The Present Truth, vol. 9

February 9, 1893

“Front Page” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

We learn that “Protestants in Spain have been semi-officially informed that they must, as soon as possible, take away from their churches all outward signs, such as crosses and inscriptions, and that in future no authorization will be given for building Protestant places of worship if they affect the shape or any outward appearance of a church or chapel.” This is a sample of the true need that necessarily arises when religion becomes a part of politics. But why should the Protestants complain? If they believe in the principle of State religion they should be willing to abide by it under all circumstances. Fortunately this particular order will work no real hardship, except to ecclesiastical pride. The greatest triumphs of Christianity were gained when it had no public edifices at all, and the people were obliged to meet in private houses, in the woods, and in the catacombs. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.1

“Christian Badge” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

A movement is now on foot to try to induce all Christians of every denomination to wear a common badge, so that they may know one another when they meet. A “Christian” who cannot be recognized except by a badge on his arm, is of little worth as a Christian. They remind us of the work of the man in the garden, who, when he went to dinner had to drive a stick in the ground, so that he might know when he came back where he had left off speaking. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.2

There is a badge, divinely given, to distinguish Christians from the world, which cannot be successfully counterfeited. “And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.” Colossians 3:14. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35. This love is “shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5. Thus it is that when we believe we are “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” Ephesians 1:13, 14. “And because we our sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father.” Galatians 5:6. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God; and if children then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.” Romans 8:14, 16, 17. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.3

The trouble with all human inventions which are added to Christianity, is that they do not serve the purpose for which they are design, but only pervert the Gospel. Even supposing that all Christians should agree to use a badge, so that they might be known, it would do no good. A few pennies would enable anybody to procure the badge, and thousands without the knowledge of the first principles of Christ, would be proclaiming themselves Christians. And so the very name Christian would be brought into disrepute. Many men have tried their hands at improving on God’s method for keeping the church separate from the world, but the artificial methods always fail. The Pharisees could not keep the world out by increasing the width of their phylacteries. They advertised themselves as children of God while they were actually children of the devil. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.4

This idea of a badge by which to designate individual Christians is of the same piece as the idea that nations may be Christian by labelling them as such. In the United States there has been for a long time a party working to secure the insertion of the name of God in the National Constitution. With some the argument has been that by so doing the United States would become a Christian nation; but the most of the people have argued that since it is already a Christian nation, it ought to be properly labelled, so that other people may recognize the fact. Perhaps when the nation is thus formally declared to be Christian, the individual badge may be adopted, in order that those who do not thus label themselves may be singled out for missionary effort or punishment. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.5

The fact is, that the wearing of such a badge would be a sure way of making known, to some extent at least, who are not Christians; for few real Christians would ever put one on. All such things as the blowing of a trumpet before one, or the putting on of a special dress to indicate the individual’s standing in the church, are foreign to Christianity. By the law of faith boasting is excluded. Romans 3:27. The only distinctive dress to be worn by any Christian, whether a public teacher or not, is the “robe of righteousness” and “garments of salvation” (Isaiah 61:10), and these will be put upon him by the Lord Himself.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.6

“A New Creation” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Several weeks have passed since the article appeared, showing that true Sabbath keeping means rest in the Lord,-depending upon Him as the Creator, who is able to create a man a new creature in Christ Jesus. The thought is worthy of further consideration. Let us recall a few plain statements of Scripture. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.7

God has made His wonderful works to be remembered. Psalm 111:4. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.8

He wants men to remember His wonderful works, in order that they may know His power, because His power is known by His works. Romans 1:20. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.9

It is necessary for man to know the power of God, in order that they may be saved, because the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth. Romans 1:16. It is by the power of God, through faith, that men are kept. 1 Peter 1:5. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.10

The Sabbath is a memorial that God has given of His wonderful works. “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.” Genesis 2:3. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor they maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:10, 11. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 33.11

Since the Sabbath is the memorial of the wonderful works of God, and God is known by His works, it follows that the Sabbath gives the knowledge of God. And so He says: “And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Ezekiel 20:20. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.1

But to know God indeed is to know Him as He is. It is to know that He is love (1 John 4:16), that He is of great compassion (Lamentations 3:22), that He is merciful (Psalm 103:8, 11, 17), that He delights in mercy (Micah 7:18), that He takes no pleasure in the death of any (Ezekiel 33:11), that He has interposed Himself for the salvation of men (Hebrews 6:13-20) and that He is able to do all that He has promised. Romans 4:21; Ephesians 3:20. In short, to know God is to know Jesus Christ, “for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9), and God is manifested only in Christ. John 1:18. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.2

Christ is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24. Therefore the works of God, by which the power of God is known, make Christ known to us. This is evident enough, because “by Him were all things created.” Colossians 1:16. “All things were made by Him.” John 1:3. And since the Sabbath is the memorial of creation, it is the memorial of the power of Christ. But Christ is the Saviour of men. “He was manifested to take away our sins.” 1 John 3:5. Therefore the Sabbath is for the purpose of letting men know the power of Christ to save them from sin. This also we plainly read: “Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” Ezekiel 20:12. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.3

