The Present Truth, vol. 9
July 13, 1893
“Front Page” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart; so shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3, 4. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 225.1
“In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:7. To knowledge God is to acknowledge that He has all wisdom, all power, all goodness. And that means to acknowledge that we lack all those things, and are dependent on Him for them. That means meekness and submission; and the promise is, “The meek will He teach His way.” Thus acknowledging God in all our ways will make our ways such as God Himself will acknowledge. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 225.2
“Character and Reputation” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
Character and Reputation.-Character is what a man really is; reputation is what others think him to be. There is a vast difference between the two. A man may have a brilliant reputation and a most vicious character. This is very common. On the other hand, a man may have no reputation and an excellent character. Most people think more of having a good reputation than they do of having a good character. With our reputation we have nothing to do; if we take care to have a good character, our reputation will take care of itself. But those who are very jealous for their reputation, devoting all their attention to shielding it, are certain to deteriorate in character. The reason is that character is reality, while reputation is only appearance; and he who spends his whole time “keeping up appearances” will have no time to keep up the realities. The only absolutely perfect character ever known on this earth, “made Himself of no reputation,” and He says to us, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.” Matthew 5:11. “Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christians, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” 1 Peter 4:15, 16. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 225.3
“The Fruits of Righteousness” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 225.4
The fruits of righteousness are righteous fruits. These fruits are by Jesus Christ, as He says: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.... Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without [apart from] Me ye can do nothing.” John 15:1-5. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 225.5
The last verse quoted shows clearly that the fruit borne by the branch that abides in Christ, is deeds of righteousness. The statement is that whoever abides in Christ brings forth much fruit, while separate from Him we can do nothing. Doing nothing is made equivalent to not bearing fruit. So then bearing fruit in the vine is identical with doing something. There is nothing more passive than the bearing of fruit; and yet there is nothing in which more intense activity is shown than in a fruitful vine or tree. The tree can do nothing to make itself bear fruit, yet the bearing of fruit is a period of activity. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 225.6
In Galatians 5:22, 23 we have the fruits of righteousness spoken of as the fruit of the Spirit. These are, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” The fruits which are by Jesus Christ are the fruits of the Spirit, for Christ said of the Spirit, “He shall glorify Me; for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” John 16:14. This glorifying Christ is in the fruit that is borne of the Spirit; for the glory of Christ and the glory of the Father are the same, and Jesus said: “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 225.7
In the fifth of Galatians we have it made very plain that the fruits of righteousness are active deeds. In verses 19-21 we have a list of “the works of the flesh,” which are “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like.” And the apostle says, “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Then in direct contrast with these he places “the fruit of the Spirit,” which consists of deeds of a directly opposite nature to the works of the flesh. One set is active wickedness, and the other is active righteousness. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 225.8
Moreover, the apostle follows the list of the fruits of the Spirit with the statement, “against such there is no law.” That means that they are in harmony with law. As the works of the flesh are violations of law, the fruit of the Spirit is obedience to law. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 225.9
Evil deeds are called works, because they are done for the purpose of getting a gain, although the doer is grievously disappointed in his wages; “for the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23. But righteous deeds are those that are done with no thought of self, but as the manifestation of the life and love of God in the heart; and the doer receives, not wages, but a free gift; for “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.1
There is one most encouraging thing in connection with bearing the fruits of righteousness, and that is that the Lord does not cut off the branch that bears only a little fruit. On the contrary, He encourages it, by giving to it the best conditions for bearing more fruit. In the thirteenth of Luke we have a parable, which is represented by a man with a fig tree in his vineyard, to which for three years he has come looking for fruit. To the words, “Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?” the vine dresser says, “Let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it; and if it bear fruit, well; but if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.” When the man comes the next year, and finds that the tree has begun to bear fruit, although in a feeble manner, will he cut it down? No, indeed. If he would bear with it three years when it bore no fruit at all, he will certainly much more bear with it now. He will hail the indications of fruit with gladness, and will more thoroughly continue the work of pruning and dressing, “that it may bring forth more fruit.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.2
So the Lord “is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. “A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax [dimly-burning wick] shall He not quench; He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.” Isaiah 42:3. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Romans 5:8-10. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.3
“Fruit Trees Yielding Fruit” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind; and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:11, 12. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.4
As we have already seen, righteousness is declared to be fruit that is borne by those who are abiding in Christ. We have not by any means exhausted the references in which the fruit-bearing is spoken of. “The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” James 3:18. “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” Psalm 92:12-14. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.5
Fruit grows on trees and vines. Therefore as the righteousness of the saints is declared to be fruit, they themselves are called plants. Notice the text just above. They are rooted in Christ (Colossians 2:7), or are branches from Him as the vine. John 15:5. So the Lord, in the parable of the vineyard, says, “The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant.” Isaiah 5:7. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.6
Again we read that the Spirit of the Lord anointed Jesus “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.7
In harmony with this, we are told that the bringing forth of righteousness is exactly like the bringing forth of natural fruit. “For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” Isaiah 61:11. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.8
In like manner we read in the first psalm: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” A man is like a tree in that his doings are fruits. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.9
Still further, we have a striking likeness as presented in the fourth of Mark, verses 26-29: “And He said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth ripe, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” This describes the growth of righteousness, because the kingdom of God “is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Romans 14:17. Therefore as we have learned that the perfecting of righteousness is exactly like the bearing of fruit by the plants of the garden, let us look for a few minutes at PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.10
HOW PLANTS GROW
