The Present Truth, vol. 14

November 10, 1898

“The Everlasting Gospel. God's Saving Power in the Things that Are Made” The Present Truth 14, 45.

E. J. Waggoner

THE DUST OF THE EARTH

Gen. i. 26, 27: “And God said, Let as make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God made man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.1

Gen. ii. 7: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.2

Gen. ii. 9: “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.3

Gen. i. 24, 11: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind.” “Let the earth bring forth grass.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.4

Isa. xl . 6: “All flesh is grass, and all the godliness thereof is as the flower of the field.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.5

Isa. xl. 15: “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; Behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.6

Ps. lxii. 9-11: “Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie; to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.7

Ps. xc. 3: “Thou turnest man to dust, and sayest, Return, ye children of men.” Revised Version, margin. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.8

Gen. xviii. 27: “And Abraham answered, and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.9

Job xlii. 5, 6: “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth Thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.10

Ps. li. 17: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.11

Ps. ciii. 13, 14: “Like as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.12

1 Sam. ii. 8: “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.13

Isa. Iii. 1, 2: “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on Thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come unto theo the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.14

John v. 30: “I can of Mine own self do nothing.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.15

1 Cor. i. 27, 28: “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.16

2 Cor. xii. 9, 10: “And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, them am I strong.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.17

Isa. xl. 29-31: “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might, He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.18

Isa. xxvi. 19: “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.19

Out of the ground the Lord made man, the lower animals, and plants. All are from the dust, and all return to dust again. When they have returned to dust, it is impossible to distinguish between them. Their dust is all alike. That which makes the difference between them in life is the working of God in them. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.20

“All flesh is grass.” Even though man, contrary to the design of God, eat animal food, the animal which he eats lives upon herbs, so that not only the first man, in the beginning, but every man, even to this day, comes from the ground. “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.21

It is not necessary to make comparisons between man and any other creature. Go back to the origin of man, and consider him just as he is, namely, dust. What power is there in the dust? Look at the dust in the street; what can it do? Nothing. That is the power of man, for man is dust. The lesson that we are to learn is that we have no more power or wisdom in ourselves than the dust has that lies under our feet. We are dust that has been fashioned by the hand of God into a certain shape, and the breath of the Almighty has come into us, giving us understanding. We have nothing to boast of over the dust that still lies in an unformed mass. “What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” 1 Cor. iv. 7. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 705.22

A very insignificant part of the dust, too, is man. In the sight of God, as compared with His vast universe of matter, all the nations together “are counted as the small dust of the balance.” The dust that lies on the grocer's balance, which is so fine that it is not perceptible, and which makes no material difference in the amount of that which is being weighed, bears the same relative proportion to the earth that all nations together do to the universe of God. “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.1

God makes no account of degrees and ranks among men. The prince and the pauper are both made from the same dust. Let the prince be buried in all his robes of royalty, and the beggar he buried in his rags, and when they have returned to dust no man could tell which was born in a castle and which in a cottage. Men of low degree in the estimation of the world, are vanity; that would probably be admitted at least by men of “high degree;” but men of high degree are a lie, because they seem to be something when they are nothing; in reality both high and low are all together “lighter than vanity.” “To be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.” Just as stated in the preceding paragraph, they are not of sufficient weight to make it worth while to blow them off the balances in which the universe is weighed. “Why should the spirit of mortal be proud?” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.2

“Where is boasting, then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay; but by the law of faith.” Man has nothing but what God has given him. He can be nothing of value, except as God makes makes him such. Just to the extent that man is anything different from what God's own life in him would make him, is he a disgrace and a curse. Man has no more ground for boasting than has the dust that the wind whirls about; for all that makes him different from that is the life of God in him. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.3

Men forget that they are dust, and consequently they put themselves in the place of God, and that is lawlessness. Then God turns them again to dust, or contrition (not destruction, as in the common version), that is, He allows something to come upon them to convince them that they are but dust, and absolutely helpless, and then He says, “Come again, ye children of men.” Just as in the beginning He made man of the dust of the ground, and crowned him with glory and honour, so whenever a man will be as passive dust as was that in the beginning, God will make a man of him, of whom He can say that he is “very good.” God's power to create is our hope of salvation. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.4

This working of God in the beginning, to make man of the dust of the ground, and His continued working to make men new when they are willing to be counted as only dust, is the hope of the resurrection, for it is the same working. Those who dwell in the dust shall awake and sing at the coming of the Lord; but the song that they will then sing will be the very same song that God now puts into the mouth of those whom He lifts out of the dust and filth of the pit. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.5

The power that converts is the power of the resurrection, the power of the world to come. It is the power that in the beginning made the heavens and the earth, and made man of the dust of the ground. What God has done, He can do, for His arm is not shortened, that He cannot save. Much as it goes against a man's natural inclination to regard himself its nothing but helpless dust, there is everlasting strength in the acknowledging of the fact, for it puts him where the Almighty Creator can lift him up to His own throne, and crown him with everlasting glory and honour. “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.6

“A New Man” The Present Truth 14, 45.

