The Present Truth, vol. 14

September 1, 1898

“Harvest Time” The Present Truth 14, 35.

E. J. Waggoner

Now is the time of harvest. Wherever one goes throughout the laud, there is to be seen the standing grain even now over-ripe, here the reaper with his sickle busily laying the corn in bundles, while the gleaner follows on behind, there the wore modern reaping machine swiftly laying low a whole field, and now we see shocks of corn waiting the gathering into the barn. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 545.1

It is a busy season, the season far which the farmer has been labouring and waiting all the year, for it determines the value of what he has done. It is, in fact, the judgment time of the year. The nature of the sowing appears in the reaping; and upon the harvest depends the farmer's future. If it is good, he can rejoice in his prosperity; if it is poor, it may mean bankruptcy. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 545.2

Who thinks of the real significance of the harvest, as it comes year after year? It has a lesson, and a most important one, which should be impressed upon us more and more deeply by its regular recurrence; but such is the perversity of human nature, that instead of learning the lesson better by its constant repetition, we become entirely unconscious of it, even as we do of the ticking of the cloak. Let us see if we cannot stir up our slumbering senses to appreciate the instruction and warning that God never wearies of giving us. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 545.3

Jesus was one day teaching His disciples, and He said: “So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he knoweth not how. The earth beareth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in tile ear, but when the fruit is ripe, straightway he putteth forth the sickle, because the harvest is come.” Mark iv. 26-29, R.V. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 545.4

By the seen, the Lord teaches us of the unseen. That is, from what is apparent, He teaches us of the real; “for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal,” and only that which is lasting is real. Each year, therefore, we have a complete picture of the kingdom of God; the whole work of the Gospel, from its beginning till its consummation, is annually set forth in living pictures before the eyes of all men. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 545.5

For a more detailed account of the matter, read the parable of the wheat and tares, and its interpretation, in Matt. xiii. 24-30, 37-43, together with Scripture already quoted. Seed is sown; it germinates and grows, but no one knows how. This we do know, however, that the seed must die in order to bear fruit. John xii. 24. It must die in order to live. 1 Cor. xv. 36. And the work is wholly of God. “God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed His own body.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 545.6

Sad to say, an enemy is also working, among the wheat, and tares spring up among the wheat. “The good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one.” “The field is the world.” The good seed, as we also learn from other scriptures, is the Word of God. Those who receive the Word, the incorruptible seed, into their hearts are born of it, thus being transformed into the same substance. This is the new birth, the passing from death to life. He who is not willing to die, cannot hope to live. The farmer who should refuse to cast seed upon the ground, seemingly throwing it away, would never reap anything. The harvest Would surely come, but his hands would be empty. “He that saveth his life, shall lose it.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 545.7

In the growth of the grain we have an illustration of the Christian's growth in grace. “For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” Isa. lxi. 11. In the first place, the work is wholly of God. The showers that fall upon the earth show the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; the sunshine which warms the seed into life, shows us how the Sun of righteousness arises with healing in His wings. So the grain grows, because under the favourable conditions which God provides, it cannot do otherwise. We also, if we are consciously as passive in the hands of God as the corn is involuntarily, and as willingly receive the things that pertain to life and godliness, which His Divine power gives in perfection, will as surely bring forth fruit to the glory of God throughout eternity, as the corn ripens to the harvest. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 545.8

For the harvest will surely come, and “the harvest is the end of the world.” Each recurring harvest is but a sign of the coming end of the world, when “every man's work shall be made manifest.” The real harvest is yet to come; these yearly harvests are but the assurances of it. We allow them to come and go without giving them a thought beyond the pounds, shillings, and pence which they bring; their regularity makes us indifferent to the lesson they teach, whereas each returning harvest should but deepen our sense of the coming judgment. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 546.1

The Jews had each year a round of service in their sanctuary, which was designed to teach them the truths of the closing act in the yearly service was the Day of Atonement, which came in the autumn, when the year ended. It was to them the day of judgment. It was their unbelief that made that typical service necessary. If we will allow the veil of unbelief to be taken away from our eyes, we shall see the Gospel of the kingdom set forth even more vividly and really than it was in the Levitical yearly service. Their ceremonies were but dead forms; our lesson, which they also had, is the working of the living Word. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 546.2

Each harvest tells us that God will bring every work into judgment, and “the day shall declare it.” “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Gal. vi. 7, 8. What shall the harvest be in your case. You may know now as surely as when it comes, for the sowing determines the reaping. The harvest will surely come; it is even now upon us. Then “let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 546.3

“Notes on the International Sunday-School Lessons. Sinful Indulgence. Amos vi. 1-8” The Present Truth 14, 35.