When God had finished the six days of creation, He “saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31. This look included man. “The Lord made man upright.” Ecclesiastes 7:29. Therefore as the Sabbath is the memorial of creation, it is the memorial of a perfect creation. It shows the power of God to create a perfect earth, and perfect men to dwell upon it. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.4

Now read Isaiah 45:16-19: “They shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it. He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited; I am the Lord; and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain; I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.5

Notice carefully what this text says. The makers of idols shall be ashamed and confounded, but Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. And what is the proof of this? Why, the Lord made the earth to be inhabited; He made it not in vain. If it were not inhabited, it would have been made in vain. But He showed in the beginning what kind of people He designed to inhabit the earth. He made the earth to be inhabited by perfect beings. Now since He made it not in vain, it is going to be inhabited by just the kind of people that He made to inhabit it in the beginning. He is going to save people out of this earth, making them perfect, to inhabit the earth for ever, which He will also make new for their habitation. See Revelation 21:1, 5; 22:1-5; 2 Peter 3:13. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.6

The Sabbath therefore, is both a memorial and a pledge. It is a sign that God made everything perfect in the beginning, and it is a pledge that He will yet restore all things as in the beginning. He is to have a new earth. What does that mean? It means that the earth is to be restored to the condition that it was in when it was first created. It was then a new earth, and God is going to make it new again. But it is going to be inhabited, for the Lord made it not in vain. And it will be inhabited by perfect men, for such God made in the beginning. In the new earth only righteousness will dwell. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.7

As the Sabbath reminds men of the fact that God by His power made the earth, and man upon it, so that all were very good, it also makes Him known to us as the One who will by the same power make the earth new, and create men new creatures in Christ to dwell on it. So the Sabbath is the seal of a perfect creation, both in the beginning, and at the last. The keeping of the Sabbath means perfect submission to the will of God, so that it may be done on the earth as it is done in heaven. It means to give the Lord His way with us, so that He can make us to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5, 6. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.8

The Sabbath is God’s rest. It is the rest into which God entered when He ceased from His work, and left His word to uphold that which it had brought into existence. That rest He gave to man in Eden. That same rest He gives now to all who will accept Him. It is the rest in which we are to be saved, as the Lord says, “In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15. It is rest upon the power which made the heavens and the earth, and which still upholds them. It is the rest which in the beginning was connected with the new earth, and so the possession of that rest is the assurance of rest in the earth when it is again made new. And so it is fitting that when the earth is made new, the Sabbath should be observed by all flesh. See Isaiah 66:22, 23. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.9

If the Lord will, we shall in the next paper consider this matter further, under the heading of “The Rest that Remains.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.10

“Promises” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The annual making of resolutions and promises of good conduct is now several weeks in the past, and we may venture to call attention to them. It is perhaps safe to say that without doubt all those who took New Year’s day for a time of making new resolutions have broken them by this time. But that is not at all strange, for it is the peculiar characteristic of human resolutions, that they break very easily. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.11

“You wouldn’t have people stop making resolutions, would you?” some one asks. Certainly. The Lord does not ask us to make them. He has provided a better way. We do not say that promises are not good, but it makes a vast difference who makes them. If a man owes a certain sum of money, it is a good thing for him to promise to pay it, provided he has any means wherewith to pay; but if he is bankrupt his promise to pay is not worth much. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.12

But the man who promises to live a better life is a great deal worse off than the man who promises to pay a certain sum of money, when he is bankrupt. In this case the man may earn money, and so discharge his obligation. But in man there “dwelleth no good thing.” He has nothing wherewith to pay, and no power to perform the good that he has promised. So all human promises to lead a different life are worthless. They are worse than worthless, for they lead people to rest satisfied with their promises, whereas if those promises were not made they might the more readily see the necessity of taking the better thing that is offered. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.13

It is impossible for a man to live a different life with the old life that he has been living. In order to live a different life, he must have a different life. “An evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is evil.” Luke 6:45. So when a man promises to do good out of the evil that is within him. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.14

What promises, then, are of any value? The promises of God, and those only. The apostle Peter says of Jesus our Lord, that “His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be made partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:3, 4. Here are promises that amount to something. They are the promises of God, confirmed by an oath pledging His existence to their fulfilment. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 34.15

Notice that it is the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that gives us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Then it is certain that men can add nothing to the sum. By His promises all these things become ours. When we have these promises, what is the need of making others of our own, when we have no power to make them good? Not only are our promises unnecessary, but they are harmful, because they shut out the promises of God. They imply that His promises are not sufficient. Surely no one who has any just sense of the exceeding value of the promises of God, will think of supplementing them by worthless promises of his own. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.1

