The Present Truth, vol. 11
July 25, 1895
“Front Page” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
The Italian Government proposes to celebrate the anniversary of the entry of Italian troops into Rome, and the Pope, not less a politician than any other worldly ruler, will, it is said, address a diplomatic protest to the Powers. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.1
The Zanzibar correspondent of the Times says that King Mwanga, of Uganda, has had his son received into the Roman Catholic Church. He himself wanted to become a Catholic again, but the Commissioners observed that it was well known in England that he had already changed his religion three times, and that, should further change result in fresh disturbances, Her Majesty’s Government might possibly consider the advisability of displacing him by a king of less disquieting tendencies. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.2
“The Eastward Petition” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
The Eastward Petition.-The Bishop of Exeter charges some of his clergy with transgressing the “Lambeth judgment,” which was an attempt at a compromise between “low” and “high” ritual. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.3
For example, he says, it permitted the eastward position, but said that the celebrant must so stand when consecrating the bread and wine that his external acts were seen by the communicants. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.4
The Scripture makes no fine distinctions in the matter of this posturing toward the east. Ezekiel was shown how the priests of the Lord in the temple had become so corrupted by heathenism that they stood “with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.” The Catholic Church got the eastward position from the same source as the Jewish priests, the heathen sun-worship of all Eastern, and in fact nearly all heathen peoples. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.5
“What to Talk About” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
What to Talk About.—“I will speak of the glorious honour of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible acts; and I will declare Thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness, and shall sing of Thy righteousness.” “All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord; and Thy saints shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power; to make know to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.” Psalm 145:5-7, 10-12. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.6
“The Soul’s Desire” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
“How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” Psalm 84:1, 2. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.7
The house where the Lord dwells is a most desirable place. The word “amiable” means lovely and lovable. We often speak of an amiable person, meaning one who is lovely in character, and a desirable and pleasant companion. The word is used nowadays of persons, and not a thing; but from the ordinary use of it we have no difficulty in understanding its use in the verse quoted. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.8
Perhaps there are very few who would dare use the words of the second verse, and apply them to themselves; and yet there are none who may not use them. Indeed, if we dare not use them of ourselves we have no right to use them at all; for we cannot speak for anybody but ourselves. We are not commissioned to speak for David, or any other man. Let David speak for itself. When we read the Bible we ought to put ourselves in the place of the writer. The language which the Holy Spirit puts into the mouth of a man is not for that man alone, but for all men. We are therefore to make it our own, so that it can come, not from our lips only, but from our hearts, as spontaneously as if it had never been uttered by any other man, and had never been written. It is to be our own language as much as though we ourselves had spoken it by the Holy Spirit. It is only so that the Word becomes too us a living Word. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.9
Let us now see if it is not indeed a fact that every man may use this language of the Psalms, if he will. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.10
Nothing is more certain than that in all men there is a desire to change their state. In some form or other we shall find this desire in even the most stolid man. It is natural for man to seek to better their condition. And one very remarkable thing is that the more one obtains the more he desires. As soon as a man begins to acquire wealth, he begins to desire it more than ever before. Men have a feeling of dissatisfaction. They are conscious of a longing for something that they have not, and they seek to satisfy this longing in various ways. Some seek to appease it by the accumulation of money, others seek it in political or social influences, and others seek it in pleasures or dissipation. But in none of these things is satisfaction found. The more of these things they have, the more unsatisfied they become. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.11
Now suppose we should see a man continually eating and yet always hungry. He eats a great quantity of food, and yet it does him no good. What should we say of him?—That he is not eating the kind of food that he needs. We should say that his system does not demand that kind of food that he is giving it, and that is the reason it does him no good. His system cannot be satisfied with that which it is not calling for, no matter how much he may give it. Give it the food that it really demands, and it will be satisfied. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 465.12
Even so it is with the souls of men. They long for something that they have not; but the fact that they are not satisfied with what they ordinarily get, shows that they are not really longing for that. They may think that they are, but the fact that it does not satisfy the desire should show them their mistake. The trouble is, they are deceived. They do not know what is good, and what is not. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.1
This is why the Lord calls out, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and you labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” Isaiah 55:1, 2. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.2
Men spend their money and labour for that which is not bread, and which does not satisfy. The Lord promises food that is good. What is it?—Jesus answers, “The bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” “I am that bread of life.” John 6:33, 48. This is bread that satisfies, because it gives life. So we read of those who flee to the Lord, “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house.” Psalm 36:8. Also the Psalmist says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; ... who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that the youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.3
Christ is the living bread which satisfies by supplying life. But Christ is God. “In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9. Therefore since the body cries out only for that food which will satisfy its wants, it is true of all men that their heart and flesh are crying out for the living God. Whether they know it or not, it is the fact. Happy is the man who has learned what is good, and what can give true satisfaction, so that he can sing with the spirit and the understanding. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.4
“O Christ, in Thee my soul hath found,
And found in Thee alone,
The peace and joy I long have sought,
The bliss till now unknown.
PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.5
“Now none but Christ can satisfy,
None other name for me;
There’s love, and life, and endless joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee.”
PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.6
“To God? Or to Cesar?” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
When the Jews sought to entrap Jesus into committing Himself to opposition to the civil government, by asking Him if it was lawful to give tribute unto C?sar, He asked them to show Him the tribute money, and they brought Him a penny. “And He saith unto them, whose is this image and superscription? They say unto Him, C?sar’s. Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto C?sar the things which are C?sar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:19-21. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.7
The completeness of this answer was recognised even by the enemies of Jesus; for when they had heard it, “they marvelled, and left Him, and went their way.” It settled the question as to what belongs to C?sar, or human governments, and what to God. Everything that belongs to C?sar is to be given to him, and that which belongs to God is to be held as sacred to Him. That is but simple justice; no one can gainsay the statement that every one should have what belongs to him. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.8
From this distinction, what may we learn as to ourselves and our service? The Scriptures furnish the answer, by telling us to whom we belong. The Apostle Paul but repeated the statement of Christ, when he said, “Render therefore to all their dues; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.” Romans 13:7. Yet he did not include himself and his service as belonging to C?sar, and to be rendered to him; for when he was in the hands of C?sar’s soldiers, on the way to Rome, he said, “There stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve.” Acts 27:23. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.9
Writing to the church at Corinth, and to us all, as well, he said, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.10
If we are not our own, whose are we? Why, we belong to Him who has bought us. But that was not C?sar nor any other earthly name. No; “for whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” Romans 14:8. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.11
We are the Lord’s because He bought us with a price, and that price was His life. For we were “not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold,” “but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19. He “gave Himself for us.” Titus 2:14. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.12
Jesus gave His life for us. He gave Himself for us in death, and He ever liveth to make intercession for us. Therefore since He died and lives for us, it necessarily follows that “whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” The service of our lives belongs to Him, and if we die, it is to be only to His glory, and not to that of any man or any society of men. All is to be to the glory of God, whose we are. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.13
The Christian, therefore, may, at the demand of the State, give it his money, for that bears the image and superscription of the State. But he cannot give himself to the State, for he bears the image of God. He belongs to God, who has bought him, and he must render unto God that which is God’s. To give himself to the State would be to rob God. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.14
It is true of all men that they belong to God; but it is true of Christians in a special sense, since in their case the purchase has been acknowledged and sealed. Not being their own, they are not at liberty to dispose of themselves. God has the sole right to direct their time and their actions. No Christian, therefore, can enter into any service which will put him, as in the case of a soldier, absolutely under the control of some “superior.” To say that the giving of oneself to the State, for it to have absolute control of one, is service to God, is to make the State synonymous with God, which is Paganism. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.15
Let no one imagine that this means rebellion or any manner of opposition whatever to earthly governments. Far from it. The God whom we serve is “the very God of peace,” and therefore we can serve Him only by living quiet and peaceful lives. Earthly governments may make demands upon us that are obviously unjust, but we are not to judge, nor are we sent to reform government; we must submit even to unjust demands, and not do or say anything to the prejudice of the government or its officers. But when it demands ourselves; when it claims supreme authority as to time and service, then we are to remember whose we are. We cannot give ourselves to the State; not because such a demand interferes with our rights or convenience, but because we are not our own to give. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 466.16
He who best serves God, best serves man. It is becoming more and more common to reverse this order, and to make the service of God consist solely in a service to man. But it is wrong. God is first, and He alone can tell us how we can serve our fellow-men the best. He who puts man first, will fail to serve either men or God. The correct answer to the question, “Whose are you?” Will enlighten us as to our duty in many difficult situations. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.1