E. J. Waggoner

SEPTEMBER 11

The message of Amos the prophet was given in a time of great seeming prosperity. Both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were victorious in war, winning back from their enemies much of the territory that had been taken away. Jeroboam the second was king over Israel and “he restored the coast of Israel.” “For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel that it was very bitter: and the Lord said not that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam.” 2 Kings xiv. 26, 27. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 546.4

Uzziah reigned over the kingdom of Judah, “and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.” “And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians.” “And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.” “And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.” 2 Chron. xxvi. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 546.5

“NEITHER WERE THANKFUL”

But it was the same old, sad story over again. Israel and Judah forgot that it was God who made them rich and strong, and began once more to trust in themselves and their uncertain riches. “For she did not know that I gave her the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and multiplied unto her silver and gold, which they used for Baal. Therefore will I take back My corn in the time thereof, and My wine in the season thereof, and will pluck away My wool and My flax which should have covered her nakedness.” Thus spoke Hosea, who prophesied at the same time as Amos. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 546.6

LESSONS UNLEARNED

In despising the long-suffering of God and forgetting all His benefits, Israel was surely preparing the way for another experience of suffering and oppression, such as that from which they had been lately delivered. The Lord was not willing that the lessons of the past should thus be wasted, and sent His servants the prophets with messages of warning and instruction. These called attention to the patience and mercy of the Lord, as revealed in their past history, denounced the sins into which the people had fallen, and pointed out the inevitable results of continuance in their evil way. “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you as ye say.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 546.7

AN INSPIRED HERDMAN

Amos had not been educated as a prophet. He was not declaring God's Word because that was the kind of work he had been brought up to do. When the priest of Bethel told him to get out of Israel and go to Judah if he wanted to prophesy, because Bethel was very well contented with things as they were, and could not consent to hear anything against the king who supported its false worship, Amos replied that he was not engaged in the work by his own choice, but that God who gave him the message told him where to speak it. Said he, “I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a dresser of sycamore trees: and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto My people Israel.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 546.8

“WE CANNOT BUT SPEAK”

The time needed such a man, one who was filled with a solemn sense of the fact that God had given him a message for the people, and that they must hear it. It was no light thing to Amos that the Lord had spoken, and he could not withhold the message from those for whom it was intended. He says, “Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? can a bird fall in a snare on the earth, where no gin is set for him? shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all? shall the trumpet be blown in a city, and the people not be afraid? shall evil befall a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Surely the Lord; God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? THE LORD GOD HATH SPOKEN, WHO CAN BUT PROPHESY?” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 546.9

AT EASE IN ZION

“Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.” Zion has never been a place for the idle and self-indulgent. It is true that there is rest in the presence of the Lord, but because this is true, no one who truly believes and enters into the rest, can be contented without bringing others to the same knowledge of God's nearness to them, that they too should seek the Lord, it haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one. Christ had not held to the riches and glory of heaven, but for our sakes became poor that we might be rich. Israel had been exalted once more among the nations that these might learn how blessed a thing it was to have “God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for;” and that in the spread of this knowledge, the promise to Abraham should be fulfilled that his seed should be a blessing to all the families of the earth. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 547.1

DEBTORS TO ALL MEN

Instead, however, of recognising God in His gifts, and exalting His name among the heathen, Israel resigned itself to the sinful enjoyment of its temporal blessings, unmindful of the crying need of a world that lay in darkness, without God and without hope. Had they carried the knowledge of God to other nations, these would have been subdued by the influence of the Gospel, but they were not, and Israel had only themselves to thank when, in after days, brought into bondage to those heathen nations, they learned how cruel a people could become when unenlightened by the Word of God. When the work which might have been done in comparative ease had to be done under a terrible pressure of discouragement and difficulty. It would have been better for them had they gone to the heathen than waited for the heathen to come to them. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 547.2

CARNAL SECURITY

At present they felt secure in the mountain of Samaria. They put far away the evil day, and rejoiced in deeds of violence and shame. Lying on beds of ivory, and stretched on luxurious couches, they feasted on dainties, and sang idle songs to the sound of the viol. They devoted much time to the fine arts, inventing instruments of music. Wine flowed freely at their banquets, and fragrant ointments perfumed their persons, but the anger of the Lord was against them because their one thought was to use all His gifts for their own gratification, and in their self-centred pleasures they were not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Like Elijah's disturbing message came to them the stern reproof of the herdman Amos, that for these things, “shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the revelry of them that stretched themselves shall pass away. The Lord God hath sworn by Himself, saith the Lord, the God of hosts: I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 547.3

INACCEPTABLE WORSHIP

The services of the temple had taken on new magnificence in those days of prosperity. The newly invented instruments of music were introduced into the public worship, but the Lord was not pleased with them. “I hate, I despise your feasts.” “Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.” What God desired was that they should receive from Him the righteousness that was bestowed as freely as the corn and wine. “Let judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.” But Israel did not appreciate the best gifts of all, and failing to receive these, they also lost the lesser gifts. The promise is given to us that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all necessary things shall certainly be added. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 547.4