Three things are necessary to the growth of plants. These are, a good soil, good sunlight, and plenty of moisture, either from rain or dew, or from both. There is nothing more wonderful than the luxuriant growth of plants under these conditions. Without them, all the efforts of science and art are in vain. Yet we have all seen plants growing under very unfavourable conditions. We said that nothing is more wonderful than the luxuriance with which plants grow under favourable conditions; but really the most wonderful thing is that plants grow at all under some circumstances. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.11
Who has not wondered to see the trees growing seemingly out of the very rocks on the mountain side? Who has not seen the tender plant pushing its way through the almost imperceptible crevices between the stones of the pavement? Who has not passed through a corn field and noticed the tender blades coming up under the most discouraging circumstances? Take, for instance, the case where the seed has been sown in heavy soil, and then the rain has come, followed by sunshine which has baked the earth before the seed sprung up. As you pass through the field you will see little cracks where the blade is forcing its way to the light of day. Here and there you will see a clod of earth standing on edge, and looking beneath you will see that it has been lifted up by a blade of corn. The clod will perhaps weigh several pounds, and the blade of corn only a few grains, yet the clod has to give way before it. The blade of corn will be so tender that if you pull it up it will not be able to stand alone. It cannot, when removed from that spot, bear up its own weight; yet it grows right along, pushing the heavy clod away from before it, as it needs the space, as though the weight upon it were nothing. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 226.12
The same wonder is seen in the germination of the seed. Take for instance a nut, the shell of which is so hard that several sharp blows of a hammer in the hands of a strong man are scarcely sufficient to crack it; yet when the proper time comes the shell parts as easily and as gently as the opening of the rose bud. This is the same miracle that is seen afterwards in the tender plant pushing its way to the surface against the opposing forces of stones and heavy clods of earth. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.1
There we have a remarkable exhibition of power. But whence comes that power? Does it reside in the plant itself? Is it a part of the outfit of the little corn that lies coiled up in the shell, so tiny that often it is invisible to the naked eye? Surely not. Scarcely anything could be weaker or more helpless. If anyone is asked what the power is He can only say that it is life. The power exhibited in the growing plant is the power of life. We can see the results of it, but we cannot see the life itself. No eye was ever yet formed that could discover anything in the tiny germ, or the tender blade, that would indicate the power that it afterwards manifests, or rather that is manifested in it. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.2
For the power does not reside in the plant, as an inherent part of itself. In the beginning God spoke to the earth, saying: “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so.” Immediately the earth responded to the word of the Lord, and since that time it has been obedient to that word. “The word of God is living, and powerful.” Hebrews 4:12. The words that the Lord speaks are Spirit and life. John 6:63. The words of God are the breath of the Lord, and that is the breath of life. Therefore the life that is exhibited in the growing plant is the life of the word of the Lord. No other explanation can be given of the source of the power that we see in the things that are made. The apostle Paul expressly tells us that the eternal power of God is seen in the things that He has made. Romans 1:20. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.3
This is not by any means an ignoring of the statement that the plant grows because of moisture and sunlight. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield.” Psalm 84:11. The light which the sun gives is only a part of the glory of God. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Psalm 19:1. “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Who hast set Thy glory upon the heavens.” Psalm 8:1. So it is true in the most literal sense, that Christ is the Light of the world. His word also sends the rain upon the earth. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.4
Plants grow, therefore, because of the voice of the Lord. In the beginning He spoke, and they came forth; and that same word continuing until this day, still causes them to grow. “He sendeth forth His commandment upon earth; His word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool; He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth His ice like morsels; who can stand before His cold? He sendeth out His word, and melteth them; He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow.” Psalm 147:15-18. Thus we may see the direct power of God in all His works. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.5
THE FULNESS OF GOD
The food materials that are in the soil, the light of the sun, and that dew and rain, which cause the plant to grow, are all from God. In the energy manifested in the plant we see the working of the life of God in it. Without Him nothing exists. All life is from God. He is both Creator and Father. His creating is begetting. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.” Psalm 90:2. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.6
But although it is the life of God that is the life of all creatures, both animate and inanimate, there is endless variety in creation, because God is infinite. Not only are there many kinds of plants and animals, but no two of the same kind are exactly alike. “God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed His own body. All flesh is not the same flesh; but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory.” 1 Corinthians 15:38-41. Since we have the statement that the firmament declares God’s glory, which He has placed upon the heavens, we know that the apostle does not mean that the heavenly bodies get their glory from different sources, but that they each have a different measure of it. Yet each one is perfect in its glory; each one gives forth all the glory that it was designed to display. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.7
So in the growth of plants. God has planned each one “after his kind.” The life of God in the vine makes it perfect after its kind; the same life in the oak tree makes it perfect in its sphere. The vine can never become an oak, and yet the same life is in both. Each one, being filled with the life of God, grows to perfection, according to the purpose for which God designed it. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.8
All inanimate creation is passive to the will of God, yet we do not see in the most perfect plant the perfection that was in the beginning, when “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” But this is not the fault of the plant. “The creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly.” Romans 8:20. When man sinned, God said “Cursed is the ground for thy sake.” Genesis 3:17. And again, after Cain had murdered his brother: “When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength.” Genesis 4:12. This is the reason why we do not find perfection in anything. Yet the trees and plants afford the best illustration of the power of life of God. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.9
Now just as God manifests His life in the plants, so He will in man, provided man will voluntarily be as passive as the plants are by nature. Man has the power and the right of choosing for himself; and if he chooses to allow the life of God to dwell in him, he will be made as perfect as a man, as the plant is as a plant. For the same life will dwell in them both; only just as the life of God makes a perfect vine and a perfect oak, so the same life in man will develop him into just the perfection that God designed for him. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.10