E. J. Waggoner

As the last and crowning act of creation, “God created man in His own image.” The process is thus briefly described: “And the Lord God made man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.” Gen. ii. 7. Man is therefore animated dust; but the life which animates him is the life of God. If men would but keep those two facts in mind, and not be ashamed to acknowledge them, they would be just what God wishes them to be; for when man had been made, “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” The expression is the strongest that could be used. God Himself could find no fault in man, and that means perfection. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.7

When man forgot that he was but dust, and began to act as though he were God, he fell, and the image of God was shattered. It is in this condition that we all find ourselves in this world, as sons of the fallen Adam. God's purpose in Christ is “to restore all things,” and therefore “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature,” or, “there is a new creation.” The work of Christ, in whom all things were created in the beginning, is to make man over again, in the image of God, so that, as in the beginning, God can look at him and say, “very good.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.8

Only one thing stands in the way of this new creation, and that is man's unwillingness to believe that he is nothing but dust. The thought is too humiliating. Dust has no power in itself, and if man were to confess himself to be but dust, that would be an admission that of himself he can do nothing; and that he does not like, for the natural man is continually boasting of his own powers,-“power of intellect,” “power of body,” etc., forgetting that the higher degree he makes out for himself, the more of a lie he is (Ps. lxii. 61), since “every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” Ps. xxxix. 5. That this refusal to acknowledge himself to be but dust stands in the way of the new creation, appears from this, that since man deliberately chose his present condition, God leaves it to him to choose if he will accept the original condition again; and since man in the first instance was made in the image of God out of the dust, it follows that it is only as dust that he can become a new man again. Man has nothing more to do with his new creation than Adam had in the beginning; but every man can choose to lie made now. God alone can do the work. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.9

Although man is for the most part quite indifferent as to his condition, except as expressed by the commonly-declared desire to “better his own condition,” God is not indifferent. His great desire is to see man as good as man was when the breath of the Almighty first gave him life and understanding, and no one knows so well as God that this change is impossible as long as man entertains the high notions of himself that he does; therefore God's attention is directed towards causing man to see and realise that he is but dust, and that “life, and breath, and all things” come from Him alone. This is shown in the prayer of Moses, which is in part as follows:— PTUK November 10, 1898, page 706.10

“Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountaind were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” Ps. xc. 1-4. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 707.1

Looking at the margin of the Revised Version, we find a better reading of the word rendered “destruction.” It is “dust,” or “crushing.” The Jewish version, by Rabbi Leeser, gives the proper word, “contrition.” “Contrite” means “ground together,” as the chemist reduces a substance to powder in the mortar. Another form of the same word that occurs in the ninetieth psalm is found in Ps. li. 17, where we read, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” That is, a heart, broken to pieces, and ground up to dust. It is true that man is only dust, no matter how high he exalts himself in his pride, so that the work of God in turning him to dust, or contrition, is to make him see his condition. When we are by the Spirit of God made conscious of our sinfulness, pride at once departs. God has many ways of bringing men to this condition, none of them pleasing to the natural man; but we are at present concerned only with the fact that God brings us low for our good. In ancient times, when men were wore picturesque and vivid in their representation of things, they put dust op their heads, or sat in the dust, as an indication of their low state. That was a sign of repentance, for it showed that they recognised that they were nothing but dust. That is all that God wants. He does not desire to humiliate man, but only to get him to recognise the facts as they exist, in order that He may lift him up. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 707.2

Nothing is too hard for the Lord. He does not despise a broken and a contrite heart, because out of it He can create a new heart. It suits His purpose much better than anything else could. What He did in the beginning He can do again. All that anyone needs in order to be saved, is to recognise that he is but dust, and then implicitly to believe the story of creation. Wonderful things God can do with dust, as the Bible narratives plainly show. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 707.3

“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” To be in Christ plainly means to be of the same nature, and the first thing necessary to this is the acknowledgment, “I can of mine own self do nothing.” Christ, in whom we have redemption, “is the image of the invisible God.” Col. i. 15. Such an one is “created in righteousness and true holiness,” and day by day “renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him.” Eph. iv. 24; Col. iii. 10. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 707.4

The first man was made faultless. God looked him over, and could not detect a single flaw. He was pronounced “very good.” Of Jesus Christ, in whom the new creation is effected, it is said, “in Him is no sin.” “There is no unrighteousness in Him.” This is why the first man was made perfect, because “in Him were all things created.” Therefore He is able to take us when we are but dust, and present us “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” Jude 24. Who will humble himself, that he may be thus exaIted? PTUK November 10, 1898, page 707.5

“The Power of the Resurrection” The Present Truth 14, 45.