THE PRESENT SITUATION

The situation now is the same as it was in the days of Amos. There are judgments waiting to be poured out, not upon one nation only, but upon all nations. Men put far away the evil day, and there are many at ease in Zion. “When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them ... and they shall not escape.” 1 Thess. v. 3. Some are scoffing at the promise of His coming, and “as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matt. xxiv. 38, 39. God's servants should now be proclaiming His Word, calling on men to “fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come,” to recognise God in His works and receive life and righteousness at His hands, that the prophecy of Amos may be fulfilled to them, “I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 547.5

“The Everlasting Gospel: God's Saving Power in the Things That Are Made” The Present Truth 14, 35.

E. J. Waggoner

Isa. xxxiii. 20, 21: “Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities; thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be token down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.1

Rev. xxii. 1: “And He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.2

Rev. v. 6: “And I saw In the midst of the throne ... a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.3

Rev. vii. 17: “The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their Shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.4

John xix. 33, 34: “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they brake not His legs; but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His aide, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.5

1 John v. 8: “There are three that bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and the three agree in one.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.6

John vii. 37-39: “Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spoke He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.7

Isa. xliv. 3, 4: “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring; and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.8

Ps. li. 12: “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.9

Titus iii. 4-6: “When the kindness of God our Saviour and His love toward man, appeared, not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to His mercy He saved as, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.10

Ps. i. 1-3: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and In His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shalt be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.11

God Himself is a place of broad rivers and streams. The river of life flows from Him. It is a real stream, because from it comes the rain upon the earth, as we saw in our last lesson. It is the life of God in visible form. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.12

Christ crucified is in the midst of the throne, whence the water of life flows, so that the water flows direct from the cross. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.13

The law of God was always in the heart of Christ, even when He was here in the flesh, so that He Himself was the throne of God. He has told us that His body was the temple of God. John ii. 19-21. So it was fitting that the water of life should flow from His side as He hung on the cross. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.14

On the cross Christ gave His life for us and all mankind. So the water that flowed from His side was the water of life. It was mingled with blood, for the water and the blood are one. So we see that the river of water of life is also the blood, the life, of the Lamb. The Lamb slain is in the midst of the throne, the source of the river of life. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.15

“The Spirit, and the water, and the blood agree in one.” All three are life. So the water of life flowing from the throne of God,-from the slain Lamb,-is the Spirit of God. Christ Himself has told us this in so many words. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.16

The world cannot receive the Spirit of God, “because it seeth Him not.” John xiv. 17. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Cor. ii. 14. Our physical eyes are not adapted to see spiritual things; therefore if we could be permitted to enter heaven just as we are, we could not see the throne of God, nor the water of life, any more than we can where we are. But at the resurrection we shall receive a spiritual body (1 Cor. xv. 44-51), and then we shall see the river of life, which is the Spirit of God. We can then sea the Spirit as plainly as we now see our earthly friends. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.17

But God gives us the Spirit, in order that, receiving Him by faith, we may become spiritual, and thus with our spiritual eyesight, that is, by faith in the words of God, we may see the Spirit in the gifts of God. The world cannot receive Him, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: “but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.18

The Spirit is the water of life, and so it is always spoken of as being “poured out” upon us. The reality of the gift of the Spirit, and the freeness of the gift, is shown to us by the rain, the life of which is the Spirit. The fulness of the salvation of God is made known to us in the rain that refreshes the earth, and by which we have life. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.19

“If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another; and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John i. 7. The blood of Christ is the water of life, and is also the Spirit, and so it is that we are cleansed by “the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.20

All the water that is in the heavens and earth comes from the throne of God, from the river of life. Water cleanses. This everybody knows. Thus it is that God makes us see the reality of the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.21

The water that Christ gives is “living water.” It is flowing, not stagnant. Flowing water, living water, is pure. Even if impurity be thrown into it, it soon becomes pure. All the sewage of the city of Paris flows into the Seine, yet forty miles below the city there is not a trace of impurity in the water. And this is in this sin-cursed earth. With what confidence then may we not come to the “fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” Zech. xiii. 1. And the reality of this cleansing is made known to us afresh every day, as we wash our bodies in water, or use water for the cleansing of our garments. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.22

How freely and literally God has bestowed-“poured out”—His Spirit upon all flesh! Why will not all men receive Him? Read again the words of the scriptures that compose this lesson, and see how easily we may receive the Holy Spirit simply by believing. Do you believe? What a wonderful blessing is promised to those who meditate in the law of God. What is the law of God?—Can you not see that it is His life, and that it is in everything that He has made? What a grand thing to be sure of prosperity in every undertaking! Let us then meditate in the law of God as revealed in His works. Let us pray, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” Ps. cxix. 18. “Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work; I will triumph in the works of Thy hands.” Ps. xiii. 4. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 548.23

“The Reality of the Spiritual” The Present Truth 14, 35.