A little thought will show that the life in man is the same as that in the plant. We have already seen that there is life and energy in the plant, that is not derived from itself, but must come directly from God. The same life that is in the growing plant is all stored up in the seed, to furnish either life for another plant, or for man. The grain is made into bread, and men eat and derive strength from it. A man becomes faint and at the point of death, through long fasting; he eats bread, and life comes to him. No one questions the fact that the new life which he feels comes directly from the bread; but the life in the bread is the life that was in the growing plants; and that was life from God. So whenever we sit down to the table we are as surely taking in the life of Christ as were the men who ate of the five loaves which in the hands of Christ became as many thousands. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 227.11
FLESH AND SPIRIT
The careful reader will now imagine that he detects a fallacy. He will explain, “If what you say is true, then everybody must be good; then all those ‘works of the flesh’ must be in reality manifestations of the life of God; and therefore since God cannot deny Himself, it must be that all will be saved.” Not so fast; there is no fallacy here; every man is partaker of the life of God, and yet all men will not be saved. Let us study a little further. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.1
That every man is a partaker of the life of God, is expressly declared in the Scriptures. Inspiration has set the seal of approval to the statement of a heathen poet, that “we are His offspring;” and the apostle was speaking to a congregation of heathen when he said, “In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:28, 29. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.2
But let it not be forgotten that man differs from the plants and from beasts, in that he has perfect freedom and power of choice, and that in this is his pre-eminence over them. God Himself will not interfere with man’s will. He will not bend nor break it; He will not in any way coerce it. God leaves man’s will as free as His own. This is why there is in man the possibility of being a companion of God, and of associating with Him on terms of the closest intimacy. If God to the slightest degree coerced the will of man, then man would be to that extent the slave of God, and not the son and companion, and therefore could not spend eternity with Him; for “the bondservant abideth not in the house for ever; but the Son abideth ever.” John 8:35. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.3
God pleads with man to submit his will to Him; He asks us to choose His will in place of our own, so that our wills may be the same, but when we do that, our will is still free. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.4
Now just as we do not see God’s life work complete perfection in the inanimate creation, through no fault of its own, so we do not see it work complete perfection in most men, and that because of their own wilfulness. The inanimate creation is subject to vanity unwillingly; man is subject to vanity of his own choice. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.5
The plant and the beast cannot choose how the life of God shall develop them. Consequently the will of God concerning them is perfected, except in the measure wherein they are degraded through the sin of man. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.6
But men can choose what the life of God shall work in them. If they choose to live only a fleshly life, that will be all that the life of God can develop in them. Their life, then, will be of the same nature as that of the beast; and as flesh is corruptible, enduring only for a little while, they are choosing only the limited existence of the beast. So “man that is in honour and understandeth not is like the beast that perish.” Psalm 49:20. “Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.” Verse 14. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.7
If, however, on the other hand, men submit themselves fully to Christ, His life will develop in them all the perfection which God in the beginning designed for them. What possibilities there are for man, the heights of attainment, no man has ever dreamed. Only God knows the thoughts He thinks toward man,-thoughts of good, and not of evil, to give him an expected end. But although man’s possibilities of development are so great that only God’s mind can comprehend them, if man will but voluntarily submit himself to the life of God as fully as the plant does involuntarily, he will be brought to that high state of perfection. The same life that brings the plant to its full measure as a physical plant, will make the man reach his highest destiny as a spiritual man. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.8
In the beginning the life of God flowed freely through all things. Man gladly accepted God’s will as his own, and so, of course, perfection was seen in all creation. That dominion is lost, but it is to be restored through Christ the Creator acting as Redeemer. Micah 4:8. Christ died and went into the grave, and rose again and ascended into heaven, in order “that He might fill all things.” Ephesians 4:8-10. So the possibility before men, even in this life, is thus stated: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love” (note the characteristics of a plant), “may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Ephesians 3:16, 19. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.9
So the church, the body of Christ, consisting of all who abide in Christ, and allow Christ to abide in them, not as their physical life only, but as their wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption,-is “the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.” Ephesians 1:22, 23. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.10
And when the time comes that God fills all in all, that is, when God is everything in everybody and in everything, then there will be no place for those who have chosen only the fleshly life, and have rejected the Spirit. “They shall be as though they had not been.” Obadiah 16. Then God will be glorified in His saints, and in all creation, for there will be nothing that will not be the perfect expression of His own personality. Then “every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them,” will be heard saying, even though some of the created things have no voice, “Unto Him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honour, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever.” Revelation 5:13. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.11
“A Godly Life” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Titus 2:11, 12. Godliness is of the character of God. The Scriptures declare it to be “profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.12
The character of God cannot be separated from His life. And the life of God is known only in Christ. Christ was good, for He “knew no sin;” (2 Corinthians 5:21) He “did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.” 1 Peter 2:22. Yet to the young man who came to Him and called Him “Good Master,” He said, “Why callest thou Me good? none is good save one, even God” (Mark 10:18), thus showing that He Himself was God. See also John 1:1, 14. To Philip, who said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us,” He replied, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” John 14:8, 9. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19. Of His work He said, “The Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” John 14:10. His life, therefore, was in the fullest sense a godly life. It is the life of Christ that saves us. Romans 5:10. Not the simple fact that He once lived on earth, but the fact of His now living in us. He is a present Saviour. “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is born of God.” 1 John 4:2. Note well that it does not speak about confessing that Jesus has come or did come in the flesh, but that He is come in the flesh. Through Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, the life also of Jesus is to be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:11) that so we may be filled with the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 228.13
Christ’s life on earth was a life of obedience. Said He, “I have kept My Father’s commandments.” John 16:10. Again, “I honour My Father,” and, “I know Him, and keep His saying.” John 8:49, 55. He was subject to His earthly parents.” Luke 2:51. He came to save life and not to destroy. Luke 6:9. So far was He from taking that which was not His own, or even from coveting, that He gladly gave up His own, and did not think it a prize to be retained. Philippians 2:5-7. No guile was in His mouth, for He was the embodiment of truth. “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” John 18:37. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.1
