The Present Truth, vol. 9
September 7, 1893
“Front Page” The Present Truth 9, 23.
E. J. Waggoner
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 353.1
This does not mean to imply that Christ was arbitrarily sent by the Father. The Father and the Son are one, and therefore the love of God and the love of Christ are the same. The Apostle Paul wrote: “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 353.2
The Father did not send the Son as one would send another on and unpleasant errand; neither did the Son go of Himself, in order to appease the wrath of God, as if His wounded feelings demanded a sacrifice. The Son is in the Father, and the Father is in the Son (John 14:10), and therefore the sacrifice of one is the sacrifice of the other. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 353.3
Nay, more, it is even plainly stated that God gave Himself for man. To the elders of the church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul said: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28. How could He shed His blood for man? we ask. Only God knows, and He cannot explain it to men, for no human mind could understand it. Only Divinity can comprehend Divinity. The death of Divinity for the life of humanity, is “the mystery of God.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 353.4
The Lord says to man, “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25. There was nothing about man that was of any value, nevertheless God loved him, and love always clothes the object of affection with the qualities that it delights in. Moreover love can never be satisfied except with the possession of its object. We often hear about one who loves another so much that it seems as though he could not live without the loved one; but God actually had such love. He could not live without man, so great was His love, and so He died for him. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us!” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 353.5
“The Lord hath appeared of old unto Me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3. That is love that will not easily be repulsed. “I have spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious people.” Isaiah 65:2. Though often rejected, He still woos sinful men, seeking to draw them to Himself. There is a void in the heart of God that can be filled only with the love of man. The lover in fancy clothes the object of his affection with all charms and graces, but the Lord does so really to His people, for whom He gave Himself. His love will transform them, and clothe them with the beauty of His own righteousness. “So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty.” Psalm 45:11. “He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 353.6
“Self-satisfied” The Present Truth 9, 23.
E. J. Waggoner
The world is full of people who are self-satisfied; people who, like the self-righteous Pharisee, thank God-or themselves-that they are not as other men are-the sinful publicans around them-who steal, and lie, and cheat, and do things that are vain and wicked. They are a respectable class of people-very much so. No one ever finds occasion to charge them with any breach of propriety. They are just “about right”; not quite so, for they are aware of some little failings-not very noticeable-that still cling to them from past weaknesses; but that is nothing, for they are going to do better directly, and then everything will be all right. There are some things about them that they wish were a little different, but on the whole they are fairly well satisfied. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 353.7
But what does God say of this class? How much satisfaction does he feel over their lives? We learn from the words of Christ, spoken to the chief priests and elders-those who thought themselves to be righteous: “Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before you.” Matthew 21:31. Instead of being nearest, as they thought, to the kingdom, they were the farthest from it; and so it is with every soul that feels no need of Christ. Jesus said, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” They who consider themselves to be whole do not feel the need of a physician. And until they feel their need, they cannot be reached by the great Physician, who alone is able to restore the soul. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 353.8
The apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, has left us a testimony on this point. He says, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15. Did not Paul make some mistakes here? Did he not mean to say, “of whom I was chief”? having in mind the time when he was Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of the church? No; he meant just what he said: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief”; and this was written by him thirty years after he had become the faithful apostle of Christ, and had laboured for his Master with a zeal and devotedness that could hardly be surpassed. He spoke from no motive of false modesty; he felt that he was, then, the chief of sinners. That was the amount of self-satisfaction which he possessed. Where, then, has any man a warrant for possessing more? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 353.9
Reader, has the above text always brought to your mind simply the Apostle Paul? If so, you have been giving to him what belongs to yourself. The pronoun “I” does not mean the Apostle Paul when you read it; but it means you. It is still “a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation.” Therefore accept it, confess its truth, and let all your self-satisfaction go. Then God will look upon you with satisfaction, and count you righteous through Him who knew no sin, and by whose blood the chief of sinners may obtain an abundant pardon. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 354.1
“Successful Seeking” The Present Truth 9, 23.
E. J. Waggoner
The life of man is a continual seeking. There is implanted in his very nature a longing for something better, a reaching out for something more than He has yet attained. But the result is always more or less disappointing; he is never satisfied. If he gains that which he sought,-wealth, fame, position,-it is only to discover that he wanted twice as much of it as he got. One drink from the intoxicating cup of worldly success only increases the thirst for more. And as a conviction of this fact forces itself upon the minds of men, they settle down to the belief that life is only a continual striving after the unattainable, and that lasting peace and satisfaction are things to be contemplated and longed for, but never realised. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 354.2
All this is the result of sin. With Adam, in his innocence, it was not so. He had the same longing and reaching out for higher things that his descendants have always had, but it was not a longing that brought restlessness and discontent. It was one that could find satisfaction. In the garden of Eden Adam walked and talked with God, and the desires of his heart were only the means by which he was led constantly upward to the attainment of clearer and broader views of infinite majesty, goodness, and truth, which filled his soul with the peace a perfect satisfaction. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 354.3
But with man’s fall, there came a change. The longing for something beyond him still remained, but, separated from God, and with a mind darkened by sin, he no longer understood how to satisfy it. He began to devise ways of his own, and to reach out after the illusions of a perverted imagination. “Lo, this have I found,” says the wise men, “that God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.” Ecclesiastes 7:29. Their inventions have not added to their peace and happiness, but only plunged them deeper into the mire of restlessness and want. They have brought man down from his uprightness, without which happiness and peace cannot be felt. And so we see men to-day seeking, in a hundred selfish and sinful ways, to the wicked inventions that have been sought out to gratify carnal desires, for that which will satisfy their longings; and we see them becoming tired of the search, and seriously questioning whether life be worth living, and in many sad cases are arriving at a negative conclusion. They do not know what they want. True wisdom is hid from their eyes, and their minds are bent on realising the foolish ambitions of a perverted heart. It is a vain task, and brings only sorrow and vexation of spirit. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 354.4
True wisdom is the fear of the Lord. It is to turn from the ways and devices of men, and seek the ways of God. It is to pray with the psalmist, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” The desires of a perverted heart can never be satisfied, any more than can the appetite of the drunkard; but the clean heart can even now find that which it seeks, as it did when man was perfect. The renewed heart can commune with God, as did Adam in the garden of Eden. The longing which it feels is for the courts and the presence of God. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?” “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” Psalm 42:2; 84:2. Nor does it thirst and cry out in vain; for “the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from them that walked uprightly.” Psalm 84:11. And the Saviour said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 354.5
Communion with God brings rest and peace. Yes, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.” The psalmist understood well the requisites of a peaceful and satisfied existence here below, and His words are full of this knowledge. “O satisfy us early with Thy mercy, that we may be glad and rejoice all our days.” “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” “O taste, and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the name that trusteth in Him.” Psalm 90:14; 37:3, 4; 34:8. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 354.6
“The Day of Rest” The Present Truth 9, 23.