E. J. Waggoner

The prophet Isaiah sang thus to God's people concerning the resurrection: “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” Isa. xxvi. 19. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 707.6

The power by which this will be accomplished, is the power by which men are now made alive, who are “dead in trespasses and sins.” Eph. ii. 1. Jesus set it forth in these words: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of “the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.” (Compare Isa. lv. 3.) “For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man. Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth.” John v. 35-39. No one who believes in the resurrection of the dead, can have any doubt as to Christ's power to raise any man from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; and no one can doubt His power to raise the dead, if he but reads the story of His life in the four Gospels. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 707.7

Man is but dust, and unto dust he returns again. His breath is only in his nostrils, and therefore he is nothing to be accounted of (Isa. ii. 33), for “his breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Ps. cxlvi. 3. But the same God who in the beginning made man of the dust of the ground, can of the dust bring him forth to life and glory; and that which makes us know this is the new creation which takes place with every one who is in Christ. Out of the dust of repentance God takes man, and makes him over entirely new, so that although he is still in mortal, sinful flesh, the perfect life of Jesus is manifested in him. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 707.8

God turns man to dust, and says, “Return, ye children of men.” All have gone astray like lost sheep, but God calls them back, and is very patient and long-suffering with them, waiting long for them to hear His voice, “Return!” But when they hear, their return is as certain as is the resurrection of the dead. God will say to His people who are in the graves, “Come!” and they will “come again from the land of the enemy.” Jer. xxxi. 16. So it really makes no difference whether we consider Ps. xc. 3 as referring to conversion or the resurrection, for both are identical. Conversion is resurrection from the dead, and has in it the assurance of the final resurrection at the coming of Christ. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 707.9

Christ says, “To him that overcometh will I give to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Rev. iii. 21. So John, speaking of the resurrection, says, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.” Rev. xx. 4. These are they who have been raised from the dust of the grave. That will be a glorious time; but God has nothing for us in the future of which He does not now give us a taste; so He “hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.” Eph. ii. 5, 6. “The working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph. i. 19, 20), is that by which we are thus quickened now from our death in trespasses and sins. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 708.1

“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throve of glory.” What a blessed thing it is, then, to remember that we are dust, for God remembers it too, and He has not forgotten how to make a man of the dust and crown him with glory and honour. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 708.2

“Notes on the International Sunday-School Lessons. Manasseh's Sin and Repentance. 2 Chron. xxxiii. 9-16” The Present Truth 14, 45.

E. J. Waggoner

NOVEMBER 30

Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah. He became king at the age of twelve and reigned fifty-five years. Hezekiah by his piety and steadfastness had been a blessing to the nation, so that since the time of Solomon there had been nothing like his day in the history of Judah. His son, “Manasseh, seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.” We are not told how it was that the son of Hezekiah proved so different from himself, but we may learn from the circumstances that prosperity is not always good. When Hezekiah was anointed king, the house of God was deserted and out of repair, and the kingdom was harassed on every side, while Manasseh found himself on the throne of a powerful state, with well-filled treasuries and storehouses. Youth is seldom fitted to exercise power, because it has not learned that in reality the ruler is the servant of the governed. When power is used only to minister to self-exaltation and self-indulgence it is a curse. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 708.3

FALSE FRIENDS

There is never any lack of evil counsellors and flatterers to fill the mind of a king with false notions of his relations to his people, and Manasseh was misled by these, The Lord spoke to him also by His prophets, but he would not hear them. Hezekiah had employed men to copy out some of the proverbs of Solomon, and among these wise sayings were several which related to the office of a king. They are found in the twenty-fifth to the twenty-ninth chapters of Proverbs. One of the proverbs reads, “Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall he established in righteousness.” Prov. xxv. 5, This may explain why Manasseh's throne was not established. He listened rather to counsels that favoured his own inclinations than to the faithful warnings uttered by servants of God. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 708.4

“LED CAPTIVE BY SATAN”

Manasseh stopped at nothing in his departure from the Lord, and his case is a warning to those who think that because they have, been brought up respectably they can refuse to serve God, and yet never become so abandoned as others who have sunk to the depths of shame and degradation. Manasseh had a good father and godly training, but turning from the Lord, he went altogether to the bad. He built again the high places which his father had broken down, and reared altars for the worship of the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. As if this was not enough, “he set a carved image in the house of God.” He caused his children to be sacrificed unto devils, in obedience to the cruel dictates of heathenism. He dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards. The evils for which the Amorites had been cast out were reproduced in Manasseh; “moreover he shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 708.5

PERILOUS TIMES

In these last days the prophecies tell us that before Christ comes, it will be as it was in the days of Noah, when the earth was tilled with violence, and every imagination of men's hearts was only evil continually. Some may think that it would take a very long time to undo all the work of civilisation, and bring the world to such a depth of depravity, but we see in the case of Manasseh that it did not take very long to descend from an exceptionally high standard to one that went beyond the excesses of the unspeakable Amorites. All the good there is in the world is due to the Spirit of God. Men do not recognise this fact, and attribute all signs of good to themselves, but the Spirit strives with them, and though it is seldom allowed to appear as a positive power, its negative influence is always at work, smothering to some extent the manifestations of the carnal heart. As the world finally hardens itself against the work of the Spirit, it will quickly be seen how little restraining power there is in the boasted growth of civilisation. “This know, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall was worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Tim. iii. 1, 12, 13. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 708.6