E. J. Waggoner

SEEING THE INVISIBLE

That which most stands in the way of people's living the Christian life, next to an unyielding will, is the difficulty they find in conceiving of spiritual things as real. This difficulty is not necessary, but is a result of the false ideas diffused among the people by religious teachers who devoted themselves far more to theology than to the Bible. That spiritual things are almost universally considered as intangible and unreal, is shown by the fact that even most people who argue strenuously for the personality of the Holy Spirit, will yet make a distinction between the literal and the spiritual. Thus they will speak of the literal and the spiritual meaning of the Bible, and of the difference between the literal and the spiritual seed of Abraham, and will talk about “literal Israel” and “spiritual Israel” as though they were two different peoples. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.1

Now it is evident that just to the extent that spiritual things are considered as unreal, will they fail to have any effect upon one's practical life. When one considers his literal, every-day, practical life as something apart from the spiritual life, then it is plain that his every-day life will not be spiritual, or, in other words, it will not be a Christian life. But when one realises that spiritual things are even more real than the things that we see everyday, and lives as in the invisible world, the spiritual life will be his ordinary, every-day life. The secret of the strength of Moses was that “he endured as seeing the invisible.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.2

In previous numbers we have spoken of the water of life, which Jesus said was the Holy Spirit. The Word of the Lord is Spirit (John vi. 8), and the Spirit and the water and the blood agree in one (1 John v. 8), and all are life. The river of living water flowing from the throne of God, from which we are now invited to take freely, is the Spirit of God. The reality of this river is made known to us in Ps. lxv. 9, 10, where we read that the earth is watered and made ready for the harvest by showers from the river of God, which is full of water. Thus every shower makes known to us the fulness and the freedom of the Holy Spirit. With every refreshing draught of the drink which God provides us, we may and should consciously receive the Holy Ghost; and so also with every breath of heaven's air that we breathe. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.3

There is nothing with which we are well acquainted that more nearly represents the Holy Spirit than the air we breathe. Indeed, the Lord used the wind in its unseen motion as an illustration of the spiritual birth. Ps. civ. 4, “who maketh His angels spirits,” is rendered in the Revised Version, “who maketh winds His messengers.” Indeed, the same Hebrew word is rendered in different places “Spirit,” “breath,” and “wind,” as for instance in Gen. i. 2; vi. 3; vii. 15; viii. 1. Scores of other instances might be cited. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.4

Air is invisible, yet it is real. For a long time scientists and philosophers thought that the air was immaterial, and had no weight, although thousands of years ago Job wrote of the weight of the wind (Job xxviii. 28); and every one who has seen the trees bend and break in a storm, or has seen things floating in the air as in water, might have known that it had weight. But now that scientists have discovered that the air has weight, and are all agreed upon it, we may believe the Word of God and the evidence of our senses without fear of being called old-fogeyish. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.5

But now a new thing has been discovered, which makes the invisible actually visible. This is the fact that the air under certain conditions becomes liquid, like water, and can be seen and handled just the same as the latter substance. We have already noted this interesting fact; but the following further description of liquefied air, by William Henry Hail, Ph.D., comes in very aptly in this connection:— PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.6

Liquid air is a clear, colourless liquid, when filtered, resembling water. It is intensely cold, the temperature being three hundred and twelve degrees below zero. It is constantly boiling, as it absorbs heat from the surrounding objects, and thus it gradually resumes the gaseous condition. If enclosed in vessels thickly surrounded with a non-conductor, however, it boils very slowly, and may be kept thus in an open vessel for many hours, and may be transported from place to place. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.7

I visited Mr. Tripler's laboratory, March 24, He had just sent off a quantity of liquid air to John Hopkins University, a distance of one hundred and ninety miles, to be used by Prof. George F. Barker in a lecture there. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.8

At the time of my visit to the laboratory, Mr. Tripler was entertaining a party of friends by exhibiting the properties of liquid air. When poured upon any surface, it breaks into drops, which immediately volatilise. So rapidly does it absorb heat from all surrounding substances, that when poured into a glass tube standing in water or whisky, the liquid surrounding the tube is soon frozen. As the liquid sir boils away, the nitrogen first evaporates, because the boiling-point of nitrogen is lower than that of oxygen. After a while nearly pure liquid oxygen remains. A cup of ice was removed from the outside of one of these tubes. Inside is liquid oxygen was poured; then steel was burned in the oxygen. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.9

