October 8, 1896

“Front Page” The Present Truth, 12, 41.

E. J. Waggoner

The Pope evidently expects new converts as a result of his final pronouncement against Anglican orders, for he suggests to Cardinal Vaughan “the formation of a considerable fund for the help of converted Anglican clergymen.”PTUK October 8, 1896, page 641.1

Cardinal Vaughan urges those Anglican clergymen and laymen who have been longing for reunion with Rome to come into the open arms of the “Mother Church” and “no longer to temporise with grace. Persons desiring to act might communicate with any bishop or priest, or with himself, for instruction and direction. Let them not tarry for corporate reunion. It was a dream and snare of the Evil One. They had all to be converted to God individually.”PTUK October 8, 1896, page 641.2

The old rabbis, the doctors of the Jewish church, had their fable of oral traditions handed down from Moses to the men of the Great Synagogue, who later put them into writing, with interpretations and comments, without which it was impossible to understand the Scriptures. Just so the Catholic doctrine of tradition substitutes the vagaries of the Fathers for the pure words of God. And they are said to have received the traditions from the apostles just as the Jewish rabbinical writers received their traditions through Moses, who talked with God. The Jews made void the commandments of God by their traditions, and thus the Catholic Church has made void the Word by tradition. Drink of the fountain head.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 641.3

“Whose Man Are You? Christ’s? Or Whose?” The Present Truth, 12, 41.

E. J. Waggoner

In olden time when two companies met, or a wayfarer was descried by the way, the accustomed challenge was, “Whose man are you?”PTUK October 8, 1896, page 642.1

That, in a larger way, is the challenge now. Are you for peace, or war? Whose man are you,-Christ’s or Satan’s?PTUK October 8, 1896, page 642.2

The Daily Mail asks of the public meetings which have been so much for war, “Is this a clergyman’s agitation?” and quotes this paragraph from the Scotsman:-PTUK October 8, 1896, page 642.3

The most warlike section of the public press is the so-called religious press. Clergymen like Canon MacColl and Dr. Guinness Rogers, and that more fiery and foolish agitator Mr. Hugh Price Hughes, are among the leading spirits in a movement which, consciously or unconsciously, has for its object the destruction of the peace of Europe. Of the eight speakers-excluding the Lord Mayor, who presided officially-at the Birmingham meeting, five were clergymen. Of the five speakers at the overflow meeting, three were clergymen. The present atrocity agitation is in the main a clergyman’s agitation.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 642.4

The Scotsman goes on to say that if this were only a religious movement at heart, instead of really a political question, the clergy might be not only excused but commended for their ardour. In this thought the Scotsman is sadly in error.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 642.5

Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.” It was in this connection, during the same discourse, that He continued the thought thus:-“Ye have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also... Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.”PTUK October 8, 1896, page 642.6

Such an injunction as this, in such earnest and loving terms, certainly does raise the question as to whether they who do not follow this counsel can ever be the children of the heavenly Father. Is Jesus the god of battles and strife, or is He the Prince of Peace? He says He is the God of Peace. How then can He be the god of battles? He commands peace, and says, “Thou shalt not kill.” Does He also sound the call to war, and march with the heaviest battalions? Does our God blow both the hot breath of battle and the cool, sweet blessings of peace? How is it, then, is there a contradiction here? Is He the God of battles, or not? He is not, except as He is God over all, and will make the wrath of man to praise Him,-yes, and the wrath of Satan also. For it is he, Satan, who is the god of battles, in the sense that he incites to war and slaughter.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 642.7

Is he who kills a thousand any less a murderer that he who kills one? Certainly not, but a thousand times more. Because the subject is enlisted as a soldier, and acts under the authority of his commanding officer, does that reduce the individual responsibility of the soldier, the officer, or the sovereign? Certainly it does not. God is not mocked. There is no evasion of guilt, or avoidance of sentence and punishment, in His court. There it will be true that “murder will out,”-and there it will not be true that “dead men tell no tales.” The witnesses will all be there, and the indictment perfect, in every case. The soldier who has killed his man will be found guilty of the single murder, as any other murderer. But what of the guilt, also, of the commander, at whose word tens of thousands have taken the lives of others and have themselves fallen? Or what the responsibility of the sovereign at whose whim, or to satisfy whose sense of wounded honour, hundreds of thousands of lives have been sacrificed on the field of battle?PTUK October 8, 1896, page 642.8