A BROKEN STAFF

There was only one hope of saving Manasseh. He had rejected the true God for false ones. He must he left to make practical trial of their value. The captains of the host of the king of Assyria came, conquered him, bound him in chains and carried him away to Babylon. This must have brought forcibly to his mind the uselessness of serving idols. Hezekiah had met the armies of that same nation in the strength of Jehovah and one of His angels had laid them low. Manasseh had served his false gods diligently, had even sacrifice his children to them, but now in his distress they did nothing for him. It must have come home to him then that all these years he had been following-nothing. He had exchanged the truth of God for a lie. What insanity of folly! PTUK November 10, 1898, page 708.7

PROMISES TO THE PENITENT

Man's extremity is God's opportunity. In captivity, bemoaning his fate, Manasseh was more accessible to the Spirit of God. There were no flatterers at hand now to fill his ears with vanity. God loved Manasseh still, and His Spirit came, not to fill his mind with the terrors of a rain remorse, but to whisper thoughts of comfort, and forgiveness. “And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly.” Perhaps he remembered reading, in the book of Deuteronomy, the promise of God that if, when the curse had fallen on any for disobedience, they should call His words to mind and return unto Him, the Lord would turn their captivity. “If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.” Deut. xxx. 4. The history of Manasseh is recorded that no one should despair. From the height of opportunity and privilege, he fell to the depths of deserved ruin; yet from those depths his plea for mercy was heard at the throne of grace. And God was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord He was God. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 709.1

Manasseh's repentance was sincere, and during the rest of his long reign we read of no relapse on his part. The people also returned to the worship of God, although they sacrificed still in the high places. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 709.2

A ROYAL LOVE

The greatness of God's love is seen in His treatment of the repentant sinner. He does not say, “You are forgiven, but I can never trust you again.” There is no humiliation attached to His forgiveness, for with it He bestows the love that casts out fear. He not only forgives the sin but remembers it no more. He restores the years that the locust hath eaten. Joel ii. 25. He says of Israel, “I will bring them again to place them and they shall be as though I had not cast them off.” Zech. x. 6. Manasseh not only received forgiveness but was restored to more honour than he had before. So to Nehuchaduezzar, when he learned that the heavens do rule, was given greater honour than that which before had lifted up his heart in vanity. “For the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.” Dan. iv. 36. The Lord does not fill His kingdom with shame-faced, amnestied criminals, but with a royal nation, an holy priesthood, “kings and priests unto God.” “Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive: Thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.” Ps. lxviii. 18. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 709.3

ABUNDANT PARDON

None should feel discouraged because they find themselves in evil case, and have certain evidence that their own sinfulness and folly has brought them there. Satan tries to persuade such that it is useless to expect help from God, when it is the very rejection of His counsel that has brought them into distress. God brings people into such places for the very purpose of helping them, and because there is no other way of getting them to accept His help. “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are, afflicted. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble.” Does He reply, “You should not have been such fools. If you had obeyed Me you would not have got into trouble. Now you must bear the consequences”? No. “And He saveth them out of their distresses. He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.” Ps. cvil. 17-21. Israel would not listen to the voice of God, so by means of the things that fascinated them, He allured them into the wilderness. There in distress He spoke comfortably to them. It was not for the sake of punishing Israel that they were allured into the wilderness, but that God might give them their vineyards from thence. Hosea ii. 14, 15. So Manasseh went into the wilderness, and received his kingdom from thence. Knowing from whom He received it, and acknowledging the Giver, he was established in the possession of it as he never had been before. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 709.4

“The Power to Forgive” The Present Truth 14, 45.

E. J. Waggoner

A reader of the PRESENT TRUTH asks for an explanation of John xx. 33, saying, “I know God alone has power to forgive sins, but I have been asked the question, and to take the verse as it reads it seems as though Christ gave His disciples that power.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 709.5

Let us first read the verse and its connection. Jesus bad appeared to His disciples as they were gathered together, and said, Peace be unto you. “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you; as My rather hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” John xx. 21-23. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 709.6

GOD’S WORD ABSOLUTELY TRUE

One thing must be settled first of all, and that is, that we must take this verse, as every other thing that the Lord says, just as it reads. When once we know that we have the words of the Lord just as He spoke them, that is, that we have them accurately translated, then we have nothing to do but to believe them without any alteration or amendment or any fitting of them to some preconceived ideas. In this case there cannot he the slightest doubt that our version gives the correct rendering of the words of Jesus to His disciples. Therefore we must accept the statement that Christ gave His disciples power to forgive sins. Why should we wish to believe otherwise? The fact that some people pervert the good gifts of God, should not hinder its from receiving them with gladness. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 709.7