Human promises can be seen in their true light only when we think of them as made to the Lord. Think of a man making a promise to the Lord, and then coming to Him and asking for favours on the strength of the good promises that he has made! Now if a promise is good for anything, this is what he ought to be able to do. If a man makes a promise to pay another man a sum of money, that is, if he gives a note, something can be raised on that note if it is good for anything. But no man would dare to come to the Lord and plead any promise that he has made. We do not ask the Lord to bless us because we have made good promises, but because He has made promises. The Lord says, “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake.” Isaiah 43:25. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.2

The Christian life is indeed a life. And life means growth. “He shall grow as the lily” is the Lord’s statement concerning the one who is His. Lilies do not grow by resolution, but by absorbing the elements which God gives for their growth. A resolution pertains to the future, but growth is not a thing of the future, but of the present. The Lord does not want us to tell Him what we are going to do in the future, about which we know nothing, but simply to take the growing power contained in His promises, and live by them day by day and hour by hour. The promises of God are the only hope of mankind. Why not depend on them, then, and not weaken their force by putting our own in their place? PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.3

“‘Please Harmonize’” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

One of the most common things to be found in religious papers is a request from some sound earnest correspondent that some text in the Bible be “harmonized” with some other text that is mentioned. Strangely enough in most cases the editors of the papers will proceed without any protest to “harmonize” the texts in question. We have no condemnation to pronounce upon those who do these things, but wish to call attention to the fact, that those who read it may come to the study of the Bible better prepared to receive benefit from it. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.4

Suppose some student of music should take one of the master pieces of Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, or Handel, and after glancing it through two or three times, should ask his teacher to “harmonize” it for him, so that he could play it understandingly. The disgust of the teacher would probably almost prevent any reply for a while, but he would at last tell the student that the harmony was already there; that the master put it there when he wrote the piece; and that he must study it until he is able to see the harmony. To the student it might at first seem a hopeless task, but if he has patience, and a love for music, he will study away at the composition, working out difficult cords, until finally the grand harmony is open to his understanding. Then he will go on for years enjoying it, his appreciation of it ever increasing; and his enjoyment of it will be the greater because of his previous study. It does not mean that one should be a musician to know that there is no other way than this for a person to appreciate the work of the great composers. Why should not the Bible be treated as fairly? PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.5

David prayed to the Lord, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” Psalm 119:18. The same God to whom he prayed exists to-day, and is ready to answer that prayer for any person who prays it, as he was to answer it in David’s case. When the two disciples walked to Emmaus, and Jesus drew near and walked with them, their hearts burned within them, as He opened to them the Scriptures; and afterwards, in the upper chamber, where the twelve were gathered together, Jesus opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. See Luke 24:45. Although we cannot see Him with our eyes, He is just as near and just as able to instruct those who ask Him to-day, as He was then. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.6

When the Scriptures were written, the harmony was put in them by the great Master. “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. One Spirit inspired the whole of the Bible, and so there is the most perfect agreement between all its parts. This agreement may not be always apparent to the casual reader, any more than the harmony in the great musical compositions is apparent at a glance; but the right kind of study will always reveal it. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.7

The greatest hindrance to the understanding of the Scriptures is the attitude which people assume towards it. They come at it in a spirit of challenge. They put it on the defensive. When a plain declaration is read in one text, they immediately refer to another text, and say, “I don’t see how that can be, in view of what this text says.” So they put the two texts in antagonism. Such a position shuts off the possibility of understanding the Bible. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.8

“By faith we understand.” The truths of God are revealed to faith, not to mere human intellect. There is no discount upon intellect, for it is a gift of God; but it is to be subject to faith, and to be instructed by it. That means simply that human reason is to be subject to God, for faith is the laying hold of God. Belief, implicit belief, of the Bible, is the necessary condition of understanding it. He who does not believe it cannot understand; and nobody believes the Bible, when he comes to it in a spirit that will even in thought put one text in antagonism to another. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.9

In order to understand the Bible we must come to it with the positive knowledge that it is inspired by God. We must know that in consequence of that inspiration it is perfectly harmonious throughout. Then when we come to a text that seems to be in contradiction to another or to a line of other texts, we can say, “I know that there is perfect harmony between these texts, although I cannot see it now. I will therefore give them careful and prayerful consideration, that I may see it.” The problem is half solved then. The Holy Spirit was given for the express purpose of leading people into the truth, and will still do it. The Spirit is freely given to all who will sincerely ask for it. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.10

One thing should never be lost sight of. That is, that the Bible itself is a light. The words of God are light. The Scriptures are not so difficult as people have been led to suppose. It is an insult to the Lord to teach that He is not able to make His revelation to men so plain that they could understand it. He has said just what He wanted to, and in just the way to convey the exact meaning that He wanted conveyed. The words themselves contain the meaning, and he who will consider them humbly and prayerfully, will understand them. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 35.11