If none of these shall escape the apportionment of their guilt, what shall be the fate of those who, having been appointed pastors and masters of the spiritual interests of the people, place in their hands the firebrands of war instead of holding to their lips the cooling cup of peace. What would be the fate of an officer who in time of action, in the field, deliberately transferred his services to the enemy? Let the military code, under which they place themselves, decide. Retribution would be short, sharp, merciless, would it not? Pastors and ministers are officers in the army of peace,-the army of the Lord and of His Son Jesus Christ. The army of peace is ever in the field, and will be so long as the world lasts. What shall be said of those officers in God’s army who now, in time of action, desert to the army of Satan, and strive to carry all their gathered forces with them!PTUK October 8, 1896, page 643.1

Offences must needs come. War there will inevitably be, sooner or later. The armed neutrality of Europe will not always be maintained. But what sane man desires to incur the awful guilt of the slaughter which will ensue?PTUK October 8, 1896, page 643.2

“The ‘Institut Sanitarie’ of Basel” The Present Truth, 12, 41.

E. J. Waggoner

The large building at the left, in the cut on this page, is the sanatorium carried on under the direction of our Society, in Basel, Switzerland. The institution goes under the French title of “Institut Sanitaire,” although it is thoroughly polyglot in its character, its faculty and core of nurses speaking English, French, German, and the Scandinavian languages. This sanatorium has now been in successful operation nearly a year. The location of the building is most excellent, being number 48, Weiherweg, facing the Schutzenmatt, large open public grounds, which gives an uninterrupted view from the windows of the building to the high foothills of the Juras, not far distant. From the observatory on the roof may be seen, when the atmosphere is clear, the Juras, the Vosges, and the mountains of the Black forest in Germany.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 643.3

Basel itself is an interesting, conservative old Swiss city. It has the reputation of being the wealthiest city of its size in the world. Its ancient university, still flourishing, was established some years before the discovery of the art of printing. The medical department, although not largely attended, is very thorough and complete in its teaching and enjoys excellent facilities, the hospitals of the city being very finely appointed, and well carried on.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 643.4

The Institut Sanitaire is managed upon thoroughly practical hygienic principles,-its bathing and massage rooms are convenient and provided with competent, educated operators of experience. The bakery attached to the building not only provides the table of the institution with some ten or a dozen different varieties of bread, biscuits, and health foods, but is beginning to do some business for the trade. The biscuits and health foods produced there find favour wherever they are used.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 643.5

This institution is very well situated indeed, being centrally located on the direct line of European travel, and as it becomes more widely known will be able to extend its sphere of usefulness accordingly.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 644.1

The building was formerly the printing and publishing house of our Society for Central Europe, but when, as some of our readers will remember, the Sunday laws of Switzerland compelled the closing down of the presses, the printing work was transferred partly to Germany and partly placed with other printers in Basel, and then the building was remodelled and fitted as a health institution to bear its part still in preaching the Gospel. For the Gospel by no means neglects the body while it ministers to the spiritual life. The principles of health and temperance, and the teaching of a proper care of the body and health and disease are of vital importance, it can by no means be neglected by those who recognise the fact that men and women are not their own, but belong to God, and are responsible to give Him the best service of their lives.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 644.2

“War and Peace” The Present Truth, 12, 41.

E. J. Waggoner

Li Hung Chang has learned the Western plea for armaments. He says, “The best guarantee for peace is to be ready for war.” Yet somehow all countries seem to feel that the carrying of arms by the private citizen does not make for domestic peace.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 644.3

“The Promises to Israel. Bread from Heaven” The Present Truth, 12, 41.

