The Present Truth, vol. 9
December 21, 1893
“Front Page” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
All the sin and misery that have ever blighted this earth, are the result of a look; and all the righteousness and peace that will glorify the earth made new will also be the result of a look. Thus consider the two ways of looking, that produce such widely different results. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 593.1
Pain and death are the result of sin, and sin is from the devil. See Romans 5:12, and 1 John 3:8. Satan was once Lucifer, the light-bearer, the son of the morning. Isaiah 14:12. He was one of the cherubim above the throne of God, “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” He was perfect in his ways from the day that he was created, until iniquity was found in him. Ezekiel 28:12-17. He sinned, and was cast down to the earth, where he succeeded in instilling his wicked spirit into the hearts and minds of men. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 593.2
In the Scripture last referred to we read: “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy his brightness.” The lifting up of his heart was shown thus: “Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven; I will exact my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:13, 14. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 593.3
The fall of Satan was the result of his pride, and his pride was on account of his beauty and brightness. Why did his beauty cause him to be proud?—Because he looked at it. He began to look at himself, to consider his own beauty and accomplishments, all of which were lent him by the Lord, and the result was a rebellion that contemplated nothing less than the dethronement of Jehovah. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 593.4
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8. All evil springs from love of self. 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Men love themselves because they look at themselves so much. Thus the spirit of Satan is manifest in men. Now if Christ destroys the works of the devil and men, it must be by getting them to cease looking at self. And this He does by offering them something better to look at, namely, Himself. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, and even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” The serpent was lifted up in order that people might, by looking, be healed of their wounds; Christ is lifted up in order that, by looking at Him, men may be healed of sin. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 593.5
Men always become like those with whom they constantly associate. Reading bad books, looking at evil sights, tends inevitably to corruption. So he who looks at his own sinful self will become only more sinful. “Looking unto Jesus” takes one away from self. There is nothing of self in Him, because, although He was perfect, He emptied Himself, that the Father alone might appear. So we read, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.” “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Let us then be among those who will heed the general invitation: “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 593.6
“Asking and Receiving” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
“Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” 1 John 2:21-23. The first verse quoted, concerning heart condemnation and confidence toward God, has been dealt with in a previous number of the paper. There we found that the only just reason for our hearts not condemning us is that God Himself does not condemn us. When God justifies us, our hearts have no business to condemn us; and so our ground of confidence toward God is not our righteousness, but God’s mercy. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 593.7
Now for the next verse, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” Many souls have been discouraged by the faulty use of this verse, namely, taking it out of its connection. They have supposed that before we can expect to receive anything that we ask of the Lord, we must be able to show that we have kept all the commandments, and that if after a careful examination of the commandment and our own hearts, we are not able to demonstrate that we have kept them all, then it is useless for us to ask. True, people who have that idea do go through the form of asking, but they never really expect to receive anything. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 593.8
If it were the case that our confidence that we shall receive what we ask from the Lord grew out of our knowledge that we have lived perfect lives, then we should not be asking favours of the Lord, but demanding our just do. “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Romans 4:4, 5. The same apostle declares that it is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Titus 3:5. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 593.9
“To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Faith is what brings the blessings of God; for “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1. Now this is just what is taught by the text at the head of this article, as will be seen when it is not cut off from its connection. Thus: “Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.1
Is faith in Christ, then, a substitute for the keeping of the commandments? Not by any means; it is the keeping of the commandments. The Jews asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we might work in the works of God?” Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.’ John 6:28, 29. “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” Romans 10:10. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.2
The law of God is unfathomable. The human mind will never be able to explore its utmost depths. Eternity will ever have something new to reveal to us in it, because it is the very life of God, and no man can by searching find out God. Therefore no man can ever be able to declare that he has kept all the commandments of God. “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin.” Proverbs 20:9. Only God can declare a soul to be righteous, and then only as the soul accepts His righteousness through Christ by faith. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.3
Faith brings not only freedom from the consequences of past transgressions, but it also brings the keeping of the commandments in the present time. “The just shall live by faith.” Faith works by love. The only righteousness that will enable one to stand in the day of Lord’s coming, is “That which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Philippians 3:9. And this is real righteousness, because it is the active righteousness of God. It will be manifested in the life, although its possessor will be too unconscious of it to boast. Boasting is excluded by faith, although the believing one will be showing forth in his life the excellencies of the Lord. It is just because it is the righteousness of the Lord, who dwells in him, that he will have nothing of which to boast. And so we may still continue to sing, and may we sing it from the heart,- PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.4
“Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe;
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”
PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.5
“Requests with Thanksgiving” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6. This does not give another condition besides faith, by which we are to receive blessings from God; but it shows a feature of faith, which many people do not understand. Thanksgiving is just as much a part of acceptable prayer, as is the request itself. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.6
Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:23, 24. The promise is sure only to him who believes. Faith makes the promise a present reality, for “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” He who believes that he really has that which he asks for, has it. This is not imagination, but fact. The promise of God holds out the reality; faith lays hold of it. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.7
Now ordinary politeness demands that one shall return thanks for what he receives. Therefore thanksgiving must necessarily attend a prayer of faith, for such a prayer brings the things that it asks for. He who has not enough faith to thank the Lord for the thing asked for, even while asking for it, has not enough faith to claim the thing that he asked for. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.8
Unthankfulness leads to heathenism. The heathen became such, “because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, and neither were thankful.” Romans 1:21. He who is not thankful is not a worshipper of God; for, “he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek after Him.” Hebrews 11:6. He who does not believe that God is a rewarder of them that seek Him, does not believe that He is, therefore he who does not thank God for what he asks from Him, does not really ask anything from Him. He does not worship God. So as soon as men cease to thank God, they begin to lapse into a heathenism. Let us then remember the exhortation, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.9