When the apostle Paul wrote the words of God to Timothy, he said, “Consider what I say; for the Lord shall give thee understanding in all things.” 2 Timothy 2:7. How can this be? Here is the answer: “For the Lord giveth wisdom; out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6. That is, the understanding of the words of the Bible is in those words. He who reads the words without any bias or prejudice or any selfish ends to serve, who asks the enlightenment of the Spirit, and who is careful to find out exactly what they do say, and does not put into them something which they do not say, will understand just what God wants him to understand by them. But the trouble with too many is, that they come to the study of the Bible with certain ideas already fixed which they of course think that the Bible teaches, and then because they cannot harmonize the Bible with those ideas, they think that the Bible is a very difficult book. One of the most common things in the world is for a man to read a text, and then almost unconsciously to assume that it means a certain thing, which is not stated in the text at all. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 36.1

“Theology” is a human invention. We find nothing about it in the Bible. It is the attempt of men to make the Bible harmonize with human ideas, or rather, an attempt to get the semblance of Bible support for human notions. Men will make a statement of belief, and then will say that they can find Bible authority for it. A common form of expression is, “The Bible supports me in this.” Thus the Bible is reduced to the level of a mere backer of man’s ideas. Man is first, and the Bible is second. Instead of man’s reading the words of God, and then agreeing with them, the man puts forth his own ideas, and then tries to show that God agrees with him. This is a reversal of the true order. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 36.2

This method of dealing with the Bible originated with the heathen philosophers who came into the church in the second and third centuries, bringing their heathen notions with them. These men were learned, and so they were at once put into the place of teachers. But they knew nothing but the precepts of heathen philosophy, and therefore could not teach anything else. But it was necessary that as professed Christian teachers they should use the Bible, and so they brought in the Bible to “support their views.” So the fear of God was taught by the precepts of men, instead of the words of the Lord. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 36.3

Thus “theology” became a science, and the knowledge of the Bible was supposed to rest with a very few favoured ones. They doled this knowledge out to the common people as they pleased. As it was held that the words of the Bible do not mean just what they say, it was necessary for these men to “interpret” it. But this they could do only by putting themselves in the place of God, and their thoughts in the place of His thoughts. Thus it was the Papacy arose. Now there can be no Reformation that does not reverse this process. The true reformation must put the word of God above everything else, and men must step away from between it and the people. The common people, who heard the Lord, when He was on earth, must be allowed to come close to Him through His word, and must be taught that the word of God is addressed to them in language that they can understand, if they will receive it as the word of God. What men need is not the study of theology, but the study of the word of God. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 36.4

“Christian Warfare” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Christian Warfare.-There is a strange misconception quite prevalent in regard to the fighting which must be done by the Christian. It almost seems as though the idea of many professed Christians is that in order to fight sin they must wage war upon some person. So the minister who is the most active in denouncing the doings of men in public position, and who spends the most of his time in ferreting out crime, and in enforcing the law upon criminals, or in berating the officers of the law for their laxness in that respect, is eulogized as an earnest fighter of sin. But all this is a mistaken idea of the Christian warfare. “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12, R.V. We are to “fight the good fight of faith,” for the victory that overcomes the world is faith. Christ Himself has gained the victory over the principalities and powers, and His victory becomes ours by faith. This is the only fighting that the Christian can engage in. The servant of Jesus Christ “must not strive, but be gentle to all men.” He is not the minister of condemnation, but of righteousness. And “the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 36.5

“Studying Error to Learn Truth” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

We lately read a list of the qualifications of a minister of the Gospel, among which was this, that “he should be well abreast of the latest destructive Biblical criticism, so as to refute its arguments.” The idea that in order to refute error men must study it, is altogether too common. It shows itself in the idea that in order to avoid evil, men must go where it is, and learn all about it. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.1

If people reasoned the same way with regard to food, everybody would soon die. If they thought that in order to be able to detect poison, and guard their children from it, they must taste all the poisons that are known, the fallacy would soon be exposed. There are very few men, comparatively, who know all about poisons. What do the people do who are ignorant of poisons?—Why, they sensibly determine to taste nothing which they do not know to be wholesome, and thus they escape all danger. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.2

Some parents make the mistake of warning their children against all sorts of evil, so that they may be able to avoid it. This is well illustrated by the following. A mother called out to her son, “Tom, are you teaching that parrot to swear?” The reply was, “No, I am just teaching it what words it must not say.” Of course those would be the very words that the parrot would use. And so it is with children. If they are told all about the evil that is in the world, they will be sure to try it. Let their minds be filled with that which is good, and they will have less tendency to follow the evil. Then when they see or hear of evil practices or teachings, they will be able at once to detect the evil by its contrast with the truth and the good with which they are familiar. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.3

The person who sets himself the task of studying all the forms of error, has an endless task before him. The result will be that he will never get to the study of truth. The minister who studies the works of infidels, and of the destructive critics of the Bible, will be apt to feed the flock on the driest kind of husks. The carpenter does not try to find all the crooked sticks in the world, so that he may recognize a crook when he sees it, but he simply learns the use of the square, and then he can in a moment tell whether or not a stick is straight. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.4

The inspired advice of the apostle Paul should be heeded by all: “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” 2 Timothy 3:14. Stick to the truth; with error we need have nothing to do. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.5