E. J. Waggoner

It is with singing that the ransomed of the Lord will return and come to Zion. The song of victory is an evidence of faith, by which the just shall live. The exhortation is, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.” Hebrews 10:35. “We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.” Hebrews 3:14. The Israelites had started well. “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land.” On the other shore they had sung the song of victory. True, they were still in the wilderness; but faith is “the victory that hath overcome the world,” and they had just received the most wonderful evidence of the power of God to carry them safely through. Had they but gone on singing that song of victory, they would speedily have come to Zion.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 644.4

But they had not yet perfectly learned the lesson. They could trust the Lord as far as they could see Him, but no further. They “provoked Him at the sea, even at the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up; so He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies; there was not one of them left. Then believed they His words; they sang His praise; they soon forgot His works; they waited not for His counsel.” Psalm 111:7-13.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 644.5

Only three days’ journey in the wilderness without water sufficed to make them forget all that the Lord had done for them. When they found water, it was so bitter that they could not drink it, and then they murmured. This difficulty was easily remedied by the Lord, who showed Moses a tree which, when cast into the bitter waters, made them sweet. “There He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them.” Exodus 15:25.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 644.6

Encamped by the palm trees and wells of Elim, they had nothing to vex them, so that it must have been nearly a month before they murmured again. During that time they doubtless felt very well satisfied with themselves, as well as with their surroundings. Now they were surely trusting the Lord! It is so easy for us to imagine that we are making progress when we are only lying at anchor, and the tide is flowing past us; so natural to think that we have learned to trust the Lord, when there are no trials to test our faith.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 644.7

It was not long before the people not only forgot the power of the Lord, but they were ready to deny that He had ever had anything to do with them. It was only a month and a half after their leaving Egypt that they came to the wilderness of Sin, “which is between Elim and Sinai,” “and the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness; and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 644.8

“Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt; and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that He heareth your murmurings against the Lord; and what are we, that ye murmur against us?” Verses 4-7.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.1

The next morning when the dew was gone, “behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost upon the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna; for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.” Verses 14-18.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.2

“And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank; and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every man according to his eating; and when the sun waxed hot it melted.” Verses 19-21.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.3

“And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for every man; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord; bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade; and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that to-day: for to-day is a Sabbath unto the Lord; to-day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.” Verses 22-26.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.4

“And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws? See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the Sabbath the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of His place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day.” Verses 27-30.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.5

We now have the entire story before us, and can study its lessons in detail. Remember that this was not written for the sake of those who participated in it, but for us. “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” If they failed to learn the lesson that God designed they should from the event, there is so much the more reason for us to learn it from the record.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.6

THE TEST

The Lord said that He would prove the people, whether they would walk in His law or not. And the special thing upon which they were tested was the Sabbath. If they would keep this, there was no doubt that they would keep the whole law. The Sabbath, therefore, was the crucial test of the law of God, Even so it is now, as the following points that we have already learned will show:-PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.7

1. The people were being delivered in pursuance of the covenant made with Abraham. See Exodus 6:3, 4. That covenant had been confirmed with an oath, and the time of the promise which God had sworn to Abraham had come near. Abraham kept God’s law, and it was on this account that the promise was continued to his descendants. Genesis 26:3-5. The Lord said to Isaac that He would perform all the oath that He swore unto Abraham his father, “because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Now when God was bringing the children of Abraham out of Egypt, in fulfillment of that oath, He proposed to test them to see if they also would walk in His law; and the point upon which He tested them was the Sabbath. This therefore proves beyond all controversy that the Sabbath was kept by Abraham, and that it was in the covenant made with him. It was a part of the righteousness of the faith which Abraham had before he was circumcised.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.8

2. “If ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Now since the Sabbath-the very same one that the Israelites kept in the wilderness, and which the descendants of Jacob have kept, or professed to, until this day-was in the covenant made with Abraham, it follows that it is the Sabbath for Christians to keep.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.9

3. We have already learned that our hope is the very same that was set before Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the children of Israel. “The hope of the promise made of God unto the fathers,” was that for which the Apostle Paul was judged (Acts 26:6); and the promise to the faithful is that they shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God. The Lord has set His hand the second time to deliver the remnant of His people and therefore the test of obedience at this time is the same that it was at the beginning. The Sabbath is the memorial of God’s power as Creator and Sanctifier; and in the message that announces the hour of God’s Judgment at hand, the everlasting Gospel, which is the preparation for the end, is preached in the words, “Worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:6, 7.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.10

This test was made before the law was spoken from Sinai, and before the people had reached that place.Yet we find that every feature of the law was already known. So far was the giving of the law from Sinai from being the first announcement of it, that more than a month before that event the children of Israel were tasted upon it; and the words, “How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?” show that they had known it a long time, and had often broken it through their unbelief.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.11