“Asking in His Name” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
Jesus said, “He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it.” John 14:12-14. This is as comprehensive a promise as can be found in the Bible. Who believes it? PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.10
There is no qualification to this statement. “If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.” There is no limit. Someone will say, “I have been asking for something in the name of Jesus, and I have not received it.” That cannot be, for Jesus Christ is “the faithful and true Witness,” and He cannot lie. Perhaps you do not know what it is to ask in the name of Jesus. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.11
The Apostle Paul tells us that “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20. The name of Christ, therefore, stands to all the promises of God. God is good, and therefore He gives only that which is good. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17. But this text assures us that God gives everything that is good. He withholds nothing. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 594.12
Since all the promises of God are in Christ, it is evident that we do not ask in the name of Christ unless we ask for something that God has promised. God will honour every draft presented at the bank of heaven, if it has the name of Jesus upon it. But let everyone beware how he attempts to forge that name. That name is written in blood, even the blood of Christ, and every forgery will be detected instantly. He who puts the name of Jesus to a request for a thing that God has never promised, is taking that name in vain; “and the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.1
“‘According to His Will’” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
In close relation to the above promise is the following statement: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” 1 John 5:14, 15. Here is something definite. It is positive knowledge. On this basis we do not have to imagine that we receive the things that we ask for, nor to wonder if we shall receive them; but we know, every step of the way. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.2
Of course the first question that will arise is this, “How may we know that we are asking according to the will of God?” We may know by His word. The word of God contains His will. In it He has recorded the “exceeding great and precious promises,” which guide us in our request. Let us note a few of the statements of what His will is. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.3
“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” Galatians 1:3, 4. This gives us a wide range for requests. Anything that pertains to this present evil world,-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life,-we may know that it is the will of God to deliver us from. Therefore whatever evil thing we wish deliverance from, we have only to ask for deliverance, and we know that God hears us; and we know that He hears us, we also know that we have the thing that we asked for. Therefore in asking the Lord for deliverance from evil, we may thank Him for the deliverance granted. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.4
Here are some more promises: “I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely.” Hosea 14:4. “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Revelation 21:6. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shall glorify Me.” Psalm 50:15. “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee.” Isaiah 43:2. “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25. “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring.” Isaiah 44:3. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.5
But time and space would fail us if we should attempt to repeat all the statements of the will of God concerning us. There are things enough in the Bible,-things that it is the will of God to give to us,-to keep us asking as long as we live; and whenever we ask for one of them we not only may, but must, know that He hears us, and that He gives us what we ask for. It is His will to do so, and He cannot deny Himself. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.6
But suppose now that there is something concerning which we do not know the will of God; what shall we do? Well, we may ask Him to reveal His will to us. He is able to do it, and it is likely that the reason that we do not know it is that we have not given close enough heed to His word. Often our impatience, or our selfish desire for a certain thing, prevents us from hearing the voice of the Lord in the matter. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.7
We will suppose, however, that the will of the Lord has not been made known to us, in a certain case. Shall we then not ask at all? Certainly we may ask, but only according to His will; for what confidence can we have that our request will be granted, if we do not know that God is willing to give it to us? This is a very simple thing, if our wills are only submitted to God. The Saviour left us an example, when He prayed, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.8
When we do not know what the will of God is, we may ask that His will, whatever it may be, may be done. This does not mean that God has to be asked to do His own will, but it is simply telling Him that we are willing that He should do His will in our case, whatever it may be. What shall we then do?—Leave the matter with the Lord, and await the result, and be sure that whatever the result is, it is according to the will of God, and be satisfied with it. The trouble with so many who pray in this way is that they allow their desires to destroy the force of their prayers. They decide in their own minds what the result ought to be, and when that result does not follow, they say that the Lord did not hear their prayers. This is charging God foolishly. If we do not know what the will of the Lord is, then we are not to allow our desires to become fixed upon what may prove to be a forbidden thing to us. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.9
There is a text that opens up a vast field for our prayers. “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4. This is unlimited. The one whose delight is in the Lord, can make any request he pleases, and it will be granted. Such an one will not make any selfish request. At another time, if the Lord will, we shall consider the matter of delighting in the Lord. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.10
“Praying for the Dead” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
The Church Times of November 24 says that “the celebration of the holy eucharist,” with the English Church Union “offers in the fall of the year on behalf of its departed members, is now so firmly established that there is little that calls for remark in the service which was held on Tuesday last in the Church of St. Matthew, Westminster.” It therefore proceeds to give quite a full account of the sermon that was preached on that occasion, which was for the purpose of justifying the practice of praying for the dead. In conclusion, the speaker used the following language, which is fully as Catholic and Spiritualistic as can be:- PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.11
And now as we pass to the Holy Sacrifice and to the adoration of the Lamb, may those blessed spirits be near us, all our own loved ones who have passed away since our last service, that we may meet with them for a few minutes in this mystery of love, and then go back refreshed to our life of toil and conflict, until in due time we enter with them into rest. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.12
Following the report noted above, there is a brief report of “a solemn Requiem for departed members,” which was celebrated at the Church of St. Raphael the Archangel, Bristol. The reader must remember that these services were not in Roman Catholic churches, but were regular services of the Church of England. The Church Times is careful to state that “the ritual no where exceeded the limits prescribed by the prayer book.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 595.13
In this second service there was “censing of the altar,” and quite a complete Romish service. The Church Times says that the sermon “was a very practical one, enforcing Christian duty both as to the living God and the departed. The preacher quoted a passage from Dr. Newman’s last sermon at Littleworth, and cleverly pointed out how all the gifts which Newman so plaintively desired have been granted in God’s own good time to the faithful of the English Church.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.1
No wonder that Cardinal Vaughan feels hopeful of the return of England to the Church of Rome. Such a return can scarcely be called an undoing of the Reformation, since the Reformation was never really accomplished. Wycliffe and Tyndale started a real reformation in giving the Bible to the people, and in teaching loyalty to the word of God alone; but when the Church of England seceded from the Pope, the prayer book was made the standard, instead of the Bible; and wherever the Bible is not, there Romanism is. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.2