“Two Principles” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

All action is based on two fundamental principles. These principles are love and selfishness. Everyone good action is an expression of the principle of love; every evil action is an expression of some form of selfishness. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.6

The principle of love leads the actor to forget self and labour for others. All the great work of creation is an expression of this principle. When God created the world, it was not for Himself, but for man. Every step in this creation is an expression of the same principle. The strength of the animal kingdom is devoted to nourish the vegetables; and, in turn, the vegetable kingdom does not toil for itself. The little seed cast into the earth expends all its energy to produce a beautiful foliage-covered tree, to be enjoyed by others; after years of patient toil, it is covered with blossoms of fragrance, which shed forth their sweet perfume to delight others; and finally its luscious fruit is produced, not for the tree itself to devour, but for the nourishment of others. In like manner, all the works of God in the earth are living illustrations of the principle of love. The apostle expressed a great truth when he said, “God is love.” All His acts are acts of love. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.7

The second principle is just the opposite of this. In the works of love another than the actor is always the object of the action; in the second principle, self is the great centre and ultimate object of every act. God is the personification of the first; Satan of the second. While all the works of God are an expression of love, all the acts of Satan are acts of selfishness. The cause of his fall was the desire to have self exalted,-to become “like the Most High.” In leading man into sin, Satan use the same principle,-a desire on the part of man to be elevated, and become as gods. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.8

The kingdom of God is the kingdom of love; that of Satan is the kingdom of selfishness. Man is born in the kingdom of the latter. By nature his heart is sinful and selfish. Originally he was greeted pure, and had he lived according to the plan of God, his life would have been a continual expression of love, and the result would have been perfect bliss. But in the fall man lost his innocence; he received in exchange selfishness. There is scarce a trace of the original purity in his nature. We say of some people that by nature they are unselfish; but this is true only when we compare them with man; compared with the standard of perfect love which we have in God, all are selfish. Man may have what we term human love, but if he has the perfect love of God, it is only because it has been shed abroad in his heart by the Spirit of God. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.9

The plan of salvation was devised to redeem man from the state of selfishness. It has provisions for taking him wholly out of the kingdom of selfishness and transplanting him into the kingdom of love. This work is expressed in the term “conversion.” It is a turning about from following the natural, selfish tendencies of the heart, to follow the principle of love; from calling the principle that leads down to sorrow and death, to the principle that leads to happiness and life. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.10

The nature of a being is expressed by his works. The principles of the heart work themselves out through actions. When a man is converted, he adopts as his standard of action the principle of love. Before, he followed the impulses of the natural heart, which are only selfish. The adoption of this new standard simply as a resolution of the mind is not sufficient; that can only lead to failure; the principle of love must be planted in the heart; for nothing can come out in the actions but what is in the heart. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.11

The love of God cannot be planted in the heart once for always. The doctrine of “once in grace, always in grace,” is a fatal delusion. When God’s love is received in the heart, it must be held there by faith; the moment faith lets go, it is gone; and without it, only the selfish, sinful elements of our nature can be manifested in our lives. We are now in the school of Christ. The great lesson to be learned is to keep in subjection the evil of our natures, and manifest only the Spirit of Christ. This can be done only with the help of God. His strength delegated to us in the Gospel is sufficient to bring us to the point where our acts will be an unadulterated expression of the principle of love. This is the work of sanctification; it is the state of perfection which all should reach and occupy. Left to himself, man could never reach this condition; but through Christ strengthening him, it is possible; and being possible for all, everyone that has not reached this state will be inexcusable. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 37.12

“Sunday Saloons” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The City of Chicago is receiving much attention at present, the Advance states that its “Sunday saloons are a burning disgrace to the city.” No doubt, but we have not learned that there are any more public-houses in Chicago on Sunday than on any other day of the week. And it is to be supposed that the quality of liquor sold is the same as on other days. Then wherein is the special disgrace of the “Sunday saloons”? Can anyone tell why it should be thought worse to sell liquor on Sunday than on any other day of the week? PTUK February 9, 1893, page 39.1

We will anticipate one probable answer to the question raised in the preceding paragraph. It will be answered by many that the public-house open on Sunday is worse than the public-house open on other days, because so many more people are idle on Sunday. But why is it that they are idle? Is it out of respect for that day? Manifestly not, else they would not be found in the public-houses. So it is evident that to compel people who have no regard for Sunday, to cease from work on that day is to drive them to the public-house. Then the next step is to close the public-house. What then? Will that take the idle ones to church? Not by any means. If it were possible to hermetically seal the crater of Vesuvius, another one would immediately be made. So if those who now go to the public-house to spend the hours of their enforced idleness are deprived of that resort, they will find some other equally bad way of spending their time. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 39.2

“But do you plead for the open public house?” No; shut them up every day, and then leave people free to work if they do not want to rest. The country that thoroughly commits itself to the policy of Sunday laws, and persists in it, will be forced to carry it to the logical result of compelling everybody to spend the day in church and in religious exercises, as was done in Scotland two hundred years ago. And that means the Inquisition. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 39.3