In another experiment a blowpipe was extemporised by putting liquid air into a vessel to which a tube was attached; and the vaporisation of the air forced air through the tube so as to blow to red heat an ignited hard carbon, which was then plunged into liquid oxygen, and burned intensely in the mid.it of the surrounding cold liquid. The characteristic odour of ozone was noticeable. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.10

The air, as it vaporises, does so in a white cloud, like the vapour of water. Some liquid sir was enclosed in a bottle in which a tube was fitted; and the pressure of the boiling air caused a fountain of vaporised air to issue from the tube. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.11

A bung pounded into a bottle containing liquid air, was blown to the ceiling with a loud pop. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.12

Liquid oxygen is somewhat heavier than water. Liquid air was poured upon water. After the nitrogen had boiled off, the oxygen would sink into the water in little globes, which descended till they reached a depth of water where the ebullition of the descending globe became so violent as to raise it again to the surface. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.13

The cold of the liquid sir is so intense that india-rubber, immersed in it, became brittle, and broke like glass, as did also a tin cup containing liquid air. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.14

An exhaust pump was attached to a glass tube containing liquid air, and the vaporised air was drawn off, causing violent ebullition; in the tube. So great a degree of cold was thus produced as to cause a liquefaction of the air of the room outside of the tube, and even some crystals of frozen air were formed, the temperature requisite to freeze air being about four hundred degrees below zero. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 549.15

Such is the avidity of liquid oxygen for some hydrocarbons, that violent explosions are caused by burning such substances as alcohol or cotton waste in the oxygen. An iron pipe, open at both ends, and a copper pipe, open at one end, were shown at the laboratory, both of which had been shattered by explosions thus caused, the energy of chemical combination being so enormous that the resulting gases broke their way through the tube, instead of escaping through the open end, only a few inches distant. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.1

Although men stumble upon these discoveries, it is not an accident that they are allowed to come to light. God will make it plain to the most obtuse that the unseen is real, and that when the proper conditions are obtained, that which is now invisible may be seen. In the world to come, nothing will be invisible to the saints of God. “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Heb. iv. 13. There is no creature that is not manifest in His sight. When “that which is perfect” is come, we also shall know even as we are known. 1 Cor. xiii. 12. Then will the Spirit of God be seen proceeding from the Father as a stream of living water. Happy are those who now learn to know the reality of the spiritual, and to endure as seeing the invisible. In that world they shall dwell in the presence of Him “whom no man hath seen, neither can sea,” “and they shall see His face.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.2

“‘Christians’ at War” The Present Truth 14, 35.

E. J. Waggoner

The idea that war may be a Christian duty has been very strong in the United States, during the last few months. It is not strange, therefore, that the conception of Christianity has been conformed, more or less, to the spirit of the world. It is to be hoped that war has gained something by the association: Christianity has certainly not. Special missions have been held for the United States soldiers, while they were awaiting embarkation at the different depots, and a contributor to one of the leading religious journals writes the following, among other things, on the character of the work done. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.3

The demand for reading matter is great and unceasing; but the men do not care for old religious papers and tracts-for which I little blame them. They are men, and should not be expected to care for that which we would not enjoy ourselves. Some of the literature sent is not sufficiently robust and high-toned. If you contemplate sending literature to the soldiers, I advise you to keep for your own edification those old religious papers and kindred matter, and send, instead, your latest magazine and comic paper end novel, provided the latter is fit for the soldier to read. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.4

There was no reading-matter so popular among the men as the Scriptures, yet Christian workers are requested to send novels and comic papers. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.5

There has been a great and marvellous demand for Bibles on the part of the men. There is no literature supplied in the Y.M.C.A. tents so popular as the Bible. I have passed through the regiment when there were more Bibles than newspapers to be seen. These men are far from being Christians, but they are reading the Bible, and with interest. Some of them have no notion where to begin. Numbers start with the first chapter of Genesis; others wiser (than the Lord, presumably, who began there), go to the chaplain or Association workers for advice. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.6

One of the noticeable features of the work, one which would not always have been regarded in the past as a step in the right direction, is recorded with especial gratitude. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.7

There is-or was-only one Catholic chaplain at Chickamauga, and he laboured unceasingly and faithfully to minister to all the soldiers of his communion. I know that more than one Y.M.C.A. tent was tendered him for use in holding services, and I was present when the chaplains In council agreed each to make out a list of the Roman Catholics in each regiment for the use of Father CuIbert. In other ways, too, they offered to cooperate with him, a tact which greatly affected that faithful minister. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.8

In view of the effects, even in camp-life, of trying to combine Christianity and war, it is not surprising that when it came to actual fighting chaplains should throw off the Christianity altogether, and surrender themselves to the war spirit. One chaplain, lying in hospital from a wound received before Santiago, said:— PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.9