E. J. Waggoner
The editor of the Shorthand Temperance News (Belfast) has sent us a kindly letter, of which the following is a copy, with the exception of the omission of a personal explanation at the close:- PTUK September 7, 1893, page 354.7
Allow me to offer a humble suggestion to obviate the difficulty experienced on such a momentous, vital, and burning question as the observance of the Lord’s Day. It might facilitate the clearer exposition of God’s written word on the subject, if I were to quote some passages: “and rested the seventh day.” Exodus 20:11. Leviticus 19:30; 26:2 show that it was more than a rest the Sabbath was made for; to reverence God’s sanctuary; to show in deed and truth that God was the Lord, the ruler and maker of the universe. We ought therefore to know that “some” regular rest was observed heretofore. Under the new dispensation manners and customs have completely changed. The Jews kept, we know, the “seventh” day, and yet after all, were they found on the right side-honouring their Lord and Master, who redeemed them from sin and wickedness, and the power and snare of the Evil One? Facing that indisputable fact in this nineteenth century, can we not lay higher claim on the first day of the week as being the Christian Sabbath, free from the contaminating influences of such displeasing recollections in the history of the world, and raise our ebenezer to Him who washed us in His own blood, and made us whiter than snow, on this very day of the week which Christians have since observed as the day appointed wherein to worship, praise, and magnify God, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords? Is there one single argument to the contrary whereby we can change a custom which has stood the test for centuries? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 354.8
Until I find a church or sect, established on more high and deep-rooted principles of practical religion, I shall continue in my assertion (although I do not say that anybody is wrong) that we are keeping the day appointed, according to the teachings of the Scriptures, as one whole day out of the seven, and it is only right we should give the first fruits of our labours unto the Lord, when we give the first day of the week upon which we enter in labouring for the bread that perisheth. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 354.9
Yours sincerely, PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.1
ROBERT M’MASTER, PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.2
Editor “The Shorthand Temperance News.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.3
Belfast, August 18, 1893. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.4
We are always glad to receive communications upon any subject treated of in PRESENT TRUTH. Our only desire is for the truth, and so we welcome anything that has truth for its object, and pray for grace rightly to receive all criticism; and believing that others are as desirous for truth as we are, we take it that they will be pleased if we reason with them out of the Scriptures. Let it be understood always that man is to live “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”; and that as His word contains everything necessary to make a man “wise unto salvation,” and to make him “perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:15-17) everything that has not express warrant of His word, is sin. To do that which God has not commanded is sin, the same as not to do that which He has commanded. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.5
Our friend well says that the matter of the day of rest is a “momentous, vital, and burning question;” but, fortunately, there is no difficulty connected with it, provided one is determined to abide by the word of God. It is so very clear that a child can understand it as well as a philosopher. Let us read some of the things that it says. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.6
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but 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 thy 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 20:8-11. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.7
Following the record of the six days of creation, come these words: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. 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 2:1-3. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.8
There we have the whole story. “The seventh day is the Sabbath.” It is made the Sabbath by the Lord’s resting on it. After He had rested on it, He blessed it; that provided the blessing which the Sabbath brings to man. And He sanctified the seventh day. In Exodus 19:23 we read: “And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.” Also we read in Joshua 20:7 that “they appointed Kedesh in Galilee,” and certain other cities to be the cities of refuge. The Revised Version has “set apart” in the place of “appointed,” and the margin of both versions gives “sanctified” as an equivalent. If therefore when we read that God “sanctified” the seventh day as the Sabbath, we know that He appointed it, or set it apart, to be kept wholly by man. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.9
THE SABBATH DAY DEFINITE
Although this matter has recently been set forth in these pages, it may be well to recur to it again. Our friend says, referring to the common practice of Sunday observance: “I shall continue in my assertion (although I do not say that anybody is wrong) that we are keeping the day appointed, according to the teachings of the Scriptures, as one whole day out of the seven.” But he has overlooked the fact that the Scriptures nowhere say anything about “one whole day out of the seven.” It says, “the seventh day.” It is true that the seventh day is “one whole day out of the seven,” but it must be remembered that there are six whole days out of the seven, that are not the seventh day. The Bible has not left any room for doubt as to which particular whole day out of the seven, shall be observed. It says “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God”; and the seventh day is not the first day. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.10
Shall we repeat the substance of an illustration given in a previous number? Here are seven coins lying in a row on the table. The first six are pennies, but the seventh is a sovereign. The man who owns the coins tells my friend and me that we may have that seventh coin. Will my friend tell me that the man has kindly given us one-seventh of the coins? and will he choose the first? Indeed, he would not; for while the first coin is truly one-seventh of the entire number, it is not the seventh; and in a question of a sovereign against a penny, it is worthwhile to be exact. But can anybody say that in choosing the sovereign we selfishly strained a point? Certainly not; but when the sovereign was the last of the seven coins, and we were told to take the seventh, there was nothing else for us to do. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.11
The case is the same with the Sabbath. There are seven days in the week. God has rested upon the seventh day, and has blessed and sanctified it. He calls it His Sabbath, and tells us to keep it holy. Can we obey Him by selecting some other day, and say that it makes no difference, provided we keep one whole day out of the seven? Let the reader who has decided in the case of the pennies and the sovereign, answer for himself. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.12
The circumstances at the time that the law was spoken from Sinai, show clearly that the command refers to a certain, definite day. The fourth commandment did not introduce a new thing. The Sabbath was well known before the commandment was spoken. More than a month before, God had given the Israelites a test in regard to the Sabbath. See Exodus 16. They were in need of food, and He gave them manna. It fell six days in the week; each morning they were to gather enough for that day’s use, but were not to try to keep any until the next day; if they did, it spoiled. On the Sabbath none fell, but on the sixth day twice as much fell as usual, and on that day they were to gather enough for use on the Sabbath. Although the manna would not keep overnight at any other time, it was fresh and good Sabbath morning, after having been kept over the sixth day night. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.13
This was going on when the law was given, so that when God said “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” nobody could have the slightest doubt as to what day it was. And the Jews never had any doubt about it. They often broke it, but they knew when it came. There is nothing in this world more clearly defined than the Sabbath day. It is the seventh day,-the day immediately preceding the first day of the week. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.14
SABBATH IN THE NEW DISPENSATION
This is a subject which the theologians have succeeded in enveloping in almost complete obscurity. It is almost impossible for people to read the Bible except through the fog of theological terms that they have heard from childhood, and consequently it is no wonder that they get perplexed. Here is where a child has the advantage of a man. Not knowing anything about theological terms and definitions, the child takes the Bible just as it reads, and finds no difficulty provided he does not have somebody at his elbow to suggest difficulties that do not exist. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 355.15
