals of fire on his head. Be not to overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:20, 21. He who follows this counsel will never engage in anything like the boycott, no matter how many men who occupy the place of Christian leaders tell him that it is right. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 614.3

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Satan has no power over any one of us except as we give it to him. He is a conquered foe. If we yield to his enticements, we are to blame. “Get behind me Satan,” will drive the arch enemy from us just as it did from the Saviour. The reason so many of us are overcome is, that in time of temptation, we parley with the devil, and this invariably means defeat. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” PTUK September 28, 1899, page 614.4

“Vanderbilt on Money” The Present Truth 15, 39.

E. J. Waggoner

Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt, head of the millionaire family, died at New York on the 12th instant, of paralysis, at the age of fifty-four, really just in the prime of life. His wealth is estimated at ?25,000,000. He was a railway king, and like other magnates, “played the game that built up wealth at the expense of less fortunate capitalists. He was a man of an iron will, and sought to have his own way in everything. He had his full share of domestic unhappiness, and in 1896 disinherited his favourite son because he married against his wishes. Of his wealth he once said, “Such wealth as mine is too heavy a burden for any man to bear. The weight of it is crushing me. I have no pleasure in it, and no use for it.” At another time he said, “In what respect am I better off than my neighbour who has not wealth. He commands more readily than I can all the true happiness of life, he is healthier than I, because he has less anxiety; he will probably live longer than I shall; and above all he can trust his friends.” Wealth is a snare to those who do not use it aright, and the “love of money is the root of all evil.” PTUK September 28, 1899, page 615.1

“For Little Ones. The Work of the Leaves” The Present Truth 15, 39.

E. J. Waggoner

We were talking last week of the wonderful work of the green leaves,-how in them the food that the roots draw up out of the earth is cooked by the sun and prepared for the use of the plants. But the plants and trees need other food besides what they get out of the earth, and this the busy little leaves gather and prepare for them. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.1

You will wonder perhaps what this food can be, for you do not see them feeding, nor anything for them to feed upon. Yet the leaves are covered with tiny little mouths, which are generally open all day when the weather is favourable, and through them they take in a supply of food out of the air. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.2

Plants cannot take “solid food,” it has to be all dissolved for them. What the roots take from the earth is dissolved in water, and passes through them in what we call the sap; what the leaves take from the air is also dissolved, and is in the form of gas or vapour. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.3

You have learned about the poisonous carbonic acid gas which we breathe out into the air. The oxygen that is in the pure air when it is taken into our bodies, passes into our blood, and burns up the carbon that a great deal of our food is made up of. The carbon uniting in this way with the oxygen, makes what is called carbonic acid gas, which passes out of our bodies through our lungs into the air. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.4

If we had to breathe this gas over and over, and could not get a fresh supply of pure air, we should die. But see how wonderfully and beautifully God is working to purify the air and prepare more food for us. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.5

This gas which is so poisonous to us, is the very thing that the plants need for their food. It is drawn through the little mouths that we spoke of, and by the help of the sunlight the carbon and oxygen are separated again. The oxygen is given out into the air for us to breathe, and the plants keep the carbon and form it into food for us again. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.6

Some plants make the food that they take from earth and air into grains for our use,-corn, rice, oats, barley; others into beans and peas; some into vegetables such as potatoes and turnips; some into fruits and nuts. Some build it into hard wood that is so useful for making our houses and furniture and fuel. And perhaps you know that coal,-so necessary to those who live, in cold climates like this to in the winter,-is pure carbon, which the leaves of the tree have taken from the air in the way that we told you of. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.7

Think of other useful things that we get from the plants,-oil, cork, India-rubber, cotton and flax for making our clothing, and many other things. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.8

At night the green leaves shut their little mouths and sleep as you do. The plants do not feed at night, but even then they are not quite idle. Like you they breathe and grow, using up the food that they have gathered and prepared during the day. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.9

Remember whose breath it is that the plants breathe,-the same breath that is breathed into you, the breath of God. And the life that they have is just the same life as yours,-the life of Jesus. It is He who is doing all these wonderful things for us through the plants which He has commanded the earth to bring forth. It is His wisdom working in them that guides them in all their work, and His love which in them is ministering to the needs of all His creatures. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.10

Are you wondering how we are going to get pure air through the winter months when the fields and trees are bare? God has thought of this too, and provided for it. He blows the poisoned air away from us to places where there are many plants needing it to feed on, and He blows back to us the air that they have purified. Think of this when the strong, cold winds of winter are blowing about you,-how through them God is providing you with sweet, pure, life-giving air, and carrying away what would be harmful to you. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 618.11

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 39.