MEN SENT IN CHRIST’S STEAD

“As My Father hath sent Me, so send I you.” Then those whom Christ sends are commissioned to do the same work which He here on the earth. And whom does Christ sent? He sends every one who hears and accepts His gracious invitation, “Come unto Me.” “Let Him that heareth say, Come.” This is unconsciously admitted by every Christian, even though he might think it almost if not quite presumption to think that he is sent in Christ's place; for there is no one who does not find comfort in the assurance, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world;” but this assurance is in connection with the charge, “Go ye, therefore.” Every believer is commissioned to bring sinners to God, by the power of Christ, who is with him for that purpose. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 709.8

But there is plainer evidence still, that God has bestowed upon mortal men the high privilege of being “workers together with Him.” Read 2 Cor. v. 17-20. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” This includes every one who is in Christ. It is not limited to the eleven who saw Jesus in the flesh. Whoever is in Christ, is a new creature. With such ones “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” One who is in Christ is not the same person that he was before; he is another man. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given unto us the ministry of reconciliation.” To whom has God given “the ministry of reconciliation.” Read the text, and see. It is to those whom he has reconciled to Himself. Every one who is in Christ is a new creature, is reconciled to God, and has received the ministry of reconciliation. His life work is to induce others to he reconciled to God. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 710.1

“ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD”

But how are we to do this? We are not sufficient for such a work. Of course we are not; but we must remember that when we are in Christ all things are of God. Even Jesus said, “I can of Mine own self do nothing;” “but the Father which dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” John v. 30; xiv. 10. This ministry of reconciliation is on this wise: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself not imputing their trespasses unto them.” With Christ all things were of God. It was God in Him who was reconciling the world. And the same God “hath put in us the word of reconciliation.” Verse 19, margin. What follows? “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech by us; we pray in Christ's stead, Be, ye reconciled to God.” This is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. How few appreciate it. So many professed Christians are content with the thought that Jesus can save them, not realising that He has sent them to be salvation to others. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 710.2

“He whom God hath sent, speaketh the word of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure.” John iii. 31. God puts the word of reconciliation into him, and he cannot but speak it. But when the word of Christ dwells in men richly, it must necessarily have the same effect that it had in Christ. That is just why God puts it into us. Now read an example of the power of the Word. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 710.3

AN EXAMPLE OF THE POWER

“And, behold, they brought unto Him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed; and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy: Son, he of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins he forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk.” But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of the palsy), Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto man.” Matt. ix. 2-8. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 710.4

The word that heals is the word that forgives. The power to work miracles is the power that forgives sins. This is the word and the power of God alone, but He has committed it to men. He has put into men the word and ministry of reconciliation. But “all things are of God.” If this is not remembered and acknowledged, there is nothing at all. Jesus saith, “The word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me.” John xiv. 24. He was here on earth as we are, in order that we might be here on earth as He is. Leaving Himself and His own glory entirely out of the account, He spoke only the words of God, and the result was mighty works. That same word is given to us, if we will but accept it, with the consequences which follow. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 710.5

THE POWER GIVEN TO MEN

Note that Jesus calls Himself “The Son of man.” He is the Son of God, but it was not under that title that He declared His authority to heal and to forgive. “The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins.” So in John v. 26, God has given the Son authority to execute judgment, “because He is the Son of man.” Strange, isn't it? If we had written that we should have said that He has authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of God, wouldn't we? But no; it is because He is the Son of man. Jesus was here on earth as man, “a Man approved of God,” the representative Man; and when the people saw the power that was in Him, they glorified God, who had “given such power to men.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 710.6

The salvation of God “at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to His own will. For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him.” Heb. ii. 3-8. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 710.7

MAN’S PLACE IN GOD’S PLAN

God has given a work to men, that is not given to angels, which excel in strength. That work is the preaching of the Gospel. Why is it given to men instead of to angels, who are so much wiser and stronger? Because “unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come.” “The world to come” is the new earth, which was in the beginning, and over which God gave man dominion. See Gen. i. 26-28. But now we do not see all things put under man, as in the beginning, because man has sinned, and lost the crown of glory, and so the dominion. Nevertheless, “whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever.” God having given the earth to man, will never take it away from him. But man has lost the power to rule the world, simply because he lost the power to rule himself. He rejected the word of the Lord. So we see Jesus, made a Iittle lower than the angels, that is, made man, and as man we see Him “crowned with glory and honour, that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” He has by His life and death won the right to the dominion of the earth, and is now exalted “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” Eph. i. 21. But all who believe are raised with Him to the same position. E ph. ii. 1-6. So then we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. All that He has is ours. He has gone on before us to the capital of our common heritage, leaving us here for a season to continue the work which He begun; but He is still with us with all His power, by the Spirit, in order that the work may be done as He did it. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 710.8