He also kept the Sabbath day, namely the seventh day of the week, the same day that the Pharisees professed to keep. Although they found fault with Him for His acts of mercy on that day, they well knew that He was not violating the Sabbath, but only disregarding their senseless and wicked traditions. They were constantly on His track seeking for something of which they might accuse Him to the rulers, yet they found nothing; and when at last He was betrayed into their hands, they had to bribe the false witnesses against Him. It was His custom to attend service on the Sabbath day. Luke 4:16. As for Sunday, the first day of the week, no one has ever yet been found with the hardihood to claim that He ever paid any more attention to it than to any other working day. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.2
Therefore the life of God, which Christ will live in us if we allow Him, will be a life of obedience to the commandments. There will be manifested in it obedience to parents, truthfulness, reverence, unselfishness, gentleness, together with Sabbath keeping not merely in form, but in fact. Since there was no Sunday observance in the life of Christ, it is impossible for Him to put any of it into the lives of His followers. Where that is exhibited in the life and it shows a lack of perfect submission to the life of Christ, although that lack of submission may not be intentional, but may arise from failure to recognise Sabbath keeping as part of His life. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.3
But some one says, “The keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath was part of Christ’s life as a Jew, and we are not saved by Christ as a Jew.” Listen: Jesus Himself said, “Salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22. His truthfulness, obedience to parents, reverence, gentleness, etc., were also a part of His life as a Jew. Shall we cast them aside? If we do, we shall simply be denying Christ. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.4
Just think what it means to say that we are saved by Christ’s life, but not by His life as a Jew. It charges Christ Jesus with having two different lives, that is, of having two characters; with being changeable. Yet when a man is one thing in one place and another thing in another place, he is lightly esteemed. Even so must Christ be held in light esteem by those who think He lived any differently on earth, saving His poverty, than He did or does live in heaven. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.5
No; Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8. The life which He lived on earth was the life of God, and with Him there is “no variableness neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17. To say that every portion of Christ’s earthly life is not necessary for us, is to say that a part of God is of no consequence. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.6
Christ lived on earth to give us a living example of the life of God, so that we may know to what we should submit, that He may live it in us. He left us an example, that we should follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21. Christ is not divided, and therefore we must take Him as a whole. When we take Him we shall not at first know all that there is in His life. Indeed we shall never be able to fathom the depths of His character. But we have such confidence in Him that we take Him on trust for all that may be revealed to us in Him, as well as for what we see in Him. Who will make this complete surrender to Him, that He may fill them with the fulness of His life, and at last bring them to enjoy that life in immortality? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.7
“England and the Virgin” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
In the sermon of “reconsecration” of England to the Virgin Mary and to Peter, was the following passage:- PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.8
“And now a few words on the act to be made to-day. I observe, then, that it is not a mere act of personal devotion. It has been announced as an act by which the Catholic Church in England consecrates Our Lady and St. Peter not merely its own actual members, but the whole of England. Are we competent to perform an act like this, we who for only a minority, and even a small minority of the nation? I reply that what would be certainly presumptuous and ridiculous in a modern sect, well befits the ancient Church that brought England to the faith, and held it in the unity of the faith for a thousand years. If she has been deposed from her throne by force and cruelty, she has never ceased to claim the nation as her appanage. This reason would hold good though some entirely new act were in contemplation. But, in fact, the national act was performed long since by the king of England and his united people. England then gave herself in free oblation to Our Lady. What we now ask, and what the Catholic Church throughout England is about to ask, is that our dear Lady would enter again into full possession of her ancient dowry. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.9
“One other thing we must not forget. Devotion in this wretched world must ever mean reparation and expiation. As the procession of Corpus Christi was a reparation for the blasphemies of Berengarius, and afterwards of the Hussites and the Lollards, so, too, the consecration of England to Our Lady coincided with the outbreak of Wickliffe’s impieties against her, and was quickened by those insults.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.10
Thus it appears that the act of consecrating or as it is called, of “reconsecrating” England to the Virgin, is a step in the recovery of the power which the Catholic Church once had in this kingdom, and which she regards as lawfully hers still. Of course the ceremony itself is only a pious farce, since the Virgin Mary and Peter are both dead hundreds of years ago, and know nothing of what is going on, and would be no party to it if they were alive. But it is intended to quicken the zeal of Catholics, who believe that the dead are more alive than ever, and that Peter, if he were alive, would consent to be made lord over God’s heritage. Let the reader now couple with the reference to the reformation under Wickliffe and Huss, the following which appeared in the Tablet of Oct. 1, 1887. It was published beneath the Papal arms, and was entitled, “a letter of our Holy Father Pope Leo XIII. the Bishops of Italy, on the Rosary:- PTUK July 13, 1893, page 229.11
“Since God has called us to govern His church on earth, we have sought to use every possible means that we deemed suitable, for the sanctification of souls, and the extension of the reign of Jesus Christ. We have excepted from our daily solicitude no nation and no people, mindful that our Redeemer and His precious blood on the cross, and opened the reign of grace and of glory for all. None, however can be surprised that we showed special care for the Italian people, for our Divine Master Jesus Christ chose, from out all the world, Italy to be the seat of His Vicar on earth, and in His providential designs appointed Rome to be the capital of the Catholic world. On this account the Italian people are called upon to live close to the Father of the whole Christian family, and to share in a special way in his sorrows and his glory. Unfortunately we find in Italy much to sadden our souls. Faith and Christian morals, the precious inheritance it bequeathed by our ancestors, and in all past time the glory of our country and of Italy’s great ones, are being attacked artfully and in covert ways, or even openly, with a cynicism that is revolting, by a handful of men who seek to rob others of that faith and morality they themselves have lost. In this more especially is seen the work of the sects, and of those who are more or less their willing tools. Above all, in this city of Rome, where Christ’s Vicar has his See, are their efforts concentrated, and their diabolical designs displayed with ferocious obstinacy. We need not tell you, venerable brethren, with what bitterness our soul is filled at seeing the danger there is for the salvation of so many of our beloved children. And our sorrow is greater because we find it impossible to oppose such great evil with that salutary efficacity we would desire, and have the right to use; for you know, venerable brethren, and all the world knows, the state to which we are reduced. On this account we feel a still greater desire to call upon the Mother of God, and to ask her help. And our most lively and sure hope is placed in the Queen of the Rosary, who has shown herself, since she has been invoked by that title, so ready to help the church and Christian peoples in their necessities. Already have we recorded these glories, and the great triumphs won over the Albigenses and other powerful enemies, glories and triumphs which have not only profited the church afflicted and persecuted, but also of the temporal welfare of peoples and nations. Why in this hour of need should we not behold again such marvels of the power and goodness of the August Virgin, for the good of the church and its Head, and of the whole Christian world, if the faithful only revive on their part the magnificent examples of piety given by their forefathers under similar circumstances.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 230.1