When we come to the events connected with the giving of the law, we shall be able to see more clearly than now that the Sabbath which the Jews were expected to keep could not by any possibility be affected by the death of Christ, but that it was for ever identified with the Gospel, centuries before the crucifixion. In this connection, however, we must note one point in regard to the definiteness of the Sabbath day.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 645.12

The people were told, “Six days shall ye gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.” This is the very same expression that is used in the fourth commandment, “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.” Many people have been led to believe that the commandment is not definite in its requirement, and that the Sabbath is not by it fixed to one particular day of the week, but that any day of the week will answer, provided it is preceded by six days of labour. The account of the giving of the manna shows that this is a mistaken idea, and that the commandment requires not simply an indefinite seventh part of time, but the seventh day of the week.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 646.1

The giving of the manna showed most positively that the Sabbath day was definite, and that it was not left for man to decide which day it is. Moreover is showed that “the seventh day” does not mean the seventh part of time, but a definitely recurring day. If “the seventh day” means one seventh part of time, then “the sixth day” would at the same time mean the sixth part of time; but if the children of Israel had proceeded upon that assumption, they would have been in difficulty the first thing.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 646.2

There is but one period of seven days, and that is the week which was known from the creation. God worked six days, and in those first six days He finished the work of creation; “and He rested the seventh day from 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 2:2, 3. Therefore, when God says that the seventh day is the Sabbath, He means that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, the day that is commonly known as Saturday. The sixth day, upon which the children of Israel were to prepare for the Sabbath, is the sixth day of the week, commonly called Friday.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 646.3

This is also settled beyond all controversy by the account of the crucifixion and burial of Christ, where we are told that the women came to the sepulchre “in the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week” (Matthew 28:1); and by another writer that it was “when the Sabbath was past.” Mark 16:1. We refer to these texts to show that the first day of the week immediately follows the Sabbath, and that no time intervened between the close of the Sabbath and the visit of the women to the sepulchre. Now when we read the record in Luke, we learn that when Christ was buried “that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.” The women came and saw where He was laid, “and they returned, and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.” And “upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre.” Luke 23:54-56; 24:1.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 646.4

The Sabbath followed “the preparation,” and immediately preceded “the first day of the week.” Therefore the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week. And it was “the Sabbath day according to the commandment.” Therefore the Sabbath of the commandment is none other than the seventh day of the week. This was the day which God marked out in the most special manner as the Sabbath, by performing wonderful miracles in its honour for forty years. Let this fact be well considered. Let it be remembered that whenever in the Bible the Sabbath is spoken of, the seventh day of the week, and that only, is meant. That long before the days of Moses, this Sabbath of the fourth commandment, together with the whole law, was inseparably connected with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will be very apparent as we proceed in our study.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 646.5

“A Grasshopper Story” The Present Truth, 12, 41.

E. J. Waggoner

When I go to London, I always stand at the corner of the Bank of England for a minute or two, watching the crowd of busy men hurrying everywhere. What thousands of cares they carry! How many anxieties!PTUK October 8, 1896, page 653.1

Then I look at the Royal Exchange. It is pleasant to see the London sparrows, though they are a little black and grimy, chirping on the massive cornices, as free and happy as possible, above the din and awful hurry of the great city.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 653.2

They have no cares, no anxieties. They seem to know what the great letters mean, which are out in the stones on which they hop: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.” God keeps the sparrows, and they are happy. I wish the busy city men would watch the sparrows, and read the great city text.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 653.3

But the sparrows and the text are not the most attractive things about the Exchange, and I am sure if you look at it, you will think as I do that the weather-cock is the most singular and curious thing about the building. It is not like any other weather-cock in England, or, I should think, in the world; and I'll tell you how it came to be there.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 653.4

About three hundred and fifty years ago, a woman, with a little baby in her arms, was trudging along a country lane. Presently, after looking to see that no one was watching her, she climbed over the gate into the field, and wrapping the baby in its little shawl, she laid it down in the grass, so gently as not to awaken it, and then, never even looking behind her, she climbed over the gate again into the lane and went on her journey.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 653.5

The baby soon awoke, and began to cry; and it cried for a long, long time. And at last, tired and hungry, and hot with the sun, for it was a fine summer’s day, it was wearied out, and dropped off to sleep again. But God had “heard the voice of the lad,” and see how simply He brought help for the little one.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 653.6