In our friend’s letter we read, “Under the new dispensation, manners and customs have completely changed.” Let us investigate this. We read, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. What is it that is changed in the “new dispensation?” It is the man. What is the change?—Simply this, that whereas before all things were of self, now all things are of God. But the Sabbath is of God, for the commandment says, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Therefore the Sabbath is one of the things that pertain to the “Christian dispensation.” We shall see a little later on, that Sabbath keeping is not found in the “old dispensation.” Only the man who is in Christ, keeps the Sabbath. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.1
Again we read: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained prepared that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10. God makes a man a new creature in Christ, making old things-the old man, the body of sin-pass away, so that the new man may walk in the ways that God has prepared. One of these good ways is the Sabbath of the Lord, for in the new creation, “all things are of God.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.2
It is a common idea that the “new dispensation” began at the resurrection of Christ, or at Pentecost. Then it is supposed that the new order of things was introduced, and old things passed away. But if that were so, what about Jesus Christ? His earthly ministry was all before the resurrection, closing with the crucifixion. Is His life to be left out of the “new dispensation?” If this is what theology gives us, we will choose the “old dispensation” with Christ, rather than the “new dispensation” without Him. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.3
The Scripture tells us that “we are saved by His life.” Romans 5:10. He is “the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8. Therefore His life that saves us is identical with the life that He lived on earth for thirty-three years. He Himself said, “I have kept My Father’s commandments.” John 15:10. Jesus recognised the seventh-day Sabbath, and kept it, claiming for Himself the honour of being its Lord. Therefore Sabbath-keeping “according to the commandment” is part of His life, by which we are to be saved. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.4
After Jesus had died upon the cross, His body was taken down, and laid in a sepulchre, for “that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how His body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared.” Luke 23:54-56; 24:1. Here we learn that the Sabbath came between the preparation day and the first day of the week. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.5
In Mark we learn the same thing, only he specifies a little more closely, saying that it was “when the Sabbath was passed,” that they came to the sepulchre very early in the morning of the first day of the week.” Mark 16:1, 2. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.6
But Matthew is still more explicit. He writes: “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn for the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.” Matthew 28:1. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.7
This shows that the first day of the week immediately followed the Sabbath; but the Sabbath was all past before the first day of the week began. Although they came “very early in the morning the first day of the week,” there was no Sabbath there. They could not have found it if they had been looking for it; but they were not looking for it, because they had kept it the day before, “according to the commandment.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.8
This was after the resurrection of Christ. It will not do to say that the disciples had not yet learned of the change in the day, for be it remembered that these Gospels were written years after the event, and if there was ever to be any change in the Sabbath the disciples would have known it by that time; but they do not give a hint of any such change. Moreover the language is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Therefore we find that many years after the resurrection, the Holy Spirit inspired the statement that the day immediately preceding the first day of the week, is the Sabbath “according to the commandment.” And this is written for all time; therefore the seventh day of the week is still the Sabbath according to the commandment. And the commandment is the same now as when it was given, for “it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17. Therefore the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath of the “new dispensation.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.9
THE “TWO DISPENSATIONS”
Christ is the “Lamb that hath been slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8, R.V. We are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot; who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world.” 1 Peter 2:19, 20. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.10
Ever since the foundation of the world, men have had “redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:14. It is through “faith in His blood,” that righteousness is declared. Romans 3:21, 25. Now “by faith Abel offered unto God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous.” Hebrews 11:4. So we see that “the blood of His cross” was available for righteousness and peace as soon as there was sin in the world. He is the propitiation “for the sins of the whole world,” not merely for a certain age of the world. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.11
But as surely as Christ was slain from the foundation of the world, He was raised from the dead from the foundation of the world; for He saves men by His life. Therefore the “Christian dispensation” began for man as soon, at least, as the fall. There are indeed, two dispensations, a dispensation of sin and death, and a dispensation of righteousness and life, but these two dispensations have run parallel from the fall. God deals with men as individuals, and not as nations, nor according to the century in which they live. No matter what the period of the world’s history, a man can at any time pass from the old dispensation into the new. It is when men know Christ after the Spirit, that “old things are passed away,” and “all things are become new;” but Moses “endured, as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27), and therefore Moses was in the new dispensation. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.12
In 2 Corinthians 3:5-18 we have this matter of the two dispensations clearly set forth. We will quote it from Dr. Young’s Literal Translation, putting in brackets some of the renderings of the Revised Version; so that the reader, having the common version before him, can have the benefit of three renderings:- PTUK September 7, 1893, page 356.13
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who also made us sufficient to be ministrants of a new covenant, not of letter but of Spirit, for the letter doth kill, and the Spirit doth make alive. And if the ministration of the death, in letters engraved in stones, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look steadfastly to the face of Moses, because of the glory of His face, which was being made useless was passing away, how shall the ministration of the Spirit not be more in glory? for if the ministration of the condemnation is glory, much more doth the ministration of the righteousness abound in glory; for also even that which hath been glorious, hath not been glorious in this respect, because of the superior glory; for if that which is being made useless is through glory, much more that which is remaining is in glory. Having then such hope, we use much freedom of speech, and are not as Moses, who was putting a vail upon his own face, for the sons of Israel not steadfastly to look to the end of that which is being made useless was passing away; but their minds were hardened, for unto this day the same vail at the reading of the old covenant doth remain unwithdrawn,-which in Christ is being made useless which vail is done away in Christ,-but till to-day, when Moses is read, a vail upon their heart doth lie, and whenever they may turn to the Lord, the vail is taken away. And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty; and we all with unvailed face, the glory of the Lord beholding in a mirror, to the same image are being transformed, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.1
The reference here is to the circumstances attending the giving and receiving of the law, from Sinai. Read Exodus 34:29-35, and you will see that when Moses came down from the mount, where he had been talking with God, his face shone. Although he did not know that his face shone, the children of Israel could not look upon its dazzling brightness. So while he talked with them, he put a vail upon his face, but he took it off when he went into the presence of the Lord. While the people could not look upon the reflected glory of God, in the face of Moses, he could go with unvailed face into the presence of God Himself. And there were others who did the same, for we read:- PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.2
“Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in His clearness. And upon the nobles of Israel He laid not His hand; and they saw God, and did eat and drink.” Exodus 24:9, 11. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.3
Let us now summarize the above points. 1. Life comes from the Spirit alone. But “we know that the law is spiritual.” Romans 7:14. He who has the Spirit, has the righteousness of the law (Romans 8:4); it is only when the Spirit is rejected, that the law worketh wrath, for without the Spirit the law is transgressed. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.4