“Looking to Others” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
Some people refuse Christianity because others who profess it are not upright; but even were all men upright, it would be fatal to look to them in the shaping of our own course. For when all beings were pure and upright, before sin had entered God’s universe, Lucifer began to look at himself and admire his beauty and perfection, and persuaded others to look to him, and by this they fell. The same thing would result no better to-day. We must look to God, and we can all look to Him, for as the serpent was lifted up by Moses in the wilderness, so Christ has been and is lifted up, that He may draw all unto Him. In looking upon Him is life. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.2
“Christ’s Coming” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2, 3. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.3
Note what is involved in this promise. First, Christ will surely come again, for He said so. Second, He will come again, that is, the second time. That means that His coming is to be as real and personal as His first advent. It is not death, not conversion, that is promised, but the literal return of the Lord. Third, His coming is the only way by which His disciples can be with Him. His coming is for the purpose of taking His people to Himself. If they could be with Him without His coming, there would be no necessity for Him to come. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.4
But He will not come in vain. He will come to gather His saints, and He will find them here. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.5
“Studies in Romans. The Law of Christ. Romans 15:1-7” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
The fourteenth chapter of Romans presented to us our duty towards those who are weak in the faith, and who have excessively conscientious scruples with regard to things that are in themselves of no consequence. We are not judges of one another, but must all appear before one judgment seat. If we have more knowledge than our brother, we are not arbitrarily to bring him to our standard, any more than he is to bring us down to his. Our greater knowledge rather throws upon us the responsibility of exercising the greater charity and patience. The sum of it all is contained in these verses: “For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.6
DUTY OF HELPING ONE ANOTHER
“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on Me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus; that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.7
QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT
What ought the strong to do? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.8
“To bear the infirmities of the weak.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.9
What ought such not to do? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.10
“Not to please ourselves.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.11
What are we exhorted to do for our neighbour? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.12
“Let every one of us please his neighbour.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.13
In what way are we to please our neighbour? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.14
“For his good to edification.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.15
Who has set us an example in this respect? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.16
“For even Christ pleased not Himself.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.17
What scripture is cited to show this? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.18
“The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fall on Me.” See Psalm 69:9. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.19
For what purpose were the Scriptures of the Old Testament written? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.20
“Whatsover things were written aforetime were written for our learning.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.21
With what special object? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.22
“That we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.23
In view of the example of Christ, what exhortation is given? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.24
“Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.25
For what purpose? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.26
“That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.27
In concluding this portion of the subject, what exhortation is repeated? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.28
“Wherefore receive ye one another.” See chap. 15:7. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.29
How are we to receive one another? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.30
“As Christ also received us.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.31
To what end? PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.32
“To the glory of God.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.33
The verses composing this chapter supplement the instruction given in chapter fourteen, and are a continuation of that. Thus, that chapter opens with the exhortation, “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye.” The last verse of our present study is, “Wherefore receive ye one another.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.34