The reader will notice that the horrors inflicted upon the Albigenses, by which a province was depopulated, are by Leo XIII. termed glorious victories, and are said to have been gained under the patronage of the Virgin. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 230.2
Note also that the Pope mourns the spread of heresy, and the fact that he has not now the power to use those “salutary” means which he desires, and which he claims the right to use, in order to check the spread of error. It is for this reason that he calls on the Virgin, that she may restore to him the power which he used so effectively in the case of the Albigenses. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 230.3
Can the reader now have any difficulty in seeing why England is put under the special patronage of the Virgin? Can there be any doubt as to the meaning of the ceremony recently performed? We well know that most people will laugh at the suggestion; but Rome likes nothing better than that people should laugh at her movements, if they do not believe. The carelessness with which Romish assumption is regarded in these days is regarded as an evidence of freedom from the bigotry which Protestants once exhibited. It is thought to show that the world is getting more tolerant. But the fact remains that Rome is not growing more tolerant. She has not changed since the days of the Albigenses; and the carelessness with which professed Protestants view her encroachments, is evidence only of the fact that professed Protestantism has receded from the standard of the Reformation, and is unconsciously assimilating to Rome. A marked instance of the Papal spirit in professed Protestantism was afforded in the position which the churches of the United States took in regard to the Sunday closing of the World’s Fair, when a meeting of the Evangelical Alliance desired President Cleveland to compel Sunday closing with the aid of troops. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 230.4
The designs of the Pope upon England which are obvious enough, are not such as can be thwarted by legislation. Appeals to the patriotism of Englishmen will effect nothing. It is not a question of patriotism but of Christianity. The fact that the churches did not seem to regard the appeal to arms, that was made by the Evangelical Alliance of Boston, as a very serious matter, is evidence that the spirit of the Papacy has permeated them to an alarming extent. Nothing can oppose the progress of Rome, but the “preparation of the Gospel of peace,” and a love of the truth as it is in Jesus. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 230.5
“One Word, One Spirit” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
One Word, One Spirit.-He who would derive any real food from the Bible must study it as the word of God, and not as the word of man, believing that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. There are many writers of the Bible, and only one Spirit. The various writings do not make many different books, but one complete, harmonious book. It is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable; he who believes it will be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. And as it is all profitable, He who doubts any part of it will be lacking in some essential. Indeed, since it is one book instead of many, he who disbelieves a part of it, throws discredit upon the whole, and thus cuts himself off from the profit to be derived from it. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 230.6
“The Fakirs of India” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
There are three millions of these fakirs in India. Some of them are Hindus and some of them are Mohammedans. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 235.1
They do not shave, so their hair grows very long and they often coil its filthy links into ropes, and wind them about their arms. “They do not have homes but wander about from one place to another, either without any clothes at all or else in the poorest rags they can get, and with both their rags and their bodies as dirty as they can be. Sometimes they torment themselves with human bones.” They never earn anything themselves but are beggars, living on what is given them. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 235.2
“Mohammedan Fakirs are not pleasant men to meet, for they think it is a very good thing to kill an ‘unbeliever,’ whenever they get the chance. They do their best to imitate madmen, and succeed so well that often they end by going mad themselves. Sometimes they sit for years together looking at a stone wall, and say they are trying to forget everything but God; sometimes they live in cages; and some of them clench their fists as tightly as they can, and keep them so, till their nails grow through their hands, or they tie their hands and feet together, and roll thousands of miles instead of walking. The Mohammedan Fakirs do more of this kind of thing than the Hindu; and even little children are taught to give themselves up to such a life as this.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 235.3
“They go on pilgrimages to holy places: if they are Hindus, to the Ganges, or to some of the great temples; if they are Mohammedans, to Arabia, either to Mecca, where Mohammed was born, or to Medina, where he was buried.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.1
At the melas or yearly festivals may be seen different kinds of fakirs, some with matted hair and beards, others with large bonnet-shaped head coverings; others with a wild expression upon their faces which tell that they are far from being holy or perfect. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.2
“Some fakirs make a vow of perpetual silence, and seldom, if ever, open their lips in conversation; some wander from place to place, never remaining long in any locality; others take up their abode by some river or temple, or under some sacred tree, and never stir; many smear their bodies with dust and ashes, and present a frightful appearance as they walk about;” again others have their ears split, and wear large wooden or bone earrings. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.3
“Some take to this profession from sheer laziness, preferring to wander through the country begging, to honest work, while others give up pleasant homes, thinking by such self-denial to win the favour of God” and obtain pardon and holiness. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.4
“A fakir, near Benares, said that from childhood he had wished to know about God. He read his sacred books to see what they could tell him, but did not find what he wanted there. At the age of eighteen he became a fakir and went away into the jungle, there to think about God. Finding the solitude and danger of this life still gave him no light, he hollowed out a pit beneath the floor of his hut and for two years sat there, seeing neither sun nor moon. His mother was his only visitor, but even to her he did not speak. After this He sat alone for twenty-two years outside a certain village, hoping that God would show Himself to him there. But, after all this, he still sadly confessed, ‘I do not know God, and I do not know the way of peace.’” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.5
One missionary says, “One day we went to a village called Little Calcutta, situated on the banks of the Ganges. As we walked down to the sacred river, we were surprised to see a man who had his home in a box which floated upon water. The box was about six feet square, and was set in a native boat shaped like a canoe. It was a novel sight, and so we approached the man, whom we recognised as a fakir, and began talking to him. His one desire was to obtain deliverance from sin, and for this reason he had given up the world and become a fakir. He had lived twenty years in a dry well, the people bringing him food and water; but this had failed to give him peace. He then made this box, and took up his abode in it, floating about on the sacred river. Twenty years more were thus passed, and still he felt that the load of sin had not been taken away.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.6