2. The glory of God is the righteousness of God. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. Therefore to be partakers of the glory of God, is to be freed from sin. But freedom from sin is true obedience to the law. It is the Spirit that changes men from glory to glory, into the perfect image of God. So again we see that it is the Spirit that gives the perfect righteousness of the law of God, which is simply His life. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.5
3. That Spirit was given to men from the beginning. It was striving with men before the flood, to bring them into the way of righteousness. Genesis 6:3. The Spirit was with the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai: “Thou gavest also Thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.” Nehemiah 9:20. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.6
4. The law merely upon tables of stone or written in a book, can work only wrath and death. The reason is that in such a case it is only the statement of righteousness, and no man can be saved by a mere statement of what his duty is. The law on stones, or in a book, simply tells us what to do, but gives us no power to do it. Therefore the giving of the mere written words of the law to any people, is simply ministering death to them. The thunders and lightnings and the earthquake at the giving of the law, and the fact that no one could touch the mount without dying, showed that men cannot approach the law to get righteousness from it of themselves. He who takes the law as a simple statement of duty that he of himself must perform will find only death in it. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.7
5. But there was the ministration of righteousness at Sinai, as well as the ministration of death. The whole thing was designed for righteousness, and all would have received the righteousness of the law, through Christ, if all had believed as Moses did. “The law entered that the offence might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; that as sin had reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20, 21. Then no matter how much the law showed men to be sinners, and that the wages of sin is death, there was grace abounding to cleanse from all sin, by the life of Christ. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.8
6. This is shown also by the fact that Moses went into the immediate presence of the glory of the Lord with unvailed face, although the people could not look upon the reflected glory in his face. And why could they not? Because their minds were blinded. That vail over the face of Moses, stood for the vail of unbelief over their hearts. When a man shall turn to the Lord, the vail is taken away, even as it was from the face of Moses, who, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, was changed into the same image from glory to glory. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.9
That glory was the glory of the Gospel, for, continuing the narrative, we read: “But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel [or, the glory of the Gospel] of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4. The minds of the people were blinded, and so the light could not shine in; but the light was there, ready to shine in, for the mind of Moses was not blinded, and the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shone in his face, transforming him. The law and the Gospel were united at Sinai, as everywhere else. The glory of Calvary was shining at Sinai, as clearly as it shines now. Those who received it by faith had righteousness and life; those whose unbelief refused to see it, remained in sin and death. That which is a savour of life to some, is a savour of death to others. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.10
What then? Just this, that as the law at Sinai was “in the hands of a Mediator,” even the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Mediator, it was to teach all men that the law just as spoken there, is what Christ, through the medium of His life, puts into the hearts of believers. Christ dwells in the believing heart, and ministers the law as life, for His life is the law. And so in the “new dispensation,” the Sabbath-the seventh day-is kept by men. And it is only in the new covenant or dispensation that the Sabbath of the Lord can be kept; for the righteousness of the law is fulfilled only in those in whom Christ dwells. The old dispensation is self, but the new dispensation is Christ. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 357.11
OBJECT OF THE SABBATH
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but 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 thy 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 20:8-11. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.1
“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. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.2
“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. “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.” Verse 12. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.3
All this is spoken of the seventh day of the week, and of no other; for “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Therefore the seventh-day Sabbath-the only Sabbath-was given that men might know God and His sanctifying power. God is known through His works (Romans 1:20) and it is through His creative power that men are freed from sin. See Psalm 51:10; Ephesians 2:20. So the Sabbath, as the memorial of creation, is the means through which a perfect, saving knowledge of God is obtained. But God is known only through Christ, for all the works of God are wrought in Him. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.4
Now the question is, Since God sanctified the seventh day for this purpose, is it possible that the same object can be gained by another day, upon which He never blessed or sanctified? Certainly not; to say that it can, is to impugn the wisdom of God in sanctifying the definite seventh day in the beginning. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.5
We have already seen that the Sabbath pertains to what is called the “Christian Dispensation.” There is more evidence still. Who created all things? It was Christ, through whose blood we have redemption. See John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:13-17. It is He also “who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30. He, then, is the sanctifying power of God, for He is the power of God. Now the Sabbath was given that we might know God who sanctifies us. Therefore the Sabbath was given for the purpose of revealing Christ to us as a Saviour of sinners. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.6
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Romans 1:16. The power of God is known by the things that are made. Verse 20. The Sabbath is for the purpose of directing our thoughts to the things that God has made, so that through them we may know His power to save; for redemption is creation. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.7
In the resurrection of Christ the power of God is shown. Paul’s prayer was that we might know the “exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.” Ephesians 1:19, 20. But God’s power is one, and ever the same, and it is seen in the things that He has made. Therefore it was creative power that raised Christ from the dead. We are sanctified through living faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, which, as we have seen, were accomplished from the foundation of the world. But the Sabbath makes known the sanctifying power of God; therefore the Sabbath is the reminder of the power of the resurrection as well as of the power of creation. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.8
“What is the chaff to the wheat?” Men cannot sanctify a Sabbath. They can make nothing holy. The customs of the people are vain. Custom decides nothing. True, the Sunday has been nominally observed more or less for fifteen hundred years, but that proves nothing. God’s name has been blasphemed, and the sun and the other objects have been worshipped instead of Him for nearly four times as many years; but that does not make blasphemy and idolatry right. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.9
It is true also that the Jews rejected Christ, but that was not because they kept the Sabbath. On the contrary, it was because they did not keep it although they professed to. They rejected Jesus because they did not know Him; but if they had kept the Sabbath and the Spirit, and not in the outward form merely, they would have known Him as the sanctifying power of God. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.10
Not how men have regarded the Sabbath, but who gave it, is what determines its sacredness. God gave the Sabbath day, and the blessing and sanctification which He placed on it, can never be removed by any action of men. But the observance of Sunday-“the venerable day of the sun”-was “the wild solar holiday of all Pagan times,” and as such was adopted by that power which exalting itself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, thought itself able to change times and laws. Shall we continue to observe it, and thus recognise the authority of the Papacy? or should we walk in the “old paths,” and by keeping the rest day of the Lord, find the rest from sin, which He alone can give? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.11
“Making Excuses” The Present Truth 9, 23.