“Be Steadfast” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
The apostle writes, in his letter to the Corinthians, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.3
This, then, is a privilege and duty of every Christian, and every person in the world, for God is no respecter of persons. Christ died for all, and all alike may have the victory through Him. Amidst all the influences which draw away from truth and right, and swell the mighty tide that is sweeping downward to perdition, we may stand like immovable rocks, breasting the current of worldliness and sin, and maintaining the principles of our righteous King. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.4
This we can do by faith. The apostle Paul says, “But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory throughout our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57. And John writes, “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4. By faith we see what cannot be discerned by the natural eye. By faith Moses, at the court of Pharaoh, “endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” And this is why it is that men by faith “out of weakness were made strong.” Hebrews 11:34. The psalmist writes, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16:8. Peter, quoting the Psalmist’s words on the day of Pentecost said, “I foresaw the Lord always before my face.” The Lord is there; He is at our right hand to help us; as Paul said to the people at Athens, He is not far from every one of us. Acts 17:27. And it only requires the eye of faith to assure our hearts of this fact. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.5
“Knowing God” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
“Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23, 24. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.6
These words set forth the whole purpose and end of man’s existence. Wisdom, might, or riches, with God left out, count for nothing. But he who knows God cannot be without wisdom and might and riches. The highest study of mankind is not man, but God. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.7
There is a wisdom of the world which is possessed by those whom the world recognises as its wise men; but no one should glory in the possession of this. True wisdom is from above, and not from beneath. The wisdom of the earth will perish, and will save no one from perishing with it. It will perish because it knows not God. Whatever is of the world is not of the Father, and every plant that God has not planted must be rooted up. Not that knowledge will perish; for in the future state knowledge will abound much more than it does now; but the wisdom of this world will perish. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge. Satan, as an angel in heaven, had a vast amount of knowledge, but his course was the most unwise that he could have taken. And so of the knowledge of the wise men of the earth. They know much, but they know not God. They see many things, but they do not see God. They do not discern God in that which they see. God has “made His wonderful works to be remembered,” and true wisdom sees God in all things that He has made. And thus to the one who has true wisdom, all things speak of God. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.8
But worldly wisdom speaks not of God. It speaks of science, it speaks of evolution, of forces that are “inherent” in nature and matter, and of the wonderful intellect of man; but it speaks not of the Creator who made all things. It glorifies Him not as God. And so it was that “the world by wisdom knew not God.” That which should have served to draw their attention to God, was perverted to an opposite purpose. Their knowledge lacked the one essential thing that makes the difference between wisdom and foolishness. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.9
We read in the epistle of James: “Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.” Chap. 3:13. And we are told what are the characteristics of true wisdom, that it “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” This is “the wisdom that cometh down from above.” It is nothing else than the manifestation of the knowledge of God. And if these things are not a part of your life, then whatever knowledge you may have, you have not true wisdom. If knowledge points not to God, it can only tend to destruction. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.10
“Neither let the mighty man glory in his might;” for his might is nothing. Light without God is of no more value that wisdom without God. There is no might but of God. Romans 13:1. Whether it be the power of angels or man or of devils, it is still His. “The powers that be are ordained of God.” Men who have power are but the stewards of the power of God. When Pilate said to Christ, “Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?” Jesus answered, “Thou couldest have no power at all against Me except it were given thee from above.” John 19:11. Men may pervert their stewardship, as Pilate did, but in the end they must give account thereof to God. The Master requires that all things should be done according to His will. Those who do according to their own will, making their possession of power an occasion for the glorifying of self, will sooner or later discover with sorrow the exceeding folly of their course. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.11
No one has a knowledge of God who does not know that all power belongs unto Him. “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.” Psalm 62:11. This truth is to the Christian a source of joy, since he can look to God as his Father. Whatever manifestation of power he beholds, he recognises has the power of God, and knows it the same time that the power of God is for his good, since it is to him the means of salvation. Romans 1:16. It is a truth which comforts him and gives trust in the place of fear. Since all power is of God, it necessarily follows that “all things work together for good to them that love God” and believe on Him unto salvation. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 596.12
What has been said of wisdom and power, may also be said of riches. All wealth belongs unto God, and no man to whom God entrusts a part of it has occasion thereby to glory. To him who would do this the question comes, “What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou didst not received it?” 1 Corinthians 4:7. God only is rich; and His riches do not consist of silver or gold, or of anything that has in itself no value. The riches of God are riches of mercy and grace; and in the ages to come we shall know “the exceeding riches of His grace, and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” See Ephesians 2:4-7. He “is rich unto all that call upon Him.” Romans 10:12. He is rich, therefore, in that which they need who call upon Him, and this is mercy and grace. These are things of intrinsic worth. And God says of them, “In these things I delight.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 597.1
No flesh has anything whereof to boast. No man has anything whereof to glory, save in the knowledge of God. “God forbid that I should glory,” says the apostle, “save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 6:14. Christ is the wisdom of God and the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24. In Him are manifest the riches of the mercy and grace of God. To know Him is to have the knowledge of God. “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 597.2
But “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption; that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 597.3
“Religious Education” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
The controversy over the question of religious instruction in Board Schools is waxing warmer. The ladies have now taken a hand in the struggle, and have formed a “Woman’s League for the Maintenance of National Christian Education,” of which Lady Shaftesbury is president. In a prospectus which they have issued, their purposes are avowed to be the defence of the rights of parents, of liberty of conscience, and of the Christianity of England, all of which they conceive to be seriously threatened by the leading of some of the school boards and the direction of secular instruction only. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 597.4
How near this organisation is likely to come to the realisation of any true defence of the rights of parents and of liberty of conscience, may be seen by a brief glance at this prospectus and a letter addressed by the president to the Church Times, setting forth the aims of this society, and the reasons for its formation. “The League is based,” it says, “on the principles of liberty of conscience and the rights of parents. Christian parents and Christian rate-payers are saying to their rulers, ‘You compel us to send our children to school. You compel us to pay rates to support the schools, therefore you must make the education such as we can conscientiously accept.’ Especially are the Christian women and mothers of England saying this, and the League is meant to unite their voices and make them effective. We are entirely prepared to concede to non-Christians the rights which we demand for ourselves. The Jewish religion is at this moment being definitely taught to the Jewish children in the Board schools of London by Jewish teachers, who are paid from the rates to which we are compelled to contribute, and to which we would contribute willingly provided that Christian instruction as definite might be given to the children of Christian parents, otherwise liberty of conscience and parental rights are violated.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 597.5