How are we to receive one another? The answer is, “As Christ also received us.” This again emphasises the statement that the apostle had not the slightest intention in any way of depreciating any one of the ten commandments when in the fourteenth chapter he said: “One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” For Christ did not in the slightest degree make any concessions in the commandments in order to accommodate those whom he would receive. He said, “Think not that I came to destroy the law, or the prophets.” Matthew 5:17. Again, “If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.” John 15:10. Christ’s commandments and those of the Father are the same, because He says, “I and My Father are one.” John 10:30. When a young man wished to follow Him, He said to him, “Keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17. Therefore it is evident that in making concessions for the sake of peace and harmony, no concession is to be made in respect to keeping the commandments of God. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 467.35
This is still further shown by the exhortation, “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.” We are never exhorted to aid a brother to sin, in order to please him. Neither are we exhorted to close our eyes to a brother’s sin, and allow him to go on in it without warning him, lest we displease him. There is no kindness in that. The exhortation is, “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart; thou shalt in anywise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.” Leviticus 19:17. The mother who would be so fearful of displeasing her child that she would not stop it from putting its hand into the blaze, would be exhibiting cruelty instead of kindness. We are to please our neighbours, but only for their good, not to lead them astray. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 468.1
Going back to the first verse, we find the lesson still more strongly emphasised: “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” “For even Christ pleased not Himself.” Compare this with Galatians 6:1, 2: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such on one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” In bearing the infirmities of the weak, we are fulfilling the law of Christ. But to bear another’s burdens does not mean to teach him that he can safely ignore any of the commandments. To keep the commandments of God is not a burden; for “His commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 468.2
Christ bears our burdens, not by taking away the law of God, but by taking away our sins, and enabling us to keep the law. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.” Romans 8:3, 4. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 468.3
One blessed thing in the service of the Lord is that He does not say, “Go,” but, “Come.” He does not send us away to labour by ourselves, but calls us to follow Him. He does not ask anything of us that He does not Himself do. When He says that we ought to bear the infirmities of them that are weak, we should take it as an encouragement, instead of a task laid upon us, since it reminds us of what He does for us. He is the mighty One, for we read, “I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted One chosen out of the people.” Psalm 89:19. “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4, 6. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 468.4
This is what makes it easy to bear one another’s burdens. If we know that Christ bears our burdens, it will become a pleasure for us to bear the burdens of others. The trouble is that too often we forget that Christ is the burden-bearer, and, being over powered with the weight of our own infirmities, we have still less patience with those of others. But when we know that Christ is indeed the burden-bearer, we cast our own care upon Him; and then when we make the burden of another our own, He bears that too. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 468.5
God is “the God of patience and consolation.” He is “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4. He takes upon Himself all the reproaches that fall upon men. “The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on Me.” Of the children of Israel it is said, “In all their affliction He was afflicted.” Isaiah 63:9. The words of Christ are, “Thou hast known My reproach, and My shame, and My dishonour.” “Reproach hath broken My heart.” Psalm 69:19, 20. Yet in all this there was no impatience, no murmuring. Therefore, as He has already borne the burdens of the world in the flesh, He is fully able to bear ours in our flesh, without complaining; so that we may be “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.” Colossians 1:11. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 468.6
It is this lesson that is taught us throughout all the Scriptures: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” In the book of Job this is made manifest. “Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11. In the writings of Moses it is as clearly set forth. Christ says: “Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not the writings, how shall ye believe My words?” John 5:46, 47. If the Gospel according to Moses is neglected, it will be of no use to read the Gospel according to John, because the Gospel cannot be divided. The Gospel of Christ, like Himself, is one. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 468.7