He was between eighty and ninety years old. A wonderful change has taken place in him since then. The darkness of sin has given way, and the light of God’s word has shown into the old man’s heart, shedding abroad the peace and joy which only Christians know. He has found that when he goes at it in the right way, when he stops trying to save himself and trust alone in Jesus, Jesus is able to save even to the uttermost all that come to God by Him. Although a hundred years old, his eye is not dim, and his voice is strong and clear, as he goes about with his Bible telling of the power of Christ to save. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.7
“You Cannot Save Yourself” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
“I was quietly sitting in my tent door,” says Rev. E. T. Pegg, “and an Indian of rather good caste came up to me, and we talked of Christ. He said that three months ago his wife died, and the priest told him that if He wished to obtain pardon for her sins he must wander about the fields, and enter house for three months. He did so; it being the rainy season, he fell ill, had a fever, and came to me nearly dead. His furniture had all been stolen. He said he could not trust in heathenism any longer.” And no wonder that he could not trust in such works any longer. What good have they done him? Learn a lesson from this poor Indian and from the fakirs. You cannot make yourself good, and you cannot make your friends good; you cannot save yourself, and you cannot save your friends. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.8
The very best works that you could ever do would be only your works, and it is God’s works that you must have. He says that His ways are as much higher than your ways as the heavens are higher than the earth. So you see how impossible it is for you to make yourself good and save yourself. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.9
There is only one way that you can get the goodness and salvation of God: Jesus says, “I am the way.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.10
God is not pleased when you try some other way. It grieves Him when you try to work it out for yourself, or try to buy it from Him, for He has offered it to you as a free gift. He has given you His only Son Jesus, and if you will only take Him into your heart, you will find everything that you need to save you, for in Him is wisdom, righteousness (goodness of God), salvation, and eternal life. If you will invite Jesus in and allow Him to stay and use you to do His ways, willingly giving up your ways, you will be saved. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.11
Do not wait one moment thinking that you must make yourself good before you invite Jesus in. He knows just how naughty and weak and wicked you are, and how impossible it is for you to do one good thing without Him. He therefore stands at the door and knocks and pleads for you to let Him in now, just as you are, that He may do for you what you cannot do for yourself. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.12
Jesus is the only way, and His is the only name under heaven given among men whereby you can be saved. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 236.13
“The Best Book” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
“Every word of God is pure.” Proverbs 30:5. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.1
Last week we talked about the trees, grass, flowers, birds, animals, sunshine, and many other beautiful things that we see when we go out of the house. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.2
This week we shall talk about a certain thing that we see in the house. It can tell you who made the grass and animals and just how they were made. It is a wonderful book called the “Holy Bible,” and it can tell you all about these and many other things of which you would like to know. Ask someone to please open it and read the first chapter to you. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.3
The first chapter in the Bible says that God, who lives up above the stars in heaven, is the One who made the sun, moon, and stars, the flowers, birds, and animals, and all living things. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.4
In Ephesians the third chapter and Colossians the first chapter we also read that God created “all things by Jesus Christ” His Son, “all things that are in heaven, and that are in earth, seen and unseen.” “For it please the Father that in Him [the Son] should all fulness dwell.” And in Hebrews the Father says to the Son, “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.5
No man hath seen God at any time; but the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared, or made Him known to us. So we need not be afraid to trust Him, for Jesus has come down to the earth and shown us that God is so powerful, and wise, and good, and loving, and kind, that among the gods there is none like Him, neither are there any works like unto His works, but He is God alone. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.6
And yet God says that “all should honour the Son even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which sent Him.” And “unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” “And again when He bringeth in the first begotten into the world, He saith, And let the angels of God worship Him.” In Hebrews we read that God “hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds, who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person,” upholds all things by the word of His power, and is set down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.7
Now there are many books in the world but all of them together are not worth so much as this one book-the Bible-which introduces us to the God who made the heavens and the earth. It is the only book that is perfectly good and perfectly pure, because it is the only book that comes to us from God Himself. It came not as other books, by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. It is therefore God’s word to us, and can have nothing wrong in it. When it says that God made the grass and flowers, we may believe every word that it says about it. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.8
The word “Bible” means book. It is the “Holy Bible” (Holy Book), because Jesus by His Holy Spirit dwells in it. Jesus is so holy that His very presence makes a place holy. The Bible is therefore the purest and the best book in the whole world. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.9
It is the most wonderful book of all for by studying it and believing it and receiving it in our hearts we receive the pure and lovely Jesus in our hearts, because He dwells in it. Thus it can take from us every naughty thing; for naughtiness cannot stay where Jesus is. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.10
1. Have you found out who caused the pretty flowers and grasses and animals to grow? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.11
2. Who was it? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.12
3. Where only can we find out all about it? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.13
4. What is the Bible? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.14
5. Who sent it to us? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.15
6. Then what kind of book is it-a good book, or a bad book? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.16
7. Why is it a good book?—Because it is the Word of God, and God is good. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.17
8. How are other books written? By the will of man. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.18
9. How was the Bible written?—By the will of God, holy men wrote only as they were guided by the Spirit of God. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.19
10. Then whose word is it? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.20
11. Therefore when it says that God made the grass and every living thing, what may we believe? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.21
12. Is it always safe to believe what other books say? Why not? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.22
13. Why may we believe all that the Bible says? Proverbs 30:5. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.23
14. If we really receive God’s Word into our hearts, what a wonderful change will it work in us? Why? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.24
15. Can any other book do so much for us? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.25
16. Then which is the best book in the whole world? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.26