E. J. Waggoner

Now as never before, the Lord demands heart service. He is calling upon His people to forsake all and follow Him. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.1

That the Filipinos are not all savages is made evident by an article by one of them in the North American Review, in the course of which he amply meets the assertion that the Filipinos cannot govern themselves, by saying:- PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.2

A little over a hundred years ago it was extremely questionable, when you, also, were rebels against the English Government, if you could govern yourselves.... The moral of all this is obvious. Give us the chance; that was exactly as you demanded to be treated at the hands of England. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.3

Some letters of Cardinal Newman have recently been published, in one of which occurs the following statement:- PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.4

A large society such as the Church, is necessarily a political power, and to touch politics is to touch pitch. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.5

Very true; and to touch pitch is to be deified. The conclusion is obvious. It is not necessary for any Christian nor for any body of Christians to be defiled; that is self-evident. They can and should let politics and all political methods alone. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.6

“Science Falsely So-called” The Present Truth 15, 39.

E. J. Waggoner

From the Daily Mail of the 18th we take the following:- PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.7

How is the age of the earth to be guessed? Sir Archibald Geikie did his best at Dover on Saturday to show to the geological section of the British Association how approximate guesses might be hazarded. We may note the geological and biological changes that have taken, and are still taking place, and by comparing the results may arrive at some reasonable estimate. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.8

In most the most ancient of the sedimentary registers of the earth's history there is no evidence of colossal floods, tides, or denudation, but on the contrary, incontrovertible proof of continuous orderly deposition, such as may be seen to-day in any part of the globe. One hundred millions of years, Sir Archibald thought, would suffice for that small portion of the earth's history which is registered in the stratified rocks of the crust. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.9

The honourable savant is very liberal, however. Although he thinks that one hundred million years is time enough for the history of the earth hitherto, yet according to the Chronicle's report, if the pal?ontologists find such a period too narrow for their requirements, he saw a reason from the geological side why they should not be at liberty to enlarge it as far as they may find it needful for the evolution of organised existence on the globe. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.10

And nobody laughed, so far as we can learn. These guesses and this liberal distribution of time of which he had no knowledge, and over which he had no control, were all “science,” and so must be received with becoming gravity. Anything rather than accept the Word of God. So they go on saying, “All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation,” willingly ignorant of the Word of the Lord which, if they would devote half the energy in studying it that they spend in profitless and foolish guessing, would make them wise not only in the things that have been, but in the things that are to come. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.11

“‘Honour to Whom Honour’” The Present Truth 15, 39.

E. J. Waggoner

“After these things did King Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Modecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.” Esther 3:1, 2. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.12

Here we have a picture of human greatness and of human sycophancy. How much greater was Haman after the king had set his seat above all the other princes than he was before?-Not a whit greater. His soul was just as mean, and his capacity which was just as small, as before. And how much more did the king's servants esteem him?-Not a bit. They bowed to the title, to the gorgeous raiment, and to the high chair. Before he was elevated, no one would do him honour; after his elevation all, except one, sought his favour; and as soon as he got into disfavour with the king, the very ones who bowed so low to him were the first to suggest that he be hanged. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.13

If a man really has authority, he has it in himself, the measure of the gift of Christ in him, just as much as if clothed in rags as if clothed in the king's uniform. What the man is, determines his real authority; what the man wears, and what he is called, determines the amount of honour given him by men. For very few people in this world care for real authority, because the majority have cast off allegiance to God. So they worship a sham. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.14

An instance of how human authority, military authority, may be put on and off with one's clothes, recently came under the writer's notice. He was riding in a military train on the Continent, at a time when the soldiers of the country were gathering for the annual manoeuvers. By his side set a petty officer in citizen's dress, going home to get his uniform, so as to appear in camp next day. A number of soldiers came into the carriage, and the officer, pointing to one of them, said, “There is one of my men; he doesn't know me now; but to-morrow, when I have my uniform on, he will recognise me.” But it would be the uniform, not the man, that the soldier would recognise. This is not saying that the officer did not really have authority in himself; but the point is, the world is given to idolatry, and people for the most part reverence and worship the imaginary rather than the real. That which man has devised is honoured above what God is made. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.15

Are we not, then, to show respect to those whom men have placed in positions of authority?-Most certainly; that is a Christian duty. The Bible enjoins us to honour kings and all that are in authority, and not to speak evil of them, even though they be as wicked as Nero was. It was under his reign that the apostle wrote, “Honour the king.” But it must not be forgotten that this injunction is preceded by the command, “Honour all men.” Thus: “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God, Honour the king.” 1 Peter 2:17. Thus we see that the homage and respect that is to be shown to the king is that which is to be shown to all men. We are to “speak evil of no man.” Sycophancy and flunkeyism have no place in Christianity. The spirit that will lead a person to take off his hat to one man because he has wealth or high position, and can bestow favours, but which will treat a pour labouring man, or even a beggar, with rudeness, is the spirit of Satan. He who is kind and respectful to the poorest and most insignificant person, will never be found wanting in the respect and homage due to the king; while he who can be rude to the poor stranger in rags, dishonours the king by the show of reverence which his false heart leads him to put on. PTUK September 28, 1899, page 624.16