Finally, “Receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” Whom does Christ receive?—“This man receiveth sinners.” How many will He receive?—“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” How will He receive them?—“All day long have I stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” And if they come, what assurance have they?—“Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” Let us learn of Him; and remember that, wherever you may open the Scriptures, they are they which testify of Him. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 468.8
“Armed ‘Peace’” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
“There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” Isaiah 57:21. An armed peace is not the true peace. Europe now has comparative peace, but all the while she is adding to her armies and navies. England has just launched the most formidable implement of death and destruction that ever floated upon water,—well named the “Terrible,”—and other nations are doing their best to keep up with her. This is not peace, whatever may be said as to actual fighting. It is only a continual darkening of the great war cloud, that must sooner or later burst. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 468.9
Actual peace is where there is peace in men’s hearts, and men have peace in their hearts only when there is an absence of that selfishness and covetousness which lead to war. “From whence come wars and fightings among you?” James 4:1. Thus it is evident that there can be no peace unto the wicked, because they have lusts and envyings and jealousies in their hearts. All this must be taken away before real peace can come, and it will be done by the coming of the Prince of Peace, to reward those who have let His peace rule in their hearts, and destroy those who would not let it in, but retained their lust and strife. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 469.1
“Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Psalm 37:10, 11. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 469.2
“The Power of the Pipe” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
The life of Christ is studied in vain to find any examples of the offering of temporal inducements to the people to listen to His Gospel. When some followed Him because of the loaves and fishes He rebuked them. What, then, are we to think of the latest device, which consists in offering the people harmful indulgences if they will attend services? No wonder some of the secular papers are expressing astonishment at the smoking services being started in London, with free tobacco supplied by the clergy. Speaking of the services that the Christian Commonwealth says:— PTUK July 25, 1895, page 470.1
The incident must be productive of very varied comment. It certainly seems to confirm the idea that the pipe is one of our modern idols. The motive of the Rector can easily be understood and may be commended. But most people will contemplate the proceeding with very mixed feelings, in which humiliation and shame must predominate. The tendency of the time seems to be not to uplift Christ but to drag Him through the mire. If people stooped in poverty will not abandon the pernicious and extravagant habits of smoking there are little hopes that the sermons of smoking persons will help to lift them. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 470.2
The Gospel calls men to renounce every harmful and extravagant indulgence. The tobacco habit comes in this category; for were it not for the narcotic properties of the weed no one would smoke. And the influence of narcotic poisons is indisputably bad. The worst of this new device is that it will have the tendency to make many believe that such indulgence may even glorify God. Not long since another minister, Mr. F. B. Meyer, started a week-day service for men, supplying tobacco free, with the apology— PTUK July 25, 1895, page 470.3
There is no sin in using what God has given us to His glory. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 471.1
There is nothing novel in the plea. It has been used to sustain the alcohol habit, and the use of opium, morphine, arsenic, and many other poisons; but its use by those who are supposed to be following Jesus Christ is a novelty. The temper of the times demand a compromise with worldly indulgences, but loyalty to Christ demands of Christians the recognition of the fact that body, soul, and spirit belong to Him, and that He cannot be glorified in any indulgence which injures and enslaves the body and mind. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 471.2
These things will never be introduced into God’s new creation. The Gospel brings men news of present deliverance from habits that have bound them, and it is a mark of a desperate fall from the high level of the Divine life of Jesus Christ when these things are set forth as entirely in harmony with that life. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 471.3
“A Tight Dress” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
It may be well to consider for a moment what a tight dress is, says a lady physician, writing of the evils of tight-lacing. Dr. Robert Dickinson has tested the pressure of the corset by an ingenious device, and found that in a case where the woman measured twenty-seven inches without a corset and twenty-seven inches with one the same measurement, you see, and you would insist her dress was not tight-the corset exerted a pressure of forty pounds. When her waist measurement was reduced to twenty-five and one half inches, the pressure was seventy-three and one-half pounds. This gives you an idea of what is really a tight dress. We forget that our dresses are usually fitted over empty lungs, thus giving no chance for expansion in breathing. If this occurs in ever so slight a degree, the dress is tight. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 475.1