17. Has any one ever seen God? PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.27
18. Then how can we know Him?—By knowing Jesus. John 14:6, 7; 1:18. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.28
19. What does the Father call Him?—God. Hebrews 1:8. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.29
20. What did He tell the angels to do?—To worship Him. Hebrews 1:6. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.30
21. How does He command us to honour Him? John 5:23. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.31
22. By whom did God create all things? Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.32
“What Do You Think About?” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
The Lord says that as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he; and the same is true of a little child. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.33
You become like the things which you think about. If you get into the habit of looking at bad pictures, pictures of battles, of murders, of impurity, you will think about them and began to love such things, and ere long you will be doing such things yourself. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.34
If you learn to read silly books you will become silly. If you read novels or books that are not true, you will lose all love for true things, and your mind will become like a sieve, which allows whatever is good and useful to escape, and keeps only a mass of coarse and useless rubbish. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.35
Then if you would become pure and noble you must choose good companions, good pictures, good books, and good plays, yes, and good food and drink, and helpful clothing. Rich food and fiery drinks and unhealthful clothing cause you to have bad thoughts as surely as bad books. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.36
Remember that in the Bible you may find the best book, the best companions, the noblest pictures, the purest water, the most heavenly dress, and the only living bread. If your greatest pleasure is found in reading and thinking of its wondrous works, your thoughts will grow more and more Christlike, and so will your words and actions; for as a man thinketh, so is he. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.37
Please learn this little verse”- PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.38
“Bad thought’s a thief; He acts a part,
Creeps through the windows of the heart,
And if he wants has his way can win,
He lets a hundred robbers in.”
PTUK July 13, 1893, page 237.39
“Interesting Items” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
-The new constitution granting Natal responsible Government has been proclaimed. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.1
-A freehold estate of 297 acres in Essex was sold on the fourth for £560, or 37s. an acre. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.2
-The city of Seville, Spain, is kept in a state of constant alarm by the petard explosions which are continually occurring. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.3
-During the past 20 years, the Lord Mayors of London have collected £20,000,000 for charitable and benevolent purposes. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.4
-A Bill has been presented to the Reichstag on behalf of the members of the Centre in favour of the revocation of the decree of expulsion against the Jesuits. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.5
-As a result of the recent rich discovery of gold near Coolgardie, Western Australia, people are flocking to the scene in large numbers. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.6
-A seamen’s strike in connection with the Federated Union has been declared at Sydney. Many vessels have been detained in consequence. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.7
-During the month of June the loss of twenty-seven British vessels, with a tonnage of 12,378, was reported to the Board of Trade. The loss of life involved was 57. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.8
-Anti-Christian troubles are said to have broken out in China, at a place sixty miles from Hankow, and two Swedish missionaries are reported to have been murdered. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.9
-A colliery explosion occurred July 4 in a mine at Thornhill, a suburb of Dewsbury, Yorkshire, by which over a hundred miners lost their lives. The cause of the explosion is unknown. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.10
-The Earl of Rosberry has informed the House of Lords that although the Turkish Court of Cassation has confirmed the sentence upon the Armenian professors, they will be pardoned and sent out of the country. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.11
-According to Mr. Gladstone’s resolution, which has been carried, allotting a specified time for the different clauses of the Home Rule Bill, the committee stage of the Bill, is to close altogether on July 27. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.12
-Later reports show that the collision of the Camperdown and Victoria, by which the latter together with nearly 400 men was sent to the bottom of the sea, was due to a blunder on the part of Admiral Tryon, who also went down. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.13
-The Paris students of the Latin quarter have come into collision with the police, and serious riots have occurred. That portion of the city was in a state of siege. The number of killed is not definitely known, but hundreds have been wounded. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.14
-From Maloroshovaya news comes that six Stundist families there have been fined some far above their means, and that the police have taken from them their bedding and clothes, which will be sold by auction unless the fines are paid at once. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.15
-The loss to the agricultural wealth of India this year from rinderpest alone, exceeds 46,000,000 sterling. Rinderpest is increasing among cattle yearly. People who subsist on the fruits and grains that God made for the food of man, are much safer than those who eat animals. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.16
-Socialist disturbances are again reported from Bohemia. A force of infantry and cavalry was called out to assist the gendarmes and police, and many of the rioters were wounded with bayonet thrusts and sabre cuts. Ninety persons, including a number of women, were arrested. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.17
-Owing to the depreciation in silver the mine owners in Colorado have decided to close every mine in the State. Thirty thousand men will, it is expected, be thrown out of work in consequence. It has also been decided to close the Broken Hill Mine, Victoria, and it is probable that the Chilian silver mines will likewise be closed. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.18
-The glacier of Devdorak, on Mount Kazbek, one of the highest peaks of the Central Caucasus, is causing great alarm in Vladikavkaz and all along the course of the Terek river. Its movement downwards has recently been greatly accelerated, and there is great danger that in a very short time it will temporarily dam the Terek, and divert a vast body of water on the plains where Vladikavkaz stands. So great is the alarm that numbers of people are leaving the lower part of the town for higher levels. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.19
-Violent measures against the Stundist Protestants of the province of Kherson are reported from Tiraspol. Six men, leaders of the movement, have been summarily arrested in Yoshitski by the local commissary of police. For the first two days of their incarceration they were kept together without food, and it is stated that the police and village authorities came and made game of them, enjoying their hunger, and flinging the most opprobrious epithets at them. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.20
-Archbishop Alarcon has presented the National Museum at the City of Mexico with a stone head of an idol, which, until its discovery by some Roman Catholic missionaries a short time ago, was still being worshipped by the Indians in the State of Merelos. The head was on a statue of immense size covered with a crocodile’s hide. Those who worshipped it were only poor Indians; the Archbishop should come to London, and he could make a large collection of idols for a Museum. Only two weeks ago professed images of Peter and the Virgin Mary, six foot high, were worshipped by crowds of people in the Oratory at Brompton. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 238.21
“Back Page” The Present Truth 9, 15.