E. J. Waggoner
In one of the parables of our Lord there is set forth the tendency of men when invited to the performance of spiritual duties, to make excuses. The parable is recorded in the fourteenth chapter of Luke: “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many; and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.... For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” Luke 14:16-24. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.12
All these excuses appeared valid enough to the ones who made them, but the master of the house, when he heard them, was “angry.” He understood the nature of the excuses, and the reason why thy were given. He saw and felt a slight that had been put upon himself. He saw that their excuses were not excuses, but were evasions prompted only by selfishness; and he determined that they should be excluded from the benefits he thought to confer upon them. When afterwards they might come to him expecting his favour, they would find that their excuses had not possessed in his mind the validity which they had seemed to have in their own. They would find the stern decree gone forth, “None of those men which were forbidden shall taste of my supper.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 358.13
The master of the house who made the feast, is God. He has sent out His invitation to men and told them how to come to His feast, but on every hand His messengers are met with excuses. Men do not want to come in the way that God has appointed. That way is a little too difficult and rough; they want one that is easier and more convenient. There is one path that leads to the Master’s house over steep hills and through dark valleys, and is stony and thorny and beset with many difficulties. Not many are inclined to choose this path. There are others that look far more inviting, that seem to lead to the same place; and the greater number choose one or the other of these, where they can travel along at their ease. But they do not know that the rough path, the path that is inconvenient and narrow and seemingly so difficult to travel, is the only one that leads to the desired destination. They do not know that the way that is smooth and easy at the start, is the way that is rough and dark at the end, and terminates in the midst of obstacles that cannot be surmounted. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 359.1
No man objects to heaven. It is the path that leads there that he does not like. All men would go to heaven if they could go in their own way; but few, comparatively, will get there, because there is but one way, and that is a way which no man naturally desires. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 359.2
The excuses which pass current in the minds of men will turn out to be counterfeit at the bar of God. Pause, reader, and consider carefully whether you will dare to offer to God, in the great reckoning day, the excuses with which you have satisfied, or sought to satisfy, your conscience and justify your course here. Will they not look different to you when you stand face to face with Him at His judgment bar, not with an earthly reputation to be secured, or worldly wealth or position to be attained, but waiting the decision which is to determine the eternal destiny of your soul? Will you not then be seized with a terrible feeling of uncertainty as to whether God will look at the matter just as you did,-whether His all-searching eye, which read your inmost thoughts and motives, may not have seen with clearer vision than your own, and beheld self-interest where you imagined there was none? Well may you fear, if in that day you have no better foundation to stand on than the excuses which satisfy men. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 359.3
There, in letters of fire, will appear before you the law of God, which demands death upon every transgressor. There, in its fourth precept, will appear the words, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work.” Will you dare to say to God, Yes, Lord, that is the way it reads, but you meant by that that we should keep holy the first day of the week? Will you dare to say, Lord, that meant that we were to observe any one day out of the seven? Will you dare to explain to God the meaning of His law? Will you dare assert before Him that He did not mean just what He said? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 359.4
Will you dare tell Him to His face that His law has been abolished? Will you dare tell Him that His requirements were too inconvenient and hard? Will you dare affirm that you were right because you did like the majority, or like the dignitaries of the church told you to do, albeit it was not just what God’s word had commanded? No; no. Not one of these excuses will find its way through the trembling lips of those to whom it shall be said, “Depart.” One piercing glance from the eye of the Infinite will discover the hidden motives of each heart, and they will stand speechless and self-condemned. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 359.5
God Himself has provided the only foundation upon which we can stand with the assurance at all times, even when we are brought into His presence in the Judgment hour. “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 3:16, 17; 4:2, 3. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.” 1 Peter 1:23-25. That word will pass the test. Standing upon it, and it alone, you have a foundation which will be secure amidst the wreck and dissolution of earthly things, and give you all confidence in the day of God. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 359.6
“The Great Deceiver” The Present Truth 9, 23.