“Rescuing the Children” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
The Barnardo Homes, with over fifty branches and receiving stations in London and the provinces constitute a great net cast into the troubled sea of waifdom, drawing in, of course, bad and good, but with a wonderful capacity for transforming the bad into good. A few paragraphs from one of the reports will show the actual work done, and the reader who knows the sufferings and dangers of are helpless and homeless children in our cities and towns will understand what the figurer mean:— PTUK July 25, 1895, page 475.2
The number of boys and girls who have already been removed from the life of the streets, from the perils of orphanhood, from actual destitution, or from positions of the gravest danger-often from the custody of criminals or immoral people-and sent forth into the world again, after a period of residence in the Homes, now amounts to 26,000. These have all been educated, taught trades, or fitted for domestic service and instructed in household management, and brought, one and all, during their stay in the Homes, under the influences of genuine Christian instruction and example. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 475.3
Of the large number thus carefully equipped for their life-work, nearly 7,300 have now been planed out in the Colonies, and 600 or more usually go forth in the course of each season. The girls are placed out, and are subsequently visited from the “Hazelbrae” Distributing Home; the boys are placed out and visited from the Toronto Branch; whilst older lasts are settled on the Industrial Farm in Manitoba. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 475.4
By means of Children’s Lodging Houses, in the lowest districts of the Metropolis, destitute little ones, otherwise unsheltered, can obtain comfortable lodging and a warm meal, without being exposed to the almost inevitable contaminations of the ordinary lodging houses. Many of the worst cases of destitution brought to light have been admitted to the benefits of the Homes. Seven branches, under the title of “An Ever-Open Door,” have also been opened to act as Receiving Homes in as many large towns and cities in England and Scotland, namely, Bath, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Plymouth. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 475.5
Altogether, nearly five thousand orphans or destitute children are now in the various institutions, and fresh cases of the most urgent character are being admitted, day and night, at the rate of from forty to sixty every week. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 475.6
The picture given on this page represents a hay-stacking scene on the Farm Home in Manitoba, Canada, where nearly 10,000 acres are under the Homes management. Such a picture strikingly suggests the possibilities of good in a work which transfers the multitudes of children from the congested slum-districts of our towns and cities to the wide West, where there is abundance of “room” for healthy muscles and honest hearts. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 475.7
When it is remembered that it requires ?250 per day to care for the Homes it will be seen why an institution that turns away no destitute child that applies, day or night, is open to receive contributions at all times. The annual report shows a reduced income for the year, owing to the general depression, and we gladly give this space to a recognition of the commendable work which is being carried on from the headquarters in Stepney Causeway, London, E. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 475.8
“News of the Week” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
-The German colonists of East Africa are excited over gold discoveries there. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.1
-Even little Egypt must increase its armaments acted, and a new conscription law has been enacted. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.2
-Riding through the country one sees in all directions the drying up of the fields from the drought. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.3
-A bomb was discovered in Rome last week under the colonnade of St. Peter’s, near the entrance of the church. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.4
-The marine commerce of the British Empire is ?970,000,000 of which one-seventh belongs to the self-governing colonies, PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.5
-The rising in Macedonia continues to cause serious anxiety in Europe. The people are determined to escape from Turkish rule. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.6
-The Bulgarian statesman, M. Stambouloff, who, more than any other man, created that State, was assassinated in broad daylight in the streets of the capital last week. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.7
-All defeat of the parties astonished at the sweeping defeat of the Liberal party in the elections last week. The Liberal majority has been changed into the smallest of minorities. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.8