We had always supposed that the term “non-Christians” would include others besides the Jews and those belonging to the various non-Christian sects. But it appears from the above quotation that those who do not profess any religion, and do not wish their children educated in any form of religion, are left wholly out of the question; while the emphasis placed upon “the Christian women and mothers of England” in connection with this move throws additional light upon the phrase, “the rights of parents.” When we are considering a question of rights, Christians and non-Christians, of members of religious sects or those belonging to no sect at all, stand upon exactly the same level. Human rights do not depend upon religious belief. They are outside the sphere of religion altogether. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 597.6
No one can rightfully be compelled to pay for the teaching of religion in any form, either in Board schools or anywhere else. And why? Simply because a person’s religious beliefs and his attitude toward religious precepts and obligations are matters between him and his God, and God has never ordained that any person shall be compelled to and or support religion. The Gospel is not compulsion, but persuasion. God leaves every person perfectly free to do as he sees fit in the matter of religious faith and practice. He sends him light and blessings from heaven, and throws around him such influences as will draw him to Christ if he will yield to them; but if he does not voluntarily choose to do so, there is no further pressure brought to bear upon him. In the day of final reckoning everyone will have to give account of himself to God for the course he has pursued here, and any attempt on the part of man to hold his fellow-man accountable in that which pertains to religion, is an attempt to usurp the place of God. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 597.7
All offerings to the gospel-to be acceptable to God-must be voluntary. He will have nothing that is forced. He might have created man in such a way that he could not transgress His will, or He might now if He chose, by the exercise of His all mighty power, compel every creature on earth to reverence and obey Him; but He has not chosen to exercise His power in that way. What human parent would be satisfied with a respect and obedience that came from compulsion instead of from love? and will God be less particular than men? No; “God is love;” and love alone is that which satisfies Him. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 597.8
Religion, therefore, is altogether out of place in the hands of the State; for State power means compulsion. Not the guidance and control of the State, but of the Holy Spirit, is necessary to the proper teaching of the Christian religion; for Christian truths are spiritual, and spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. And if Christian parents are willing to be made to pay for the teaching of Judaism in the schools, it does not right the inconsistency and wrong of such a thing, to compel Jews and atheists to pay for the teaching of the religion of the Church of England. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 597.9
The training and education of children have been committed by God to their own parents. But a marked tendency is noticeable at the present day to shirk this responsibility, and shift it onto the shoulders of others. But will God not hold parents accountable for the children He has entrusted to their care? Let no parents flatter themselves that they can please Him by leaving the religious instruction of their children in the hands of the teachers of Board schools. In the Old Testament are found repeated instructions to parents upon this point of the religious training of their children, and parents will not be guiltless who neglect a matter of such importance. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.1
In all that pertains to the welfare of the child, there is nothing that can take the place of home influences. Let those influences be what they should be, and the child will go forth into life’s battle with strength to meet and conquer the obstacles and temptations which oppose him; but let those influences be pernicious, let there be no memories of a mother’s patient and loving instruction, of a mother’s pleading and a mother’s prayers, and the outcome of the battle of life with that child is more than doubtful. What would the world have known of Moses, or of John and Charles Wesley, if religious instruction had been left by parents in their day to the supervision and control of the State? PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.2
As to the part which this League-or for that matter any other human organisation-can play in the defence of Christianity, it is only necessary to observe that Christianity is not in the hands of men, but of God, and He is its Defender. Christianity-the Gospel-is “the power of God unto salvation.” Romans 1:16. The power of God does not need to be defended by man. The heathen often manifest a belief that man can do something to defend his gods; but it is only such gods as those of the heathen that need the protection of man. A system of religion which depends upon men for its support, is not the system which has in it the power of God. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.3
We are sure, therefore, that the energy and means devoted to the “Woman’s League for the Maintenance of National Christian Education” could be expended to much better purpose for other ends than those for which the League is now organised. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.4
“Protection to Religion” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
The idea that Christianity must be “protected” by the State is so common in these days, that even the Baptists, who have always been in the front ranks of the advocates of religious liberty, are falling into the error. Thus, in noticing a pamphlet from the pen of Sir Theodore Hope, formerly of the Council of the Governor-General of India, the Freeman says:- PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.5
Sir Theodore is dissatisfied with the amount of support given by the State to Christianity and India. We are glad he does not advocate the establishment of the Church of England in that part of the British Empire. So far as we are concerned, we should be glad if the State ceased to show the least favour to any Church or clergy, but dealt out to all the same measure of protection and the exercise of undoubted rights and of the religious freedom to which every subject of the British crown is entitled. At the same time we agree that the State should provide the ministrations of religion for those of the servants that are withdrawn from their homes and placed in localities where, without such provision, it would be deprived of these ministrations. But in the appointment of chaplains or ministers in these instances no denomination should enjoy advantages or suffer disadvantages more than any other denomination. Beyond this the State should not go, and within these limits the State should act with caution. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.6
“Protection” is necessary for false systems of religion, for they could not exist without it. Since they originate with man, of course they must be upheld by human power. A religion without power, is no religion at all; but a religion that does not come from God, and does not have Him to support it, must necessarily derive its power from the State. The very fact that a religion asks and receives protection of the State, shows that the State is above it; for the greater never seeks protection from the less. That which is protected is weaker than that which protects. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.7
This obvious fact also shows that when men ask for State protection of Christianity, they have lost sight of its Divine origin. They must have forgotten that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, or else they could not ask human protection for it. For the State to offer its protection to Christianity, or for ministers of the Gospel to ask for it, or even to consent to receive such protection in behalf of Christianity, is an insult to its Founder. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.8
There is but one thing that the religion of Christ asks from men, and that is that they should put themselves under its protection. It is not in the world asking favours, but giving them. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.9