A PRICELESS TREASURE IS WORTHLESS VESSEL

True as the world was in the beginning given to man to rule, to man is entrusted the work of bringing it back into its first condition. The word which God puts into the mouths of them that trust Him is the word that is to “plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art My people.” Isa. Ii. 16. But “all things are of God.” “No man taketh this honour to himself.” “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of men.” It is not to a priestly class that this work is given, but to all believers, for all true believers are priests of God. 1 Peter ii. 9. No man can at will declare the forgiveness of sins, any more than he can at will perform miracles. But to every contrite soul, to every one who is mourning because of his sins, God has commissioned us to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” In order, however, for one to say this, he must himself know to the full the power of forgiveness. He must know from experience that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. And whenever any man assumes any power as belonging to himself, or has a spirit of exaltation or boasting because of his supposed power, the word is not in him. “I can of mine own self do nothing.” “All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 711.1

What a glorious calling is ours in Christ Jesus! Think of it! To be taken into partnership with the God of heaven, who Himself supplies all the capital and does all the work! What an “unspeakable gift!” Truly, “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him.” But, thanks be to His name, He has revealed them unto us by the Holy Spirit. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 711.2

“For the Children. God's Way” The Present Truth 14, 45.

E. J. Waggoner

When you saw the picture that we showed you last week, and thought of the beautiful New Earth which God will make, where there will be no “sickness nor sorrow nor crying,” where all will be love and peace, and you will be able to play with the lions and leopards and wolves and serpents, without any fear or danger,-did you not long for that happy time to come? But that is what this earth would have been now and always if it had not been for sin. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 714.1

We have found how in the beginning everything that God made obeyed His Word. The flowers and trees obeyed His Word, and grew just where and how He wanted them to,-they grew in His way. The sun, moon, and stars obeyed His Word, and His hand guided them in His own way through the heavens. The animals and birds and fishes obeyed His Word, and each one lived and worked in just the way that He wanted it to. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 714.2

But God's most noble and beautiful work, those whom He had made in His own image to rule over all the rest of His creation, disobeyed His Word, and chose to go in their own way instead of in His way. This brought sad disorder and trouble into God's beautiful world; for death came upon the plants and the animals and everything in the earth through man's sin. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 714.3

And as they watched the fading flowers and falling leaves, as they saw the animals grow wild and fierce and fight and kill each other, as they wept over their dead, and felt their own strength going from them, they knew indeed that “there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 714.4

God's loving heart grieved over the sorrows of His children, over the pain that His creatures were suffering; for not one sparrow falls to the ground without His notice, and He even numbers the hairs of our heads, and sees every tear that we shed. But He cannot save us from the bitter fruits of choosing our own way, unless we are willing to give up our own way, and take God's way instead. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 714.5

So that every one may know how good and pleasant and beautiful His way is, He came Himself into the world to live out that way right in our midst. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Man's way is sin and death. God's way is truth and life. So God cannot give us life, eternal life, in His new earth where everything will he just in His way, unless we will give up our own way of sin, and take His way of truth. We must have Jesus, who is God's Way, to live in us, so that we shall always choose to do just what God would have us. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 714.6

He showed to us just what God is, and what we all may be if we will but let God have His own way in us just as He did. Then if you will choose God's way all the time, instead of your way, and ask Jesus to live that way in you, you will find that His way is life, for He says, “He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 714.7

And though you may have to sleep in the grave for a little while before He comes, His Word which brought the plants, the animals, and man from the ground in the beginning, will call you again from the dust of the earth, and will make “all things new,” as they were in the beginning. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 714.8

“Come, Lord, and wipe away
The curse, the sin, the stain,
And make this blighted world of ours
Thine own lair world again.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 714.9

“More About Animals” The Present Truth 14, 45.

E. J. Waggoner

We were talking last week about how we may learn to know God by studying the things that He has made. How wise, how loving, how merciful is our great Creator you will end out more and more as you think upon the wondrous works of His hands. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 715.1

Here is a little picture of some of the wonderful things that His powerful Word made from the dust of the ground, when God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 715.2

The largest animal in the picture is the kangaroo. It does not go along on its four legs like most quadrupeds, but upright as you see it here, and instead of running along the ground, it takes the most astonishing long, high leaps. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 715.3

So that the mother kangaroo can carry her little ones safely with her in these flying leaps, God has made a little cradle in her body, a small pouch or pocket where her babies are stowed away, safe and warm. Here they are kept by the mother until they are old enough to leave it, and even then they run to her and jump in when anything frightens them. You can see the tiny head of one of the babies peeping out from its cosy cradle. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 715.4

At the top of the picture is a little hedgehog. You will know him by the sharp spines, or prickles, sticking out all over his body. This little creature has nothing else to defend it from the attacks of its enemies-it cannot run swiftly and get away from them, and it has no strength or skill with which to meet them. But God has covered it with this armour, and when it sees an enemy-a cat, or weasel, that is unfriendly to it-it draws in all the soft parts of its body and rolls itself up so that nothing can be seen but a ball of sharp prickles. Then anything that touches it only pricks itself without hurting the hedgehog, who waits until its enemy goes away and gives it an opportunity to escape. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 715.5