-Japan is having a struggle to take possession of Formosa, awarded her by the Chinese. The Formosan Black Flags are resisting the occupation, and last week they secured some victories. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.9
-The Japanese are said to be greatly incensed against Russia, believing that it has designs on Korea. They look forward to the prospect of a war against the Northern Colossus at no distant date. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.10
-The French are steadily pushing forward in Madagascar, and although the natives have no effective means of defence, correspondents say that they do not appear to realise that their case is hopeless. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.11
-The new British trade dollar for use in the East has appeared. On the face of the coin Britannia is represented standing erect with a vessel at her feet. The dollar is equivalent in value to the Japanese yen. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.12
-The Spanish squadron visiting Cherbourg has demonstrated the Spanish sympathy with France and Russia. The powers of Europe are grouping together in preparation for the general European struggle which all seem to expect. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.13
-A Bill for the suppression of witchcraft amongst Kafirs has passed the Legislative Assembly of Cape Colony. Witch-doctors and those who profess a knowledge of the use of charms will be liable to fine, imprisonment, or the lash. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.14
-Large numbers of Italians are leaving Italy for South America to escape from the destitution which prevails amongst Italian agriculturists. At the same time the visiting Italian fleet, off Spithead, has been exhibiting the effectiveness of the Italian navy. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.15
-The general verdict seems to hold the Bulgarian authorities directly responsible for the attack on M. Stambouloff. He stood in the way of the pro-Russian policy of the present rulers, and now that he is dead Russia and Bulgaria appear to be rapidly coming to an understanding. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.16
-It is only fifty-five years since the sovereignty of the Queen was proclaimed over the island of New Zealand, and cannibal feasts were held within a short distance of the site of what is now an important city. To-day it is inhabited by 728,000 persons, of whom all but 50,000 are whites. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.17
-The arrests for drunkenness in twelve months in Lancashire towns were in proportion to the population:—Manchester, 1,254 per 100,000: Liverpool, 1,632; Bootle, 2,515; Salford, 1,182; St, Helens, 1,118; Bury, 993; Oldham, 624 Blackburn, 582; Rochdale, 465; Wigan, 436; and Bolton, 304. A singular feature is that Bootle, with the highest rate of drunkenness, has proportionately the lowest number of licensed houses of any big centre in the North of England, while Manchester with only one exception, viz., Nottingham, has comparatively the highest. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 478.18
“Back Page” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
“Round the person of Leo XIII.,” says Captain Gambier, in the Fortnightly, “a strength has accumulated unknown to modern Papacy.” PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.1
The London School Board is again employed in discussing what is called the “interminable religious question.” As usual, when religion is thrown into the field of politics, the discussions are not fruitful of anything save increased bitterness of feeling. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.2
The Catholic Times says that the results of the election “should assuredly mean a thoroughly satisfactory and final settlement of the school question.” The bishops of both the Roman and Anglican churches are determined to secure the partial support of their schools from the public funds. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.3
We are promised a revival of prosecutions for Sunday work in our manufacturing department. In view of this we are putting through the press a third edition of “Statement and Appeal regarding the Enforcement of Sunday Laws in the United Kingdom,” which will be furnished for general circulation at the same special rates granted on the previous editions. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.4
The article in this number entitled “To God? or to C?sar?” covers the principle involved in the Sunday law movement. It is the old, old controversy between the laws of man and the law of God, and before it is done every soul in the world must determine on which side they will choose to stand. When the law of men seeks to compel the recognition of that which is contrary to the law of God we know of no answer to give save that given by Peter, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” It is a very simple question; for as no man can serve two masters, so no one can keep the Sabbath of the Lord holy, and at the same time pay deference to the Sunday, by which the Catholic Church in the days of apostasy, made void the commandment of the Lord. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.5
The Word of the Lord is the only thing that is sure and steadfast in this world. Yet many who have never tried the Lord’s gracious power think that the one who has the world against him and “only” the Word of the Lord on his side is in a precarious position. Not at all; for there is life in every word of God, and when the earth itself is removed, the man who is standing on the Word will be upheld. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.6