Who can read the second Psalm, and then talk about State protection of anything pertaining to the Gospel of God? Let us read, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.10
This shows that the kingdom of God has nothing to fear from earthly rulers. All the powers of the earth in combination cannot destroy it; their thoughts of injuring it are nothing but vanity. But if they have no power to injure it, neither have they any power to protect it. For example, a great power like that of England, would laugh at a declaration of war against it by some petty tribe in Africa; what an absurdity it would be, therefore, for it to ask the protection of that same petty tribe. That is the way the case stands with the religion of Jesus Christ and earthly governments, only the difference is infinitely greater. Therefore the Lord says, “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth.” Instead of ministers of the Gospel asking for the protection of kings, they are instructed to offer to all men, including kings, the protection of God, if they will receive it. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.11
A word as to the duty of the State to provide the ministrations of religion to those who are withdrawn from their homes. It can indeed provide the ministrations of religion to such ones, but it cannot provide the ministrations of the Christian religion. The State cannot give that which it has not; and the State has not the Gospel, for the Gospel is the power of God. Therefore whenever the State goes into the business of providing the ministrations of religion, it can at best provide nothing but a modification of Christianity,-a form of godliness without the power. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.12
What then shall be done for those who are withdrawn from their homes, and placed where there are no churches to which they can have access? The answer is, Let the true ministers of Christ seek them out, and minister to them, if they will receive such ministrations. Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost, and it is the duty of His followers to do likewise. If men in such places do not wish the ministrations of religion, then they are not to be forced to receive it by the State. Christ came to proclaim liberty, and freedom to accept the Gospel, means freedom to reject it, and this Christ gives to every man. But no minister can adequately proclaim the liberty wherewith Christ makes men free, when he has so limited an idea of that liberty that he thinks it needs the protection of the civil power. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 598.13
“Wrestling” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
Wrestling was much more common in the ancient times than it is now, because warfare was then a hand-to-hand matter, and victory in a battle depended more on the athletic skill of the combatants, than it does these days of long-range rifles. The great battles were often little else than huge wrestling contests. This is why the Apostle Paul describes the warfare of the Christian as wrestling. “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:11, 12. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.1
This contest is to be carried on with the strength that the Lord gives, and the armour that He supplies. The wrestler is exhorted to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” He is to strive, but it is to be according to the working of God in him. Colossians 1:29. The power all comes from God, and it is really God that gains the victory over the enemy, working through the man who yields to Him. Jesus says, “In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Therefore we read, “This is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith. And who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4, 5. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.2
In the thirty-sixth Psalm, verses eleven and twelve, we have a reference to this wrestling against the wickedness of this world. “Let not the foot of pride come against thee, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me. There are the workers of iniquity fallen; they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.” The hands and feet play the principal part in wrestling. Each wrestler seeks to trip up his antagonist with his feet. There is no foot so dangerous in wrestling as the foot of pride, because “pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Therefore it is that the psalmist prays to be kept from the foot of pride. Only He can keep us from this dangerous foe, because He is meek and lowly in heart. Whoever abides in Him will be kept from the pride of man. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.3
It is an unfortunate thing that most people have made a wrong use of the account of Jacob’s wrestling with the angel, who was the Lord Jesus Himself. They read the account of His wrestling all night, and then in the morning receiving a blessing, and think that means that we are to wrestle with the Lord in order to get a blessing from Him. Because of this mistaken idea, many people fail to receive the blessings that they might otherwise have. Let us study the case a little. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.4
WRESTLING AGAINST GOD
A moment’s thought should be sufficient to show us that the Lord is not our adversary. He is not opposed to us. Therefore we do not have to fight with Him. Wrestling is fighting, and it is a dangerous position for one to occupy, to be fighting against God. God is for us, to protect us from all that come against us. We do not want to fight with the only Friend we have. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.5
But of course the idea of fighting is not in the minds of those who speak of wrestling with God. Their idea is that of striving with Him to get Him to give us His blessing. But God has come to us with His blessing before we ever felt the need of it. “Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from His iniquities.” Acts 3:26. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. If we were half as anxious to receive the blessings of God as He is to bestow them upon us, we should have more than we ever dreamed of. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.6
But did not Jacob wrestle all night with the Lord? Yes, he did, but do not forget that he did not know that it was the Lord. He thought all the time that it was an enemy. And that illustrates the position of those who think that they must wrestle with the Lord for a blessing. Unconsciously they are regarding the Lord as their adversary, instead of their Helper. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.7
Now let us see what we are to learn from the case of Jacob. When was it that he first found that the One with whom he was wrestling was not a man, but the Lord Himself?—It was when the Angel put forth His hand, and put Jacob’s thigh out of joint with a touch. Read the account in Genesis 32:24-28. How much longer did Jacob wrestle after he found out that he was wrestling with the Lord?—Not a minute, because such a thing was impossible. It was the dislocation of his thigh that made him know with whom he was wrestling; and no man can wrestle with a thigh out of joint. A man with his thigh out of joint would be at a greater disadvantage in wrestling, than a man with only one leg, because in addition to having only one leg to stand on, he would have the inconvenience and the intense pain of the useless one. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.8
What, therefore, did Jacob do as soon as his dislocated thigh made known unto him with whom he was wrestling?—He did the only thing that he could do, namely, he threw his arms around the Lord for support. If one were wrestling or walking, or even standing still, and his thigh should suddenly be thrown out of joint, he would immediately fall to the ground. So Jacob would have fallen, if he had not held on to the Lord. And this we learn from the record. As soon as Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, the Angel said, “Let Me go, for the day breaketh.” And Jacob replied, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.” This shows, what we should naturally conclude, that as soon as Jacob learned that it was the Lord with whom he was wrestling, he ceased wrestling, and threw himself upon Him for support. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.9
And it was then that Jacob prevailed. During all the night of wrestling he had not been able to gain anything, but as soon as he stopped wrestling with the Lord, and hung helpless upon Him, he gained a blessing. And so it will ever be. “For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; in returning and rest shall ye be saved; and quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15. “Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.10
Then instead of striving with the Lord, let us yield to Him, and allow Him to do our fighting for us. See Psalm 25:1, 2. We shall find all that we wish to do, in keeping our wills subject to His. Power belongs to Him, and He will exert all in our behalf, if we will throw ourselves upon Him. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 599.11