E. J. Waggoner
It is the work of Satan to deceive. He does not go about openly and compel men to serve him, and to do evil and live a life of sin. He is not permitted to rule the world by force. He accomplishes his dark designs by means of deception. He began his work in this way, when he deceived the mother of the human race, and he has carried it on in the same way ever since. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 359.7
Satan has persistently sought to misrepresent to the world the character of God; and sad to say, his efforts have been highly successful. He has succeeded in making men believe that God is a harsh, stern, inexorable Judge, that looks down from His throne in heaven only to discover the failings and sins of men, and punish them for their disobedience. He is represented as ever watching for something to find fault with, as if his thoughts towards the inhabitants of earth were only those of vengeance, and of the coming judgment day when He can pour out His wrath upon a wicked world. With this false conception in their minds, men have had little disposition to love God with all the heart, and mind, and strength, which is the first and great commandment. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 359.8
Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. He came to give men the truth. He came to reveal to them His Father. He did nothing of Himself, but declared that it was the Father who dwelt in Him, that did the works. Every act of mercy, every miracle performed, every truth uttered and every gracious invitation given, was but a manifestation of the love of God. Jesus said, “I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me”; and “The Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” John 11:28; 14:10. The life of Christ was a continual declaration that “God is love.” It was God who “so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. The love of the Father and the Son for our fallen race, are equal. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 359.9
God hates sin, but loves sinners; not because of the sin, but in spite of it. He is “the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.” Exodus 34:6, 7. We sometimes hear about “the endless controversy between God and man”; but there is no such controversy, at least on the part of God. His controversy is with sin. Men are often the enemies of God; but God is not the enemy of men. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was for all men, and now it only remains for all-all who will-to be reconciled to God. As the apostle says, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20. God not only is not our enemy, but He beseeches us to be reconciled to Him. If a person will not be reconciled to God,-will not accept the provisions God has made for his salvation,-will not have God for his ruler, will not accept God’s laws as his laws, and God’s ways as his ways, God can do nothing for him; and when sin is finally destroyed, the sinner upon whom it is found must go with it. God accepts the sinner through Christ, but if the sinner will not be reconciled to God through Christ, God cannot save him. But God does not what the sinner to die. “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn yourselves, and live.” “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” Ezekiel 18:32; 33:11. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 360.1
You, reader, whoever you may be, do not have to do something to propitiate God and reconcile Him to you, that you may obtain salvation. You are “accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6. Your part is to accept what Christ has done for you, to accept Christ and His righteousness, looking to God not with the fear that would be inspired by a stern, harsh judge, but in the Spirit of the apostle who wrote, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” 1 John 3:1. Then the harmony between yourself and God will be mutual and complete. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 360.2
But the devil is not satisfied with misrepresenting the character and government of God. To facilitate his work of deception, he has also misrepresented himself. The devil cares nothing about how bad a name he has among men. He cares nothing for the appearance of being an object of universal aversion and abhorence, if only he can be the “god of this world” and the one whom men honour and serve in reality. So he has painted himself in the blackest colours, and created a conception in the popular mind which pictures him as a hideous being with horns, hoofs and tail, and dragon wings, who is associated with scenes of murder, riot and debauchery, and other outbreaking crimes, but not with anything that has an appearance of morality and respectability. Men expect him to be in the drinking saloon, the gambling hell, and a dark alley where men lie in wait to rob and murder, but not in the drawing-room, or the pulpit, or at the head of an organisation composed of persons of education and refinement. So they are not on the lookout for him in such places, and his suggestions are received without any suspicion of the real source from which they come. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 360.3
The truth is that there is no place on earth that enjoys immunity from the presence of his Satanic majesty, and no person or association of persons so refined and respectable as to shut out his visits from their midst, or cause him to be conspicuous in his disguise. In short, there is no one who can be more eminently refined and respectable in appearance than Satan himself. No one can talk more eloquently or learnedly, or make a greater profession of piety, than he. He is a ready quoter of Scripture. Of course he does not appear personally, himself; that is not necessary, for he can do his work through human agents. Here is what the Bible says about it. “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. Thus while men are thinking of Satan as a hideous being with the traditional horns, hoofs and tail, he is deceiving them in the guise of an angel of light. And so perfectly is he able to disguise himself that it is not possible to determine from appearances whether what seems to be an angel of light is such in reality, or whether it is Satan himself; and those who have no better method than this of ascertaining the truth will be certain to be deceived. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 360.4
Satan is doubtless as black in character as human imagination has painted him; but his character is seldom shown in his appearance. Once a mighty angel in heaven, he is, though fallen, an angel still. There is but one way of detecting and escaping his deceptions, and that is to stand upon and be guided by the inspired word. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20. That word, that testimony, is the word of God,-the Bible. From whatsoever source a thing may seem to come, or however specious or plausible its appearance, or whatever may be its pretended aim, if it is not in harmony with the statements of God’s word, it is but a lie-a deception of the great deceiver. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 360.5
“The Air” The Present Truth 9, 23.
E. J. Waggoner
“Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.” Psalm 107:31. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.1
Did you ever stand at the window and watch the trees? Did you ever sit beneath their shade and look up at the swaying branches, and listen to the music of the rustling leaves? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.2
What makes the leaves and branches move back and forth? What makes the grass wave, and the dust fly? What upholds the little bird as he rests a moment in his upward flight? What wafts to us his merry song? Upon what float the music of the evening bells, the organ’s swelling notes, and the voice of praise? What scatters the fleecy clouds and drives them withersoever it will? What catches the rays of sunshine and spreads their light along the shady side of the street, and in the lanes and houses where the sun never shines? and what causes it to linger long and lovingly on the sky after the sun has gone down? What slyly lifts your hat and pushes back the moist hair and cools your aching brow? What rushes into the house with you whenever you enter the door, and slips through the windows and cracks and keyhole, when the door is shut. What enters every room and cupboard and box as fast as you empty it? and even goes in and out of your lungs every time you breathe? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.3
“Air?” Yes, it is the wonderful, wonderful, thrice wonderful air! So busy, and constantly doing the most wonderful things, and yet so clear that we can look right through it and not see it, and so pure, when fresh, that we cannot smell it. But we have heard it, and felt its power upon us, and have seen the wonders that it works, so we know of its presence and are led to praise our Heavenly Father for this marvellous gift. For He it was who gave us this great blessing. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.4
Stand up straight and breathe hard. Hold your hand before your nose and you can feel the air as you breathe it out. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.5
You could not live if there were no air to breathe, neither could your dog or kitten or bird or horse or cow, nor your trees or flowers or grass. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.6
“Trees and flowers and grass! do they breathe, too?” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.7
Yes, they breathe too. Their leaves are to them what our lungs are to us, and the tiny little pores or holes in the leaves are their noses. Put a plant or flower into a jar without air and it will soon wither and die. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.8
But plants and trees do not live on the same part of the air that we and the animals do. When we breathe the air out it is very different from what it was when we drew it in. When you wash your hands you dirty and spoil the water in which you wash them; just so when our lungs cleanse our blood with the fresh air, they spoil and really poison the air so that it is not fit for us or the animals to breathe again. But how wise God is! He has made the trees and plants so that they need that very poison that we breathe out, and we need what they breathe out. So they use the poison up and put into the air the very thing that it needs to make it all clean and pure for us to use again. And if there are not enough trees near us to cleanse the air, God hastens it off to some other place until it is cleansed and then hastens it back again. When the air is thus rushing from one place to another we call it “wind.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.9
We therefore may always have all the good pure air that we need. It is from fifty to a hundred miles deep all round the earth,-a great ocean of air with the earth right in the middle of it. Everything would die if the air were taken away. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.10