The restoration of the power of the Papacy need not necessarily include the regaining of the temporal power. The influence of Rome has steadily increased since the loss of the temporalities. But the dream of the Papacy is to get back its kingdom, and it trusts to the disruption of Italy in the coming European war to secure this end. The writer just quoted says of this:— PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.7
The Vatican need not trouble itself much to bring about the state of affairs. By abstention on the part of the faithful and Italy from all political matters, power is gradually slipping into the hands which must run the country. With authority set at naught and bankruptcy at her doors, resources sucked dry, credit blasted, with the Triple Alliance fading away (her only support), bullied by France, deserted by England, Italy, the Italy of Umberto Orlogi, Budtni, and Co., is tottering to destruction. And this must render restoration of the temporal power a European necessity, for the simple reason that failing an Italian king, no other person except the Pope would be allowed by the other Powers to seat himself there. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.8
When Queen Margaret came to the Scottish throne, early in the eleventh century, she found a great majority of her subjects working on Sunday and resting on the seventh day of the week. In this they evidently followed the teaching of Columba, the apostle of North Britain, who had inculcated a purer faith, while the Romish Church was propagating its perversions of the Gospel in Southern Britain. Queen Margaret, however issued a proclamation insisting on their duty to keep Sunday, saying that the “blessed Pope Gregory lays down,” etc., declaring that sins during the week would be expiated by prayers on the day of the Lord’s resurrection. “Being unable to oppose anything to these mighty arguments” [?], says Dr. Skene, in his “Celtic Scotland,” they changed their practice. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.9
Dr. Skene says traces are found in the history of the early church in Ireland of the custom “by which they held the Saturday to be the Sabbath, on which they rested from their labours.” Columba evidently alluded to this as he was dying, saying that the day was called in the Scriptures the Sabbath; “and this is indeed a Sabbath to me,” he exclaimed. In his “History of Missions,” Dr. George Smith says:— PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.10
Columbanus tells us that the Columban Church “received nought but the doctrine of the evangelists and apostles.” The ninth successor of Columba at Iona, his biographer Adamnan, declares the foundation of Columba’s preaching as his great instrument in the conversion of the heathen, to have been the Word of God. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.11
Thus, following the Word, the Sabbath was honoured, and it continued to receive honour in proportion as the early Columban church followed the teachings of its founder, until the Scots were persuaded that Pope Gregory was right and the Word of God wrong. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.12
Russia sent a delegation of priests on a spiritual mission to Abyssinia, and now it transpires that the mission was political. Of course; for the Russian official religion, like all others, is but a department of State. In treating with Bulgaria now the main part is being played in the name of the “Holy Synod,” and the pious Russian press “sees the hand of God” in the assassination of M. Stembouloff. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.13
“A Good Lodging Place” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
A Good Lodging Place.-Speaking of the man “that feareth the Lord” the Psalmist says, “His soul shall dwell at ease.” The marginal reading gives the literal Hebrew rendering, “His soul shall lodge in goodness.” Psalm 25:13. And when the God-fearing soul is lodging in goodness, the fear of man and all evil is shut out. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.14
“The Power of the Pope” The Present Truth 11, 30.
E. J. Waggoner
The Power of the Pope.-In the Fortnightly Review Captain Gambier has a paper discussing the present position of the Papacy, in which he says:— PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.15
Reason as we may, blink facts as much as we like, the Pope, and the silence of his austerely furnished room, with his simple fare of paste and cold water, is a power in shaping the destinies of the world greater than the Czar, greater than the Emperor William, greater than all the Foreign Secretaries who fret and fume on the political stage in the length and breadth of Europe. And why? Because he embodies the idea of a persistent, unwavering policy, with one distinct aim, an aim that will outlive him; that will be followed with the relentlessness of a sleuth-hound by his successors. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.16
The “deadly wound” is rapidly healing, and simultaneously with a recovering of the papal prestige the spirit of the Papacy which has permeated all the nations of the world is manifesting itself in increased activity in enforcing the institutions and doctrines received from the Church of Rome. The wise will be watching these developments. PTUK July 25, 1895, page 480.17