“The Majority” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
Is your religious faith and practice in conformity with that of the majority? Are you dwelling at ease because you are on the side of the majority? Then beware! In Noah’s day the majority were drowned in the flood. In Abraham’s day the majority were idolaters. In the time of Moses the majority perished in the wilderness. In Elijah’s day the majority were worshippers of Baal. In the days of Christ the majority rejected Him, and crucified Him. In the days of Luther and the reformers the majority were Roman Catholics. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 600.1
Is our own day an exception to all others? Verily, no. For “in the last days perilous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,” etc. 2 Timothy 3:1-5. In our day the majority have a form of godliness, but deny (that is, do not know) the power thereof; and the inspired exhortation is, “From such turn away.” “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” Exodus 23:2. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 600.2
“A Lesson from the Sun, Moon, and Stars” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
“Ye are the light of the world.” ... “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14, 16. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.1
How beautiful for the sun, moon, and stars to be light-bearers for Jesus! And what faithful light-bearers they are! Day after day and night after night finds them in their places, faithfully holding out the glorious light that their Maker placed upon them. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.2
But did you know that the Lord created you to be His light-bearer, too? and that He has commanded you to shine, as truly as He ever bade the sun, moon, and stars to shine? Listen to what He says: “Ye are the light of the world.” ... “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. “ PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.3
‘Tis true that you have no light of your own any more than the sun, moon, and stars had light of their own, but the Lord is able to give you of His light and glory as He was to give it to the sun, moon, and stars, that is, if you as fully yield yourself to Him and allow Him to. If you are not shining, the only reason is that you have not allowed God to fill you with His light. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.4
Upon the sun, moon, and stars He placed some of His brightness and glory, and told them to show it to the people of the earth every day and every night that they might constantly be reminded of a glorious and powerful Being who made all things. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.5
Upon you, and in you, He wants to put His own perfect and lovely life (for His life is His light, John 1:4) that you may show it to the people of the earth, and thus lead them to see that He is as kind and lovely as He is powerful, and as good and gentle as He is glorious. He says that your life will then be “as the shining light” (Proverbs 4:18), because you will show forth Jesus, “the Light of the world” (John 8:12), in all your actions. Your words and actions will show people the way to their heavenly home as plainly as the sun shows them the way to their earthly home. So you see that your words and actions will be a real light to them to lead them to heaven. You notice when Jesus says for you to let your light shine He says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works” and be led to glorify your Father which is in heaven. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.6
Thus “the Lord is a Sun” (Psalm 84:11), a far greater sun than the one you see in the sky, for He not only gives the sun, moon, and stars all the light that they have, but His life can enter right into your heart and show you how to get to heaven, and shine on through you, and show those around you how to get there also. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.7
His ten commandments are but a word picture of His ways, of His light, of His life, that He will live in you if you will let Him come in and use you. He knows that without this light of life, His life of goodness, you cannot live eternally any more than you can live this common life without the sunlight. He therefore pleads with you to let Him in, and says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to Him.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.8
But how can you let this blessed Light in? He answers, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46); “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” Ephesians 3:17. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.9
Then if you really believe what God says, that is opening the door and letting Him in. You must believe that the life of Jesus is the light of the world, that you cannot live for ever without it, and that He is able to come in and live it in you, and then that He keeps His promise and does come in as soon as you ask Him to. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.10
No one but Jesus can do works that are good enough to shine and show others how to do, therefore you must not try to do right by yourself, even after you have let Jesus in, or you will stop shining. You must every day give up your way and just let Him use your hands and feet and whole body, working in you that which is pleasing in His sight. If you let Him stay with you all the time you cannot help shining, for He is Light, and the more you give up to Him and let Him have His way with you, the more and more of your life will shine unto the perfect day, the nearer and nearer you will be getting ready for His second coming. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 605.11
For do you not see? Last week we learned from the sun, moon, and stars that His coming is very near, and this week we have learned from them how we may get ready. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.1
If we would be ready when He comes we must, like them, allow Him to put His light within us, and then daily and nightly show it to the people of the earth. We must, like them to be faithful light-bearers for Jesus. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.2
If we allow all our actions to shine with His gentleness, goodness, kindness and loveliness now, we shall be given a body like unto His glorious body when He comes, and then our bodies shall shine forth as bright as the sun in the kingdom of our Father (Matthew 13:48), and as the stars for ever and ever (Daniel 12:3). PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.3
1. When did the sun, moon, and stars begin to shine upon this earth? Genesis 1:14-19. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.4
2. Did they have any light of their own? PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.5
3. Who gave them all that they have? PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.6
4. Then whose glory to they show? Psalm 19:1. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.7
5. When the sun should be darkened and the stars should fall from heaven, of what was that to be a sign? Matthew 24:29-33. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.8
6. Have the signs been seen in the heavens? Yes. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.9
7. Then of what may we be sure? That the second coming is very near. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.10
8. Why is He coming? PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.11
9. If we would be ready to go with Him when He comes, what must we do? We, too, must be light-bearers for Jesus. Matthew 5:14, 16; 1 Thessalonians 5:4, 5. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.12
10. How can we shine when we have no light of our own? Let Jesus bring His light into our hearts. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.13
11. Is He willing to come in? Revelation 3:20. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.14
12. How can we let Him in? John 12:46; Ephesians 3:17. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.15
13. What is His light? His life (John 1:4), His ways. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.16
14. When we allow His loveliness to shine through all our actions, what will our way be like? Proverbs 4:18. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.17
15. What will people see? Good works. Matthew 5:16. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.18
16. What will our good works lead them to do? Matthew 5:16. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.19
17. Then will not our words and actions be like a light to them? PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.20
18. If we thus shine for Jesus, or let Jesus shine through us every day, what does He promise us? Philippians 3:21; Matthew 13:43; Daniel 12:3. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.21
19. How old must you be before you can shine for Jesus? You can shine for Him now if you believe Him and let Him come in and use you. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.22
“Shine like the stars above,
Clear and bright, through the night;
Tell of the Saviour’s love,
Shine by doing right.”
PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.23
“Interesting Items” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
-India is trying to borrow £10,000,000 to pay off the interest on her indebtedness, which is due in gold. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.24
-The Burmah section of the “Opium Commission” is said to have decided against the abolition of the opium traffic. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.25
-The death rate in London has reached the high percentage of 31 per 1,000, owing to the increasing prevalence of influenza. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.26
-Evangelical circles in Germany are being stirred by a strong movement against the threatened repeal of the anti-Jesuit laws. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.27
-A “National League for the Abolition of the House of Lords,” has been formed, and a recent meeting was presided over by Mr. Labouchere. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.28
-Between Dec. 9 and 13 severe gales have been experienced over all portions of the British Isles, with much damage to shipping and considerable loss of life. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.29
-The Panama correspondent of the New York World states that war is absolutely certain to break out between Peru and Ecuador on the boundary question. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.30
-A telegram from Buenos Ayres states that the Argentine Congress has sanctioned the conclusion of an extradition treaty with Great Britain. The treaty is not retroactive PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.31
-Mr. Keir Hardie, M.P., stated in Parliament that he estimated that three persons in London died every two days from starvation or from suicide through fear of starvation. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.32
-As the result of a conflict between gendarmes and peasants in the Italian province of Bari, a Customs officer was seized by the mob, and, after petroleum had been poured over him, was set on fire. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.33
-Recently three shop-keepers at Lincoln were fined for trading on Sunday. Other convictions are said to have taken place, and a determined effort is being made there to enforce the Sunday laws. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.34
-According to information from Honolulu, President Cleveland’s censure of the action of Mr. Stevens has created great bitterness. Preparations to actively resist the restoration and the queen had been made. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.35
-A medical journal declares that something like 80,000 cases of lead poisoning, causing much sickness, occur yearly in England from drinking home-made wine and beer, brewed in glazed earthenware pans. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.36
-A large and disastrous fire is reported from Antwerp. Some grain warehouses covering 80,000 square yards have been burnt, the total losses being estimated at from 5,000,000f. to 6,000,000f. The fire is believed to have been due to incendiarism. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.37
-The Italian Cabinet is now fully constituted, with Signor Crispi as Premier, Minister of the Interior, and ad interum Minister for Foreign Affairs. Its programme will include the reduction of the Army Estimates by some half-million sterling. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.38
-According to Dalziel advices from Bulawayo, Lobengula has been captured by Captain Wilson’s patrol. A Reuter’s telegram, however, states that Captain Wilson’s force was repulsed on attacking the King’s escort, and is in a perilous position. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.39
-Two hundred thousand men in London are unemployed, and one hundred and seventeen thousand of Chicago’s citizens are in a similar predicament. And these cities but furnish instances of a destitution and distress that is world-wide. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.40
-The coal dispute in Scotland has come to an end, a meeting of miners at Glasgow deciding for a general resumption of work on the employers’ terms. The men are urged to cooperate with the English miners in the formation of a conciliation board. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.41
-Mr. Edison, the American, has produced an improved pattern of his “talking machine” which he claims will reproduce speech from a whisper to the loudest tones with greater intensity than the original voice. It will, he says, entirely do away with reporting. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.42
-The Spanish commander at Melilla has presented an ultimatum to the Moorish Foreign Minister as a condition of bringing the present warlike operations to a close. The demands include the evacuation of the neutral zone by the Arabs, the surrender of 12,000 rifles, and the punishment of the leaders of the rebellious tribes. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.43
-There has been repeated rioting by the Socialists at Palermo, in which the rioters were fired on, owing, it is said, to the troops mistaking an order from their officer, with the result that eight were killed on the spot and fourteen others wounded. The crowd, in revenge, after the retirement of the troops, out off the heads of the town clerk and his wife, and carried them away on pikes. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.44
-In a proclamation issued by Admiral de Gama, who has taken over the command of the Brazilian insurgent squadron in the Bay of Rio, he covertly advocates the restoration of the monarchy. The secession of Admiral de Gama is regarded as important. Admiral Wandenkolk, the leader of a previous revolt, who is in prison, is expected to be appointed to the command of the Government squadron. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.45
-At Mongtze, in China, a timber mine has been discovered. The trees have been buried under sandy soil to a depth of six to twenty-five feet, and they are well preserved. Apparently they have been overwhelmed by an earthquake at some immemorial time. They are of the pine trees called “Nain Hon” by the Chinese, and contain a preservative essence, hence the wood is employed in making coffins. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.46
-The “Excelsior” the largest diamond in the world, is now deposited in one of the safes of the Bank of England. It was found in June last in the mines of Jagersfontein, Cape Colony. The “Excelsior” is said to be a stone of the purest water, and is worth about a million sterling. Exceptional precautions were taken to have it conveyed from the mine to the coast. A squadron of the 16th lancers guarded the carriage to Cape Town, from which it was brought to London in the gunboat Antelope. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.47
-The Anarchists who threw the bomb in the French Chamber has been discovered, and is under arrest. The investigations being made at Paris as a result of the outrage, show that the Anarchists of Franco and Spain are in constant communication, incriminating letters having been found. An extensive search was made in the principal Anarchist centres in Paris, and some thirty expulsions are expected to follow. Special precautions are being taken by the Paris police for the protection of public buildings. By a bill passed in the Chamber a few days after the bomb-throwing, it is made an offence for any French paper to publish articles glorifying criminal acts. This is one of four bills which have been introduced with a view to the suppression of anarchy. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.48