E. J. Waggoner
Some time ago the committee of Convocation rendered a report favouring Sunday opening of museums, etc., and it was thought that the church was going to place itself in opposition to a strict observance of Sunday. But the Bishops have indefinitely postponed the consideration of the subject, and the lower House has passed a resolution against it. The Sunday institution is going to be exalted instead of being made to occupy a lower place. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.1
“If prejudice and ignorance could be removed from the world, the Gospel might make rapid strides.” That is the same as saying that if sin could be removed from the earth, the Gospel might make rapid strides. “But,” some one will say, “if sin were removed from the world, there would be no need of the Gospel.” Exactly; and that would be the case if wicked prejudice and ignorance were removed. Prejudice, and the ignorance that arises from it, is sin, and the work of the Gospel is to remove sin, and not to wait for sin to be removed by force, so that it can have a chance. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4, 5. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.2
The representative of the Christian Commonwealth has had an interview with Dr. B. W. Richardson, and in the course of the conversation asked the Doctor (who, by the way, is not Sir Benjamin) if he had any faith in any of the alleged cures for drunkenness. The Doctor replied:- PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.3
“Oh, no! none whatever; in my opinion they are quite impostures. There is no cure for inebriety but total abstinence. Of that I am quite sure. There is no reason to suppose that it should be otherwise. Alcohol produces a constitution of its own, it remains long in the body after a man has commenced to be an abstainer, and so long as it is there the craving is there-the desire for itself. There is a sort of mental attraction for it, which goes on until the thing is entirely eliminated from the body; then the taste for it if forgotten, and the body itself is reconstituted out of healthy material. Then you have your healthy abstainer, and even he is not so sound as a person who has never from the beginning of his life tasted alcohol.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.4
The fact that Jesus has done everything for man is sometimes perverted. It is often said that as He fulfilled the law, keeping it for us, we have nothing whatever to do with it. That is the same as saying that because He always told the truth, we may lie with impunity; that as He honoured the Father, we are free to dishonour Him. No greater error could be conceived. It is true that He fulfilled all of the law, but it was in order “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.” Romans 8:3. It is true that He kept the law for us, but it was that He might keep it in us. We are “saved by His life,” but not unless we have His life. And if we have His life we shall have all the obedience to the law that was in it; for He has not changed, but lives the same life to-day that He did eighteen hundred or six thousand years ago. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.5
A man sits in his room, looking out over the country with a telescope. Away he sees a traveller crossing the plain. The traveller can see but a few rods before him, while the man with the telescope can see for miles ahead of him, and can note all the difficulties or pleasant places in the way. Now the fact that the man with a telescope sees what the traveller is coming to does not oblige the man to come to them. It has no effect upon him in any way whatever. Even so the foreknowledge of God does not affect the destiny of man. God knows the end of everything from the beginning, not because He studies it out, but because He is God. He inhabits eternity, and everything is present with Him. The thing a thousand years in the future is as much present with Him as a thing of to-day. Man by searching cannot understand God, and we are not called upon to explain all His acts; but we may trust Him, knowing that “He doeth all things well.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.6
At its last meeting, the Peace Society passed a resolution disapproving of the influence and tendency of the Boys’ Brigade. It has all along been denied that the Brigade tended to foster a disposition on the part of the boys to follow a soldier’s life; but this has not changed. At the last meeting of the Brigade, the chairman admitted that some of the boys had entered the army, and justified it on the ground that so long as the country has an army, no one can object to its being recruited from the best material. Facts will ultimately demonstrate what any thoughtful person might know at once, that giving boys a military training is no part of Christianity, even though it be done under the name of church work. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.7
The same principle that would justify the churches training boys for the army, and the Boys’ Brigade, because the army ought to be recruited from the best material, would justify the church and Sunday-school in training boys for jockeys, gamblers, publicans, etc., on the ground that since those professions exist it is better to have them filled by Christians, so that they may be transformed. The true followers of Christ are in the world but not of the world. When the church enters into any kind of partnership with the world, it at once loses its converting power, and instead of bringing the world up to its standard it sinks to the level of the world. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.8
It is getting to be quite a favourite idea among professed Christians that the work of the church lies largely in the region of politics. “Christians must enter politics, in order to purify them,” is the cry. Must Christians keep gambling dens and public houses in order to purify them? Many men have tried it, and found that it worked the other way. The “purifying” of politics is expected to be accomplished by the passing of “Christian” laws. But everybody knows that the man who wishes any favourite measure passed, must adopt “political methods;” and when that is done, the agent of purity himself becomes the tool of corruption. There is a curse pronounced in the Scripture upon those who say, “Let us do evil that good may come.” PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.9
Christians are the salt of the earth. That means that they are to have a saving, purifying influence on the world. But that does not mean that they are to become a part of the world, and to adopt the ways of the world, salt must remain salt, if it is to do any good. If we use it to preserve meat, we do not want it to turn to meat, but to retain its distinctive character. The church is not going to overcome the world by using the weapons of the world. The Gospel is the power of God, not the power of man; and God’s ways are as much different from man’s ways as the heavens are different from the earth. PTUK July 13, 1893, page 240.10