“Tobacco” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Here is a point for tobacco-smokers to meditate upon: “In his report upon the result of the training under service conditions, carried out during the past year, Sir Evelyn Wood says that it was noticed that there was less smoking on the line of march than in 1891, and the advantage of such self-denial was apparent in the same number of men who fell out. Sir Evelyn thinks the smoking should be steadily discouraged, and no man who falls out should be allowed to smoke the next day till half thorugh the day’s work. Also, it is desirable, if possible, to regulate the quality, as well as quantity, of tobacco smoked.” This is good authority against tobacco. It is a practical proof that tobacco using is a curse. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 39.4

“Your Brothers and Sisters” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Here are a few of the little brothers and sisters you would see if you should cross the wide, wide waters of the seas. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.1

“Not my brothers and sisters,” you say, “for my brothers and sisters have fair skins, and do not look and dress like these, at all! Besides, these do not live in our house, and my father never saw them.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.2

There, there, not too fast; even that may be true, and yet they may be your brothers and sisters. If your brother should go far off to “Greenlands icy mountains” and have to dress in furs, or if your sister should go and live ‘neath India’s burning sun, until her face were brown, would that cause you to love her any less? Would they not still be your own dear brother and sister? PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.3

And when you say that your father never saw this dear little baby from far-off China, this pretty brown girl from India, and these boys in fur from Greenland, have you not forgotten about your Heavenly Father? The Bible says that “He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heavens” every little boy and girl that lives. It matters not what the colour of their skin, or the style of their dress, or the language they speak. It matters not whether they live in houses of ice or huts of bamboo, whether they are in the tents of the desert or in the costly mansions of the city, God sees and loves and cares for them all, and calls Himself their Father. He has made them all of one blood, so that they are all brothers and sisters. He looks not on the outward appearance, for He is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that loves and obeys Him, is accepted with Him. He has given His only Son to die for the little brown girl, as well as for the little white girl, and for the boy with a cue, as well as for the boy without one. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.4

So do you not see that whether white or black, red or brown, all the boys and girls on this great round earth are your own brothers and sisters? And if they are your brothers and sisters, have you any right to neglect them, and treat them as strangers? PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.5

If your brother and sister were starving and fainting for bread and water, would you not gladly give them some of your good things? Would you not go without sweets and costly toys, that you might save more pennies with which to send them food? PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.6

Many of these little brothers and sisters in the far-off lands of the earth, are hungering and thirsting and perishing without the Bread and Water of Life, without Jesus and His Holy Spirit. Many of them have never heard His precious name, or known of His love and power to help and save them. And yet hundreds and thousands are dying every day! PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.7

Do you know Jesus? Have you tasted of His forgiving love, and felt His sweet Spirit in your heart causing you to speak kind words and to do gentle acts? Have you looked forward with joy to the time when Jesus will come and take you to live with Him in His heavenly home? Oh, if you have, do not forget the thousands and thousands of your brothers and sisters in this land and in other lands, who know Him not, and who are reaching out their little helpless hands and cry, “Send us help, send us help, before we die; tell us about Jesus, that we too may be saved.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.8

Can you think of any way in which you can help to send them the good news of a Saviour’s love? PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.9

“Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger.” (John 6:35.) PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.10

“What if your own were starving,
Fainting with famine pain,
And you should know
Where golden grow
Rich fruit and ripened grain;
Would you hear their wail
As a thrice told tale,
And turn to your feast again?” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.11

“Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him, unto Me, and drink.” “Whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give Him shall never thirst.” (John 6:37; 4:14.) PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.12

“What if your own were thirsting,
And never a drop could gain,
And you could tell
Where a sparkling well
Poured forth melodious rain;
Would you turn aside
While they gasped and died,
And leave them to their pain?” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.1

“Then Jesus spake again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12.) PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.2

“What if your own were darkened
Without the one cheering day,
And you alone
Could show where alont
The pure, sweet light of day;
Would you leave them there
In their dark despair,
And sing on your sunlit way?” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.3

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way.... No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6.) PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.4

“What if your own were wandering
Far in a trackless maze,
And you could show
Them where to go
Along your pleasant ways;
Would your heart be light
Till the pathway right
Was plain before their gaze?” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.5

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” “If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free and deed.” (John 8:32, 36.) PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.6

“What if your own were prisoned,
Far in a hostile land,
And the only boy
To set them free
Was held in your command;
Would you breathe free air
While they stifled there,
And wait, and hold your hand? PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.7

“Yet what else are we doing,
Dear ones, by Christ made free,
If we will not tell
What we know so well
To those across the sea,
Who have never heard
One tender word
Of the ‘Lamb of Calvary?’” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 44.8

“Interesting Items” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

-There are now 15,219 licenced cabdrivers and London. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.1

-The Czar of Russia is about to assume another title-Emperor of Asia. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.2

-The brain of General B. F. Butler was the heaviest recorded in the annals of scientific research. It weighed four ounces more than that of Daniel Webster. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.3