Just below the hedgehog, making its way to the water, you will see a strange looking little animal that you have never seen before. But did you ever see anything at all like it? Look closely, and you will see that it has a bill exactly like a duck, and webbed feet also. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 715.6

It swims in the water and feeds in the mud just like a duck, but its body is like that of a mole, and it burrows like the mole in the ground, in the river banks, and makes its nest under the ground. It is so wonderfully formed that it is as much at home in the water as a duck, and in the land as a mole. It is called the duckbilled water-mole. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 715.7

This little creature's home is in Australia, and when one was first sent to Europe people thought that somebody must have made it up by fastening a duck's beak on to the body of a small animal. But they have since found that this is really the way that God made it, though they have not ceased to wonder at it. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 715.8

Another time we will talk about some more of these wonderful works of God. If you will read through the 104th psalm, you will see how He who made them is all the time caring for each one of the smallest of His creatures. He says, “I know all the fowls of the mountain, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.” He knows them all, He thinks of all, He feeds all, and He loves all. “Fear not, therefore,” for Jesus tells you that you are of much more value to Him than all “the fowls of the mountains” or “beasts of the forest,” so “how much more” will He think of you, and take loving care of you all the time. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 715.9

“Jottings” The Present Truth 14, 45.

E. J. Waggoner

-Fifty-two fresh trade disputes occurred during September, involving 7,614 workpeople. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.1

-Thirty years ago there were only two dozen explosive compounds known to chemists, now there are over a thousand. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.2

-While excavating near Oxford-circus for the new electric railway a supposed plague pit was discovered. Roman London lies eighteen feet below the modern pavements. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.3

-A Bill has been introduced into the Cape Parliament providing that the sum of ?30,000 per annum be placed at the disposal of the Imperial authorities as a contribution towards the Navy. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.4

-The London County Council has almost unanimously agreed to promote a Bill in the coming session for the purchase of the undertakings of the eight London water companies by agreement, or failing agreement by compulsion. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.5

-The Admiralty intend forming a Special Service Squadron of exceptional strength, and the ships comprising it will assemble in Plymouth Sound at an early date. Contracts have been entered into with South Wales collieries for the supply of 200,000 tons of coal to the fleet at rates which are 3s. higher than the average for the last two or three years. War scares are expensive luxuries for a country. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.6

-A new battleship has just been launched on the Thames for the Japanese Government, which when completed will be the most powerful vessel afloat. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.7

-A report has been received from Upper Ubangi, Africa, of the murder of a missionary by a tribe of natives. A child who accompanied him was killed and eaten. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.8

-The price of wheat has risen considerably in Italy, and in view of the troubles caused in this way last spring, the Italian Government views the situation with some anxiety. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.9

-It is known at Washington that the Administration officials expect the final settlement of the Philippines problem to be the retention of the islands, and the payment of the Philippines’ debt of 1897. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.10

-The French Cabinet crisis is ended, a new Ministry having been formed with M. Dupuy as Premier. The Cabinet will bow to the recent decision of the Court of Appeal and support justice in the Dreyfus affair. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.11

-The total number of shipping casualties that occurred during the year ending June on or near the coast of the United Kingdom amounted to 5,277, and show; an increase of 657, over the total for the preceding twelve months. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.12

-The majority in favour of prohibition of the liquor traffic at the recent polling throughout Canada was 13,844. The number of electors who voted was 548,042, or only 44 per cent. of the electorate. The total number of votes registered for prohibition was 278,403, against 264,579. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.13

-Now that the season for prize cattle is at hand, Sir Richard Thorne's lecture on tuberculosis comes as a timely warning. He stated that “there was no flesh more likely to propagate tuberculosis than that of the well-stalled bullock. This was chiefly owing to the enforced confinement of the animal.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.14

-South London has been visited by a cyclone. It was limited in area and duration, but enormous damage was done. Houses were unroofed, trees were blown down, vehicles were overturned, lamp posts were twisted, and chimneys fell. No one was seriously injured, the streets having been cleared by the heavy rain. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.15

-In 1888 Ireland made 11,063,948 gallons of whiskey, and in 1898, 14,517,708 gallons, an increase of something like 3,500,000 gallons in the ten years. In 1888 Scotland made 18,159.651 gallons, and last year 33,744,503 gallons, which, added to the Irish output, means considerably over a gallon a head for every man, woman, and child in the United Kingdom. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.16

-A remarkable vessel was launched last week. She is called an ice-breaker, and her purpose is to open up harbours which have been closed by ice during the winter. There are four propellers, driven by separate engines, with a total of 10,000 horse-power. In shape the vessel is like a battleship, but has a very long, powerful ram at the bow. Besides carrying cargo herself, the ship will act as a convoy for merchant vessels, making for them a safe passage through the ice. The vessel has been built for the Russian Government, and will be principally used in keeping open trade routes in the Baltic. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.17

-Owing to the extreme heat, the Emperor William is still further curtailing his four in the East. At Jerusalem the Kaiser made a speech in which he announced that the Sultan, as a proof of personal friendship, had given him a plot of ground at Jerusalem, which he had pleasure in placing at the disposal of his Catholic subjects in the Holy Land. The Pope has telegraphed his sincere thanks for this gift. Reports have been spread among the populace in Constantinople that au alliance with Germany had been concluded, and that a new era of prosperity was about to dawn in consequence. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 718.18

“Back Page” The Present Truth 14, 45.