“I could not help taking part in the fight. I at first confined myself to the duties of my office, caring for the wounded as the battle progressed, but when our men began to reel under the concentrated Spanish fire, I felt the American rise in me, and, tearing the red cross off my arm, I snatched up the gun and cartridge-belt of one of our men, and went to shooting just like the rest of them.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.10

“I thought,” suggested the correspondent, “that your mission was to save souls, and not to send them to death.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.11

With a twinkle in his eye, the chaplain replied: PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.12

“Yes, but when I saw our poor boys staggering under the resistance of the Spaniards, I thought of brave ‘Bob’ Evans, of the Iowa, when he said that the best place for the Spaniards was below. I think I sent a few of them there or somewhere else.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.13

It is useless to think that by “Christianising” warfare, it will lose some of its horrors. When Christ and Belial agree, it will be possible to combine the two, and not before then. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 550.14

“For the Children. The Circle of Blessing” The Present Truth 14, 35.

E. J. Waggoner

Water,-what is it? Where does it all come from? Where does it all go to? Did you ever wonder, as you watched the rain pouring down upon the earth, and in a few hours perhaps could not find a trace of it anywhere? PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.1

Water is the life-blood of the world. Without it there could be no life at all upon the earth. You know that the blood is the life of your body, but it is not enough for you to have blood in you; it must flow all through you, to keep your body pure and healthy, and carry food and life to every part of it. And so we have what is called the “circulation of the blood” through the body. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.2

And there is also a circulation of the water all over the world; it is through this that life and blessing are carried to every part of it, and to all things that are upon it. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.3

You have already learned a little about the vapours, how by His power in the sun God is drawing up into the air the water from the seas, lakes, and rivers, and all over the surface of the earth. This is God's way of “distilling,” or purifying the water, for no matter how dirty and muddy may be the place from which it comes, all its impurity is left behind, and that which is drawn up into the clouds is perfectly pure. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.4

But the cloud does not keep this moisture for itself; it receives and holds it only that it may carry it to the place where it is needed and pour it out in showers of blessing. See how God, who works through the sun to draw up the water, is working through the clouds to give it in blessing to the earth. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.5

“He leadeth the thick cloud with moisture,
And spreadeth abroad the cloud of His light:
And it is turned round about by His guidance,
That they may do whatsoever He commandeth
them
Upon the face of the habitable world.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.6

Guided by the hand of God the clouds are carried to the place where He wants them, and then “He saith to the snow,” and likewise to the rain,” “Be thou on the earth!” And so “the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven and watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.7

As the rain falls through the air it washes out its impurities, taking with it some of the little particles of dust and other substances, and also some of the poisonous gas which is in the air. These things are not good for us to breathe, but they are needed by the plants, to which they are carried by the rain. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.8

When the air is so cold that the water freezes as it falls, and comes to the earth in the form of snow, it makes a warm covering for the ground which keeps the earth from freezing and protects the plants and keeps them alive until the warm sun melts the snow which is no longer needed to keep the earth warm. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.9

Now let us see what becomes of the rain and snow that fall, and how they continue their work of carrying blessing and life. The earth does not keep the rain that falls upon it to itself any more than the clouds do. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.10

Some of the rain runs into the soil, and gathers up the food that the plants need and carries it to their roots, which suck it up in the water. Then they give out the blessings that they have received, in fresh green leaves, beautiful blossoms, sweet fragrance, and life-giving grains and fruits. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.11

Some of the rain runs off the surface of the ground and forms brooks which swell, as they are fed by other streams, into great rivers which water the land through which they flow, give drink to man and beast, and are a blessing in many other ways. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.12

The rest of the rain runs down deep into the earth until it comes to rock or some substance through which it cannot pass. Then it flows along underground until it comes to an opening, and gushes out, a living spring. The hand which guides the clouds also PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.13

“Sendeth forth springs into the valleys;
They run among the hills;
They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild asses quench their thirst.
By them the fowl of the heaven have their habitation,
They sing among the branches.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.14

Truly “the Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.15

But the water that gushes out of the springs is not the same pure soft water that fell upon the earth. In its journey through the earth and among the rocks it has gathered a quantity of chalk, lime, and other minerals, which it carries with it as it flows into the rivers, and it is thus swept into the sea. These salts and different minerals are needed by the animals which live in the sea, for food to make their bones and hard shells. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.16

So the water that the sea gives up in vapours to carry blessing to the world, returns to it at last bringing a blessing. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.17

Now I am sure that you have already thought of one great lesson that God is teaching us by all this. Read the poem on the next page called “The Wayside Spring,” and you will find the same lesson there. Think over it through the week, and next week we will talk more about it. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 554.18

“Jottings” The Present Truth 14, 35.