Do you see now, why windows were made in your house? They were made that the light and air might get in. The light can come in through the glass when the window is shut, but the air cannot get in much unless you open the window. You know how soon your head aches when you stay in a room where the windows and doors are kept tight shut. It is because there is not enough fresh air in the room. If a little did not get in through the cracks round the doors and windows, and through the door when people go in and out, you would die. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.11
Tight clothing shuts the air out of our lungs as surely as tightly fastened doors and windows. We should therefore always have our clothing so loose that we may take in a good full breath. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.12
Our cellars get full of bad, mouldy air if we do not air them and keep them clean and fresh, and then it comes up through the floor into the house and we breath it. We should always remember that we cannot smell pure, fresh air. If a room smells bad there must be bad air in it. We should never let apple peelings, spoiled fruit and vegetables, open dust-bins, or anything dirty stand about, for that also spoils the air. And if we live in spoiled air it will destroy our health the same as though we lived on spoiled food. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.13
Air is good for many, many things which we have not time to tell you. Find out all that you can about it. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.14
This wonderful air and wind was made on the second day,-the day after the light was made. It was created by the same kind heavenly Father who made the beautiful light, for hear what the Bible says: “For, lo, He that createth the wind, the Lord, the God of hosts is His name.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.15
“Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.16
Ask your mother to please read you that beautiful story in the Bible about how the wind obeyed Jesus when He was here on earth. (Mark 4:35-41.) PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.17
1. Did you ever have your hat fly off your head when you went out of doors? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.18
2. Did you ever play with a kite, or paper balloon, or little windmill? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.19
3. What made the hat fly off your head? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.20
4. What carries your kite and balloon up so high, and turns the wheel to your windmill? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.21
5. When it is not moving, but quiet, as it is in the house, what is it called? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.22
6. Can you see air and wind? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.23
7. Then how do you know that there is any? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.24
8. Why can we not see it? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.25
9. For what is the air good?—Name all the things that you can think of. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.26
10. Suppose that all the air were taken away, what would happen? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.27
11. Have you any windows in your house? Why? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.28
12. Would you like to live on rotten apples and mouldy bread? Why not? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.29
13. Is it any better for us to live on spoiled air? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.30
14. Is it good for us to wear tight clothing? Why not? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 365.31
“Interesting Items” The Present Truth 9, 23.
E. J. Waggoner
God’s mercy and love as free and boundless as the air surrounds us on every side. It is as necessary to our spiritual life as the air is necessary to our temporal life. Are the windows of our hearts wide open to this heavenly atmosphere? PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.1
-A charge of one franc is levied on each passenger going through the new Corinth Canal. Vessels pay navigation dues in addition. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.2
-The United States Congress is wrestling with the problem of bimetallism, with every prospect of a crushing defeat for the advocates of silver. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.3
-The Maharajah of Mysore has issued a decree that in future no girl may many at an age of loss than eight years, and no boy at less than fourteen. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.4
-A cyclone which raged along the upper Atlantic Coast of the United States has caused an almost unprecedented loss in shipping, with many lives. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.5
-The practice of circumcision is reported to be very general among the natives of the west coast of Africa, both converts to Christianity, and pagans. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.6
-Residents of Tunis have been troubled by swarms of locusts, so numerous that on one day the flight of the insects almost obscured the sun for three hours. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.7
-The gates of the World’s Fair are once more closed on Sundays, and it is again in order for misguided church people to rejoice over their “great victory.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.8
-The Pester Lloyd reports that, as the result of a change in the constitution of Bavaria, the Regent, Prince Luitpold, is about to be officially proclaimed as king. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.9
-The editors of the Buenos Ayres newspapers have been summoned by the Chief of Police and informed that they would not be allowed to publish military or political news. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.10
-Great preparations are being made for the coming Catholic congress at Chicago, one of the denominational congresses to be held in connection with the World’s Fair. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.11
-Rockaway Beach, Long Island, a famous American seaside resort, has been visited by a disastrous conflagration, and was only saved from complete devastation by a heavy downpour of rain. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.12
-Proclamations have been issued declaring that all sovereigns and half sovereigns coined before Her Majesty’s reign shall cease to be current or legal tender in the Colonies of the Cape of Good Hope and Natal, and in Fiji, after a day to be fixed by the Governors of those Colonies. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.13
-The Franco-Siamese difficulty is on again, owing to the exhorbitant demands made by France. The French Government seems determined to force the Siamese to some desperate action, which can be made a pretext for asserting the necessity of a French “protectorate” over the whole country. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.14
-The cholera continues its westward march across Europe, cases being now reported at nearly all the chief cities on the Continent, and at Grimsby and Hull in England. In Russia the mortality continues very high, notably in the provinces of Orel, Tu’a, Kielf, the Don Territory, and the city of Moscow. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.15
-A Vienna paper learns from Samareand that the Russians are making preparations for the occupation of Herat at an early date. They are said to be fortifying Penj-deh, Sarakbs, and Piel-i-Khatun. It is thought that the Ameer will not try to recover Herat, and that Great Britian will compensate herself by occupying Cabal and Kandahar. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.16
-Rioting is reported from Lisbon, where mobs of unemployed workmen have been parading the streets and holding meetings. A conflict occurred Aug. 20 between a party of workmen and the police, the former carrying a black flag which the latter attempted to take from them. The black has also been raised at the head of a procession of the unemployed in Chicago, U.S.A. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.17
-Severe fighting has taken place in German East Africa, near Rilima Njaro, between a native German force and a camp of the powerful Moshi tribe, which inflicted the severe defeat on the Germans when Baron Von Billow was killed. On the present occasion the hostile camp was stormed after four hours’ severe fighting. A German officer and several native soldiers were killed. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.18
-A terrible railway disaster is reported from Long Island, New York, U.S.A. An excursion train, travelling from Rockaway Beach to New York, was overtaken by another while running at high speed, with the result that a terrible collision took place. The rear carriages of the forward train were telescoped and piled into a shapeless heap. Fifteen persons were killed and seventy-five injured. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.19
-In connection with the coal dispute a great amount of distress is reported from various ditricts. At Pendlebury a crowd of between 500 and 600 women and children, with the permission of the owner, took possession of a field of cabbages, and in a few minutes stripped it absolutely bare. In the Midlands a general stoppage of industries is threatened. The strike in Wales is said to be collapsing. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.20
-Serious disturbances have occurred San Sebastian in connection with the demands of the Basque Provinces for the retention of the partial self-government they now possess. After a demonstration in front of the hotel where Senor Sagasta, the Premier, is at present staying, during which the mob stoned the hotel and the police, the civic guard and troops were called out and fired on the mob, killing one person and wounding others. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.21
-The States of North and South Carolina and Georgia were swept by a cyclone on Tuesday, and enormous loss of life and property was the result. The damage at Charleston is estimated at $1,000,000, fort Royal, in the same State, was swept by a tidal wave which followed the cyclone, and the city of Savannah and towns situated upon the islands along the coast are almost in ruin. Two hundred lives were lost, the victims being mostly negroes. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.22
-Trouble is anticipated between China and the United States. President Cleveland recently received a communication from Li Hung Chang which leaves no doubt that China will retaliate against the United States in case Congress, at the next regular session, fails to modify the Geary law in regard to Chinese immigrants, so as to make it less oppressive to the Chinese. Li Hung Chang stated that no retaliatory measures would be instituted at present, and that Americans in China would be fully protected until the assembling of Congress in regular session. This is regarded at the State Department as an implied threat that such protection will be removed in the event of the failure of Congress to enact re-medial legislation. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 366.23
“Back Page” The Present Truth 9, 23.