E. J. Waggoner

“Immortality on God's Terms: Endless Life in Christ the Lord.” This is the title of a little book of about ninety pages, by George P. McKay, pastor of Devonshire Square Church, London. Published by H. R, Allinson, 30, Paternoster Row. The nature of the book is fully and accurately indicated by the title, and the subject is more comprehensively dealt with than one would expect to find in so small compass. We welcome it as a step in the direction of taking the Bible at just what it says, instead of “interpreting” it to make it agree with ideas borrowed from pagan philosophy. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.1

There is one thing which the author does not make clear, and that is, the distinction between immortality and eternal life. Very few pay any heed to this distinction, taking it for granted that they are synonymous terms, and thereby the way for people to accept the truth is made more difficult. Whether these terms are regarded as the same by the author of this little book, we cannot say with certainty from reading it; but the mention of it gives opportunity for a brief statement that may help many in their reading of the Bible. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.2

The terms “immortality” and “eternal life” indicate two entirely different things; and it is a matter of great practical importance, and not a mere theological quibble, to note the distinction. Mortality and immortality apply solely to the body, meaning corruptible and incorruptible, while eternal life is never essentially any part of man, but is the manifestation of the Divine Spirit. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.3

All men are mortal. The Bible tells us this, and it is all too patent to our own senses. Mortal means corruptible, decaying, subject to death; immortal means of course just the opposite. Now that men are subject to decay and death, is amply demonstrated by every cemetery, by every physician's sign, and by every man's own body. Immortality, incorruptibility, the condition of absolute immunity from death, so that the lapse of time will make no change in the body, is bestowed only at the coming of the Lord and the resurrection. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Cor. xv. 51-54. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.4

This portion of Scripture alone is amply sufficient to show that all men, Christians as well as sinners, are now mortal. It is only at the resurrection of the just that men are made so that they cannot die any more (Luke xx. 35, 36), “and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” Rev. xxi. 4. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.5

With eternal life, however, it is different. “This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life [the life, R.V.], and he that hath not the Son hath not life.” 1 John v. 11, 13. This record which God has given concerning His Son, is so plain and positive, that nobody can disbelieve it without charging God with lying. See verse 10. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.6

Christ is the life. He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John xiv. 6. And His life is eternal; “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.” 1 John i. 2. This life is God's own life, and is superior to everything. Temptation cannot make any impression upon it, nor can it be in any way affected by sin or disease. It is this life, and this life only, that enables a person to resist temptation, and to live free from sin. The possession of it by faith is what makes a man a new creature. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.7

This life is freely offered to all. Not only is it offered, it is given, but very few will “lay hold on eternal life.” Since it is the life of God, it cannot be had apart from God. God in Christ must dwell in the heart by faith, in order that the life may be there. This life, the life of Jesus, is manifested in the mortal flesh of those who are yielded to Him. 2 Cor. iv. 11. The Holy Spirit received in His fulness, bringing the personal presence of Christ into the soul, is eternal life. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John xvii. 3. We can know God, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent to reveal Him, only as He dwells in the heart. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.8

This is the life of righteousness. Circumstances of life, or conditions of the body, have no effect on it, since it is Gods own life. Even death itself cannot affect it. The life, being hid with Christ in God, will continue the same even though the man die. The life may be laid down, and taken again, as in the case of Jesus. So long as a man keeps the faith, he keeps the life, and if he dies in the faith, he sleeps in Jesus, and awakes in life. The life is his-held for him-while he is sleeping in the grave, just as surely as though he were awake. When the Lord comes, then the eternal life that we have possessed in our moral bodies, and which has been our righteousness, will be ours in our immortal bodies, and will be our righteousness to all eternity. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.9

The trouble over this question has all arisen from people supposing that they were God. Men do not fear God, and give glory to Him, but assume that they live and move by some inherent power. They think that they have life in themselves. Everything would be right if they would but remember that man is in himself nothing-“less than nothing, and vanity.” He is but dust, into which God has been pleased to breathe His own life. Man has sinned, but God has in mercy continued His life to us, that we may be saved from sin. If we appreciate the gift, and acknowledge it as a gift from God, so that He can exercise it in His own way, it will at last work out immortality for us; and the immortality and the life will always he held directly from Him. “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.10

It is evident that the love of Christ does not warm our own hearts, if we have nothing to say to others of its power, it we do nothing to kindle in the hearts of others the love of God. PTUK November 10, 1898, page 720.11