E. J. Waggoner

-In Greece 1,000 copies is a “phenomenal” circulation for a daily paper. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.1

-The plague at Bombay has again become epdemic, there being 108 deaths from the disease in one week. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.2

-Edinburgh University has conferred its first M.D. on a lady. The recipient was married three hours later. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.3

-The cholera outbreak at Madras is increasing. From the 18th to the 19th ninety-one deaths were registered. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.4

-The total value of food stuffs exported by the United States last year exceeded all previous records by about ?35,000,000. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.5

-A waterspout burst on Saturday over a settlement in a narrow valley near Rogersville (Tennessee) and seventeen persons were drowned. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.6

-In times of scarcity the South African natives sometimes rob ants’ nests, and as much as five bushels of grain have been taken from a single nest. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.7

-The Hawaiian Islands were formally annexed by the United States on the 13th inst., the Stars and Stripes being raised over the Government buildings. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.8

-In rural districts many people do not use more than two hundred words; the average man can do very well with a vocabulary of five hundred words. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.9

-Illness among the Americans in Puerto Rico is on the increase. There are now nearly a thousand cases of malaria and dysentery, and a few of typhoid fever. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.10

-The Khartoum expedition is now started. The line of march is strewn with skeletons and ruins of towns which have been destroyed by the Mandi's forces. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.11

-Twenty years ago there roamed over the plains and mountains of the Far West nearly 8,000,000 buffaloes. To-day there are less than 600 head of the animal in existence. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.12

-A whale, measuring 47ft., and weighing four tons, was washed ashore on the coast near Llanelly. After it had been killed, eight horses were employed to drag it from the water side. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.13

-A foreign savant has declared that a most prevalent cause of hysteria in women is high-heeled shoes, and that if the objectionable boots are abandoned the hysteria will cease. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.14

-A ton of Atlantic water, when evaporated, yields 81 pounds of salt; a ton of Pacific water, 79 pounds; a ton of Arctic or Antarctic water, 85 pounds; a ton of water from the Dead Sea, 187 pounds. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.15

-The well-known pianist, Herr Siveking, has been arrested in the health resort of Ischl, under singular circumstances. Herr Siveking, who is a Protestant, met in the street a Catholic priest, who was proceeding with a crucifix on a visit to a dying person. The priest rudely reprimanded the pianist for not having saluted him. Thereupon Herr Siveking replied in an animated manner, and a crowd soon gathered, taking the side of the priest. At the instance of the priest's friends the pianist was arrested. This unpleasant incident took plane after a concert which he had given for the benefit of the poor of Ischl. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.16

-It is reported that Jamaica is preparing to take a plebiscite on the question of requesting the permission of the British Parliament to allow the colony to endeavour to arrange annexation to the United States. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.17

-The hop crop this year in England will be a failure. The hops, owing to extremes of cold and heat, have been attacked by mould, and on one plantation of 300 acres, not a sound branch could be found. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.18

-There is a possibility of trouble in the Philippines between the American troops and the insurgents. Aguinaldo has control of the water supply, and is said to be dissatisfied with the treatment accorded him and his men by the United States. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.19

-Mount Vesuvius is in a state of active eruption. The lava is flowing in four streams, its progress being at the rate of a hundred yards an hour. Constant explosions are heard from the central crater, which is vomiting ashes and flames. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.20

-The choir of a West-end church have gone on strike, owing to a reduction in the salary of the younger members. The musical service was thought to be one of the best in the district, but it is difficult to imagine where the element of worship came in. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.21

-An Austrian professor and his brother were ascending a mountain, roped together, when one of them fell into a crevasse. The brother cut the rope to save himself from being dragged down. The body of his dead brother was found in a pool seventy feet below. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.22

-A thought-weighing machine has been invented by an Italian scientist, the rush of blood to the head turning the scale. The machine is said to be so delicate that it can measure the difference in the exertion needed to read Greek from that required for Latin. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.23

-The weather has been intensely hot in London during the past weeks, and many deaths from sunstroke are reported. The East-end is being threatened with another water-famine, as the supply has run short and the water is only turned on for a few hours daily. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.24

-A fruit merchant is importing five million oranges from Australia, to arrive during this month and the next. They are brought over in cold-air chambers, and if in good condition will find a ready market. Previous attempts to import oranges during the summer months have not been successful. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.25

-The clock at Hampton Court Palace, which was constructed 240 years ago, has just been cleaned. The mechanism was found to be in excellent condition, and the venerable timepiece will probably keep on going for another 900 years. It goes for twelve mouths without winding, and records the hours, seconds, minutes, days, months, and the times of sunrise and sunset. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.26

-Some very successful results in wireless telegraphy have just been achieved. While the Royal yacht Osborne was going at full speed, several messages were transmitted to Osborne House, four or five miles away, and replies were received on beard the yacht, as perfectly as if the messages had been conveyed by wire. Stormy weather is found to be rather an assistance than otherwise. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.27

-An extraordinary effect of the intense heat is reported from Kent. The heat has been so great that it has been found quite impossible to churn the cream collected during the week into butter, as the fat instead of forming a solid mass remains in a liquid condition. This has caused serious loss to dairy farmers in the district. Such an occurrence cannot be remembered by the oldest dairy farmer in the neighbourhood. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 558.28

“The Manifestation of the Life” The Present Truth 14, 35.