-The following particulars have become known relative to the recent Nihilist plot: “Through the numerous arrests made at Warsaw the St. Petersburg police learned that the Warsaw secret organisation, besides having its branches at Charkoff, Kieff, and Odessa, also extended its ramifications to St. Petersburg. Thus warned, the police were put on the alert, with the result that on the night of the 5th inst. the river police stopped a boat on the Neva, which on examination was found to contain three small cases filled with dynamite. The subsequent arrest of the person to whom the cases were addressed-a medical student-led to the discovery of the Nihilist plot. Up to the present, upwards of fifty persons have been taken into custody in connection with the affair, among them being several ladies, some of them more girls, and a large number of officers. The police declare that they have evidence to show that a bomb outrage on the Czar had been planned. It is said that the application of the knout has aliened a full confession from the medical student above-mentioned, and that the rest of the prisoners have also been knouted and subjected to other terrible tortures.” PTUK December 21, 1893, page 606.49
“Back Page” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
It is stated that the Pope of Rome has just conferred the rank of Monsignor and Domestic Chaplain upon a Bavarian village priest who has achieved much celebrity on account of his cures by the use of cold water. The Pope’s judgment in matters pertaining to the body is evidently much better than his judgment in spiritual things. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.1
One of the most famous distributors of Bibles, if not the most famous, was Deacon William Brown, of New Hampshire, U.S.A., who recently died at the age of seventy-six. Since 1849, when He began the work, he had given out no fewer than 120,000 copies of the Scriptures. In the two years preceding his death, he canvassed 239 towns, and visited over 80,000 families. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.2
The will of Gen. S. C. Armstrong, of Hampton, Virginia, who did so much in the way of educating and civilising Indian children, contains the following item: PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.3
I wish no effort of a biography made. Good friends might give up a pretty good story, but it would not be the whole truth-the truth of a life usually lies deep down, we hardly know it ourselves-God only does-I trust His mercy. The shorter one’s creed, the better; “Simply to Thy cross I cling” is enough for me. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.4
The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus, “Let no man despise thee,” and similarly to Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth.” How could they prevent it?—By not acting in a despicable manner. Many think to keep people from despising them, by bluster and show of authority. Such a course may keep people from exhibiting their contempt, but they will despise them in their hearts. He who is an example “in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity,” will not be regarded as despicable, however much he may be hated by ungodly men. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.5
There is nothing so far-seeing as faith, and nothing so short-sighted as unbelief. Judas was so blinded by unbelief that he could accompany Christ as one of His apostles, listen to His teachings, and behold His miracles, and yet make himself a thief, as if his Master would not know what he was doing! It was self that blinded Judas, for self is the essential element of unbelief. Not honest doubt, but doubt which is prompted by self, is unbelief. Faith depends not so much upon evidence as upon a clean heart. If you would have the former, first be sure that you have the latter. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.6
“Faithful is this saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me as chief might Jesus Christ shew for all His long-suffering, for an example of them which should hereafter believe on Him unto the eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:15, 16. In this there is wonderful encouragement, namely, that the chiefest sinner will receive the chiefest grace. All may accept the Saviour’s salvation, for if a man is extraordinarily weak, Christ will bestow upon him extraordinary strength; if a man is the greater sinner, he may have the greater grace. Where sin abounded, grace does much more abound. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.7
“The Coming War” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
The Coming War.-The Echo says:- PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.8
No doubt there is some exaggeration in the following telegram from Rome, and yet it serves to show that the position of Italy is fast becoming intolerable:-“The terrible condition of Sicily is causing great anxiety. About 350,000 men and women have joined the ranks of the Socialists. The people are utterly desperate, the women being the worst, and leading the men on. ‘Bread or death’ is the general cry.” Yet poverty-stricken Italy continues to pay about fourteen millions a year for army and navy, and the new Prime Minister, Signor Crispi, himself a Sicilian, refuses to make any abatement in the war expenditure. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.9
The only question is, How much longer can Italy stand the strain of the militarism that is cursing Europe? If she is not already in the “last ditch,” how long will it be before she gets there? And when she can go no further, then what? To all human appearance and to all predictions, the long-looked-for European war, with its whirlwind of murder and desolation! But Christ is coming, the “Prince of peace,” He who “maketh force to cease unto the ends of the earth,” and “breaketh the bow and cutteth the spear in sunder.” Psalm 46:9. Who will be ready to say in that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him; and He will save us”? Isaiah 25:9. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.10
“Dead unto Sin” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
Dead unto Sin.-“Likewise recokon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive under God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:11. We are not to wait till some experience shows us that we are dead unto sin, before we reckon ourselves to be so, but count it as a fact from the first moment that we accept and believe on Christ. Sin may be in us, but when we count ourselves to be dead to it, and alive unto God, He works in us, and not the sin; and His work will be to remove sin from us, to “cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And thus will we live here the life of those who are raised from the dead. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.11
“Murdering Sleep” The Present Truth 9, 38.
E. J. Waggoner
Murdering Sleep.-The New York Independent of December 7, contains an article on “Sleep,” by Henry M. Lyman, A.M., M.D., in which the various causes of sleeplessness are noted, with the object of helping troubled ones to obtain needed rest. Among other things he says:- PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.12
In certain cases it will be found that the sufferer is a victim of malaria, or other infective poison, which must be thoroughly eliminated from the body before healthy sleep can be enjoyed. But, in the majority of the patients whom one encounters in our modern cities, there has been a slow poisoning of the brain with the narcotics and irritants that are so freely employed by the many who are ignorant of their effects. I do not now refer to alcohol and tobacco, for their pernicious activity is pretty generally recognised. I refer to those milder poisons, tea and coffee. These substances are slow and insidious in their action; and the comfort derived from their use is of such an agreeable nature that their harmful energy is often overlooked.For labourers, and for workmen who pass the greater part of their life in the open air, these beverages possess the minimum of noxious influence. But for women and children, and for men of the professional and official classes, whose life is passed indoors, and whose nerves are consequently in a highly sensitive condition, the constant use of tea and coffee, as ordinarily prepared, is very prejudicial to that nervous integrity that permits unbroken, restful sleep. These beverages should no more than alcoholic beverages be allowed as a daily means of refreshment. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.13
He further says that tea and coffee as ordinarily used are “dangerous poisons.” This is a truth, and should be heeded. Thousands of persons who are troubled with sleeplessness and general nervousness would find relief and a great increase of strength by abandoning the use of tea and coffee. PTUK December 21, 1893, page 608.14