-Ex-Secretary Blaine died at his home in Washington, January 27, aged 63. For twenty-five years he has been one of the most prominent figures in American politics. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.4

-Spain has ordered 50,000 Mauser rifles, 5,000 carbines, and 18,000,000 cartridges from Germany. Special machinery is also to be added to the arsenals of Oviedo and Toledo. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.5

-The son of the Czar has been visiting in Germany and has been received with the utmost cordiality by Emperor William. This fact has naturally caused some uneasiness in France. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.6

-The Queen has just had bound in a book the congratulatory addresses on the occasion of her jubilee. The volume is declared to be the heaviest in the world-it weighs over sixty pounds. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.7

-The influenza has broken out in Belgium, and is so serious at Ghent that the Minister of the Interior has authorized the closing of the Normal School. More than half the pupils have been attacked. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.8

-In the new coinage just issued, all silver coins are to have their value plainly inscribed. For the first time, the title of Empress of India as well as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, will appear on the new coins. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.9

-About a million tons of steam shipping are now lying idle. The Tyne is so overcrowded that the harbour-masters have hard work to provide for the continual influx of unemployed vessels without impeding the traffic. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.10

-A terrific explosion in a colliery in Tokoo, Hungary, January 27, resulted in the known deaths of nineteen men. There are still one hundred and thirty men and boys in the workings, of whom all hope of recovery has been abandoned. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.11

-An association has been formed for the purpose of founding a British colony in Central Africa. A considerable amount of money is at the disposal of the promoters of the enterprise, and 3,000 persons have already given in their names as members of the infant colony. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.12

-The papers all contain a lengthy dispatch from Berlin, to the effect that the long threatened attack on Germany by Russia is considered as about certain to be made in the spring. This is said to be based upon “accurate military information reaching the German military staff.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.13

-A dispatch from Yokohama, Japan, says: A petition bearing eighty-eight signatures has been lodged in the House of Representatives, asking that all persons of British nationality shall be expelled from the country. The native papers are very bitter against the British, the collision between the P. and O. steamer Ravenna and the Japanese cruiser Chissima, by which the latter was sunk, having given rise to considerable ill-feeling, notwithstanding that the verdict in the naval inquiry which was held into the cause of the disaster exonerated the officers of the Ravenna from all blame. The Japanese pilot of the Ravenna is being tried for manslaughter. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.14

-Sir John Lubbock says, “Europe now devotes 200,000,000 to her military and naval expenditure, and will have £23,000,000 men under arms. In face of these figures one cannot expect confidence and prosperity, nor wonder at—however much one might regret it-the growth of Socialistic and Anarchist feeling.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.15

-Fifty-five years ago Mr. Laflin, who has just provided a building for the valuable collections of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, built the first brick house in that city. To his friends who jeered at him for his folly he declared his conviction that Chicago would someday have a population of ten thousand. It now has a million and a quarter. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.16

-Statistics made up from 1873 to 1891 show that in that period the enormous sum of £20,531,402 was spent in England in building and restoring cathedrals and churches. The amount expended in restoration included £78,058 for repairs of the fabric at Westminster Abbey, and £7,138 for restoration work at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.17

-A telegram from Paris, Texas, reports that a negro who had recently murdered a white girl four years of age, was seized by a crowd of citizens and conveyed to the scene of the crime, where he was burned to death at the stake. The burning was a deliberate act, as the people had two or three days previously announced their intention of so doing. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.18

-Mr. Emery J. McLean, reads proof in 242 different languages, for the American Bible Society. He is not so great a prodigy as to be able to understand so many languages; but what is almost as wonderful under the circumstances, he understands only English. He reads by comparison, that is, he notes the form of the words and letters in the copy, and sees that the proof corresponds. It is most trying work to the nerves. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.19

-A telegram from Honolulu announces that Queen Lilinokalam has been dethroned by the American party, and a provisional Government appointed. The change was affected without bloodshed, but not without violent opposition from the Queen. A deputation of Americans has arrived at San Francisco from Honolulu for the purpose of asking the United States to annex Hawaii. In the House of Representatives, however, a strong feeling was expressed by the Democrats against annexation. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.20

-The young Khedive of Egypt, wishing to rule in his own name, and not be subject to British control, summarily dismissed his old ministers and appointed others who were unfavourable to British occupancy. The British Resident at once demanded the restoration of the dismissed ministers, but in order not to humiliate the Khedive too much, he finally consented to the appointment of others in the place of those newly appointed. Thus the difficulty was apparently settled, but nevertheless the British Army in Egypt has been increased by 2,000 men. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.21

-On Wednesday, the 26th ult., a large and representative deputation waited on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking him to establish in this country the decimal system of weights, measures, and coinage. In reply, Sir William Harcourt said that theoretically he agreed with the deputation, that the question was one of the first importance, and everybody could see the advantage of the decimal system, but that the Government had to deal with the whole mass of the people, and that it would be a difficult thing to alter the standard of the pound or the penny, since that would alter the price of every commodity in which the people deal. He said that all great changes in the currency were coincident with great revolutions. Certainly it was so in the case of the decimal system in France, Germany, and America. Never had any such change taken place in quiet times. Therefore, while sympathizing with the plea, he was unable to hold out any hope that the Government would take action in the matter. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 46.22