E. J. Waggoner

Last week we had a few words on this page about “seeing life.” We noted that what is very commonly called seeing life is not that at all, but just the opposite. What most people call life is nothing but death; for we have all turned to our own way, and that way ends in death, because it has nothing but death in it. Men who are content to live without the knowledge of God, are admiring a dead carcass, under the impression that it is a beauteous thing of life. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.1

There is, however, real life to be seen by whosoever will look. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.” 1 John i. 1-3. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.2

This “Word of life” which was from the beginning, was God. John i. 1-4. “In Him was life,” because He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” John xiv. 6. “He is thy life, and the length of thy days.” Deut. xxx. 20. Therefore in the injunction, “Behold your God!” (Isa. xl. 9), we are commanded to behold the life. It is not only a privilege, but it is everybody's duty, to see life, real life. Indeed, whoever does not see life is plainly in a most deplorable condition. “The wrath of God abideth on him.” John iii. 36. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.3

But “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess. v. 9. We, as well as Paul, have been chosen, to “see that Just One.” “That which may be known of God” is manifest, “for the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,” and these invisible things of God that are so plainly revealed, are His everlasting power and Divinity. If therefore anyone should say, Where is the life, that I might see it, we have only to reply, Open your eyes, and look about you! PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.4

“There's not a plant or flower below
But makes Thy glories known.” PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.5

Everywhere we look, we see life and activity. A walk into the forest or through the meadows will reveal to us more of real life than we could see in a month in any city in the world. Among men we find the artificial; where God alone rules, we find the real; and it is from the plants, these silent teachers, that we are to learn. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.6

Even among men, however, the life is manifested; for the Word of life is near every man, in his mouth and in his heart, that he may do it. Every soul that has not definitely and finally rejected the Lord, is still influenced to a greater or less extent by His Holy Spirit. Often the resistance to the Spirit is slackened, and then some of the workings of the Spirit will appear; for the Spirit, like the air, will instantly fill every space that is opened. The good that manifests itself in men and women, no matter how degraded they are, is from the Lord. It is the manifestation of the Life. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.7

“All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John ii. 16, 17. Sin is of the devil, and the Son of God-the Life-was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. John iii. 8. Sin is death, and we get no life by looking at it. The children of Israel might as well have expected to be healed of their sores by looking at them, as we to get any benefit from looking at sin, whether in ourselves or others. “Looking unto Jesus” is the sole remedy, for by beholding we become changed. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.8

The Life is the light of men. “The Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Whatever is good is from God, is the revelation of His life. From evil only death can come; therefore “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and it there be any praise, think on these things.” Phil. iv. 8. Let us look at the Life, and we shall be filled with it. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.9

“Back Page” The Present Truth 14, 35.

E. J. Waggoner

Only this year the United States Government decided to build three battleships, four monitors, sixteen destroyers, and twelve torpedo boats; yet notwithstanding this, the Naval Board of Construction has decided to recommend to the next session of Congress the building of fifteen large and fast warships, which will cost between eight and ten million pounds sterling. The proposed additions are rendered necessary by the annexation of Hawaii and the possible retention of the Philippines. “Imperial America” is now the cry, and an empire must have vast fleets and standing armies. Not much longer will the people of the United States be able to boast of their freedom from the burdens which large armaments impose on the nations of Europe. The saddest feature is that the people are enthusiastic over this “imperial” policy, not knowing that it presages the country's downfall. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.10

At the International Congress of Zoology, held at Cambridge, Professor Haeckel of Jena said it was a fixed fact that man was a member of the primate (monkey) order, that lemurs, monkeys and men descend from one common stem, and that zoology might be proud to have proved this fact, based on the theories of Lamarck, 1809, and of Darwin, 1859. The subsequent discussion seemed to show, however, that the facts were not very firmly “fixed,” for while Prof. Haeckel allowed a thousand million years for the evolution from monkey to man, Lord Kelvin was quoted as saying that life could not have existed more than twenty-five million years. Prof. Haeckel admitted that the time was only a matter of theory, which he had not studied himself, but since the doctrine of evolution itself is based on theories, it is difficult to see how men can pretend to be any more certain over that than they are over the time required for the development. PTUK September 1, 1898, page 560.11