E. J. Waggoner
The congregation of Seventh-day Adventists, that has hitherto been worshipping in the Athenaeum, Camden Road, N., will hereafter, until further notice, meet in Duncombe Hall, Duncombe Road, Hornsey Rise, N. Services will be held every Sabbath at 11 A.M.; Sabbath-school at 9:45 A.M. Besides these, there will be preaching every Sunday evening at 7, and Bible study at 3 P.M. A general invitation is extended. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.1
The Temps, a French Protestant paper, speaking of the Papal Jubilee, said:- PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.2
“There is something startling for the imagination and even for the reason, in the fact that is before our eyes. This century, which had flattered itself as having struck a decisive blow at Christianity, and at Catholicism in particular, sees at its close crowds of pilgrims gather together from all parts of the world to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Episcopal consecration of the Head of the Church.” “We have before us a phenomenon in which the attention of statesmen cannot be too much drawn, in order that, in the direction of human affairs they may not forget to take into account the moral force of the Papacy.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.3
The Rev. Dr. Alexander Carson, in his great work on Baptism, says:- PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.4
“With respect to religious doctrines and institutions, there is no antecedent probability that those in existence at any time are actually in Scripture. The vast majority of religious rites used under the Christian name are the mere invention of men; and not a single institution of the Lord Jesus, as it is recorded in the New Testament, has been left unchanged; and it is no injustice to put each of them to the proof, because, if they are in the Scripture, proof is at all times accessible.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.5
This is true, and therefore the Scripture must be the test of every doctrine and practice. If the thing is true, it will not injure it to put it to the test; and if the Scripture does not sanction it, then it should be abandoned. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.6
Holy Scripture is able to make men “wise unto salvation.” It 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 3:15-17. Thus there is in the Scripture everything that is necessary for perfection, and nothing that is not necessary. Whatever, therefore, is contrary to Scripture, is wrong, and whatever is not contained in Scripture tends to imperfection. Therefore to do that which is not commanded in the Bible, is the same as to do that which the Bible forbids. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.7
The folly of trusting in the power and wisdom of man, was curiously shown by the following incident connected with the loss of the battleship Victoria,-itself a mournful commentary upon the psalmist’s words, “put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help“:- PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.8
“Two memorials of the late Admiral Tryon were found floating in the water after the foundering of the Victoria, and they are now at the Admiralty, Whitehall. One was Sir George’s telescope, and the other his code of signals, contained in a box which was specially constructed to sink, so as to prevent it falling into the hands of an enemy in case of disaster. But this is the irony of fate-the great battleship constructed especially to float went down like a lump of lead, and the signal-box constructed especially to sink floated like a duck.” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.9
The commandments of God are declared to be more precious than gold. Psalm 19:10. This being the case, it is no wonder that they are counterfeited. Everything valuable has its counterfeit, which professes to be the thing itself, but which is worthless. There is much counterfeit coins in existence, and some of it has been in circulation for many years; yet no one thinks any more of it on that account. Age does not add any genuineness to a counterfeit. A piece of brass shaped and stamped like a sovereign, does not become gold by the lapse of time. Though it be a thousand years old, it is still brass. Neither would it be of any more value if the majority of the people agreed to call it gold, and to accept it as a genuine sovereign. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.10
Even so it is with the counterfeit Sabbath. The seventh day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord. No other day has had the Divine sanction. No other day has ever been blessed and sanctified by the Lord, nor in any way been recognised as a rest day. The seventh day is enjoined in the fourth commandment-one of the commandments of which it is said: “All His commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.” Psalm 111:7, 8. Yet we find that many people have agreed to call another day the Sabbath, and they think that because the day is so generally recognised as such, it must be the Sabbath. Let them remember that a counterfeit does not become genuine by being circulated. Gold was made by the Lord, and no man has ever yet been able to manufacture gold out of anything else. If man cannot do that, how can he think to make the Sabbath of Jehovah? “Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?” PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.11
“For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16. This is the true revival,-a steady growth, the constant springing up of the life of Christ in men. The Bible knows nothing of the modern “revival effort.” We do not say that they are not good, but they are certainly not the best. They are a confession of weakness and of previous neglect. Plants do not make an effort to live; they simply live because there is life in them. So Christians can live only by the light of Christ in them through the word; and that life, being eternal, is always new. The constant taking in of the word makes a constant revival. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.12
How quickly the great coal strike, which is paralysing industry and bringing want and distress, even to the point of actual starvation, all over the country, might be settled if those concerned in it, both employers and employees, possessed a little of that unselfishness which goes with the Spirit of Christ. There is plenty of food in the world, and plenty of money in the world, to relieve all the distress which the want of them occasion, if men would only be actuated by a spirit of love and sympathy toward their fellows, instead of the grasping, cruel spirit of self. As long as self rules, strikes and starvation, riot and paralysis of trade, misery and distress of every description, must go on. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.13
The Archdeacon of London has said that the time has come for some sort of compromise between the Church of England and the nonconformist bodies, on the subject of a reunion. Of course no one expects that the union could be effected without some concessions on both sides. The concessions would need to be only on the surface, for effect, while all parties would believe as before. The result would be an establishment in which there would be all the freedom of belief that now exists and the established church, with sufficient unity of action to gain any political end desired. PTUK September 7, 1893, page 368.14