“Back Page” The Present Truth 9, 3.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Mohammedans are now sending missionaries to the United States. A mission is about to be opened in New York. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.1

Much concern if felt over the steamer City of Pekin, which left Yokohama, Japan, on January 10, for San Francisco, and had not arrived on February 5, being then eleven days overdue. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.2

On Tuesday, January 31, Parliament opened. The Queen’s speech promised legislation in regard to the agricultural distress, the government of Ireland, the ecclesiastical establishments in Scotland and Wales, and the control of the liquor traffic. Then followed a week of talk, preparatory, doubtless, to the beginning of legislative work. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.3

The island of Zante, in the Grecian Archipelago, has been devastated by an earthquake, and 10,000 people are left homeless, and without shelter. All the ovens in the island have been destroyed, so that food cannot be prepared. A terrific thunderstorm, accompanied by rain and hail, followed the earthquake shocks, adding to the misery of the people. Both the Italian and the Greek Government have taken steps to assist the suffering, and King George has gone to visit the scene of the disaster. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.4

We are told now of a Protestant pilgrimage to Jerusalem, in which Archdeacon Farrar and a number of bishops will take part. A sort of reunion of representatives of difference denominations is to be held in Jerusalem in the autumn, and Archdeacon Farrer is to deliver six lectures there. A picnic is a pleasant thing if the weather is fine, and a visit to the places where our Saviour walked when on earth must be interesting, but a “pilgrimage” is another matter. If any think to get any spiritual benefit by a visit to the tomb of the Saviour, it would be well if they could hear the voice of the angel saying, “He is not here; He is risen.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.5

The New York Sun has collected and published some of the utterances of Dr. McGlynn during his contest with the Catholic prelates, and while he was excommunicated. Among them is the following:- PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.6

“Have no fear for me. I defy the malignancy of Rome. I give them warning now that if they attempt to hound me with the arts of which they are such masters I will expose them. I have only told things which politicians and well-informed people have known in the past, but I give them warning that I am full of knowledge of events the tale of which will make the country too hot to hold them. They had better let me alone.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.7

Is it possible that this is the secret of Rome’s “liberality” in his case, in receiving him back without penance? PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.8

Following is a portion of a letter published in the last number of the English Churchman:- PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.9

“By way of illustration of the way in which Auricular Confession is being forced upon the people by the Romanizing section of the Anglican clergy, I send you the following extract from a chapter headed ‘A Self-Examination on Confession,’ contained in the parish magazine of St. Andrew’s Church, Worthing, of this month:- PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.10

“‘Do we make our confession humbly, kneeling at the feet of the priest in the attitude and in the frame of mind of a culprit before his Judge?’” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.11

It is shocking to contemplate, and we do not wonder that there are found some who protest against such Romish practices. But we do wonder that the only ground of the “protest” is that “this kind of teaching is disloyal to the Church of England.” Romanism thrives on such arguments. It can be successfully met only by appeal to the word of God, and to nothing else. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.12

The Christian Commonwealth says:- PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.13

“The people are not demanding Sunday closing as they should do, nor are the churches demanding it. Indeed, there is little real organized effort anywhere in favour of social and religious questions, and yet these lie at the foundation of all that we can hope for in the future. We have long since ceased to expect much from politicians. They are generally opportunist, and even in this respect they do not move except in political matters. Let the people show their strength in a great organized movement and the politicians will soon be found willing to do what the people require. In a free country public opinion is, after all, the real government.” PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.14

How much good then, can be expected from any thing which depends upon politicians? Every human organization must necessarily contain many elements of humanity, which is not Christianity. Therefore that which may be run from time-serving politicians by a “organized movement,” will not be Christianity. If pure Christianity were actually in the ascendancy in the country, there would be no organized movements to enforce religious institutions. Religion would then be the controlling element as a matter of course, because it would be the controlling factor in the lives of the majority of the people. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.15

No one has anything in him out of which righteousness can be made. Then the righteousness of God is put, literally, into and upon all that believe. Then they are both clothed with righteousness, and filled with it, according to the Scripture. In fact, they then become “the righteousness of God” in Christ. And how is this accomplished? God declares His righteousness upon the one who believes. To declare is to speak. So God speaks to the sinner, who is nothing, and who has nothing, and says, “You are righteous,” and immediately that believing sinner ceases to be a sinner, and is the righteousness of God. The word of God which speaks righteousness has the righteousness itself in it, and as soon as the sinner believes, and receives that word into his own heart by faith, that moment he has the righteousness of God in his heart; and since out of the heart are the issues of life, it follows that a new life is thus begun in him; and that life is a life of obedience to the commandments of God. Thus faith is indeed the substance of things hoped for; because faith appropriates the word of God, and the word of God is substance.-The Gospel in Creation. PTUK February 9, 1893, page 48.16