By and by, down the Iane came a school-boy. He was whistling away, as happy as ever he could be; he had come out of school, and was going home. He lived at the farmhouse a little way farther up the lane. Now he gathered a few primroses; now he scampered after a butterfly; now he had a shy at a bird; but just as he came to the gate over which the woman had climbed, he heard a grasshopper chirping away also so loudly that he sprang over the gate to catch him, and there was the baby, fast asleep. Far more pleased than if he had caught a hundred grasshoppers, the boy took up the little fellow, and ran home with his prize. The kind farmer’s wife, although she had many children of her own, at once determined to keep the little orphan who had been saved by a grasshopper.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 653.7

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth, 12, 41.

E. J. Waggoner

-Servia is buying from Russia 200,000 repeating rifles.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.1

-Telegraph operators have been out on strike in Canada.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.2

-The long continuance of wet weather has blighted the potato crop in some countries.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.3

-Bohemian coal miners have been on strike, and the military were called out to suppress violence.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.4

-More gold is reported from Newfoundland, a number of reefs promising the metal in paying quantities.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.5

-A terrific storm along the South Atlantic sea-board in the United States caused great damage and loss of life last week.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.6

-A slight earthquake which shook houses and began with a laud noise like an explosion, occurred last week on the East Coast.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.7

-The Transvaal has been spending about ?40,000 a mouth in the effort to fight the rinderpest, and without much apparent success.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.8

-Japan has now a large navy, and the diet has voted to increase it very materially, the greater number of ships to be made in Japan.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.9

-The state of Madagascar continues deplorable. The native insurgents hold most of the country districts, and have even threatened the capital.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.10

-The natives in Rhodesia continue surrendering, and save for isolated chiefs who still refuse to cease fighting, the country is comparatively quiet.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.11

-Greek and Armenian bands are causing trouble on the Macedonian border, trying to enter the Turkish territory to stir up insurrection against Turkish rule.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.12

-Drought in Northern India has led to serious disturbance. Crops are short and the rite in price of grain causes great want. Grain riots have occurred at several points.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.13

-It is said that the Soudan expedition will go no further than Dongola this year. Officers are to be appointed over this province, and the railway and steamer communication is to be maintained between Dungola and Egypt.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.14

-Calculating the salaries of rulers a newspaper finds that the Czar has ?250 per hour, the Sultan ?170, the Emperor of Austria ?100, the Kaiser ?90, the King of Italy ?66, Queen Victoria ?66, the French President ?30, the King of the Belgians ?13, and the President of the United States ?1 10s. per hour.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.15

-The German empire, with 55,000,000 population, has but 78 subjects who are mere than one hundred years old. France, with lower than 40,000,000, has 213 persons who have passed their hunuredth birthday. England has 146; Ireland, 678; Scotland, 46; Denmark, 2; Belgium, 5; Sweden, 10; and Norway, with 2,000,000 inhabitants, 23. Switzerland does not boast a single centenarian, but Spain, with about 18,000,000 population, has 401.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 654.16

“Back Page” The Present Truth, 12, 41.

E. J. Waggoner

Funds are being raised to erect a granite obelisk in Lutterworth, the scene of Wycliffe’s later ministry to commemorate the labours of the “Morning Star of the Reformation.”PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.1

A foreign journal remarks upon the increase of legislation and of the demand for legislation enforcing varying degrees of Sunday observance in France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Sweden.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.2

A writer in a Spiritualist journal congratulates a famous preacher on his courage in preaching out-and-out Spiritualism, describing the spirits of the departed as taking part in affairs of earth. “The Sin of Witchcraft,” in our list of tracts (price 2nd.), shows what is involved in this delusion of Spiritualism, and we commend it to all who want to know what the Bible says of it.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.3

Apparently there will be a temporary lull in the storm that is gathering in the Near East. God’s hand restraints where human passion would hasten the desolating conflict. The winds of strife are held that the servants of God may be sealed (Revelation 7:1-3). What a trumpet call to duty does God now sound to all Christians who know that the work of Christians in this world is to preach the Word.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.4

Just recently the professedly Protestant church authorities in Constantinople call the attention of the Turkish authorities to the growth of the work of Seventh-day Adventists in Turkey, asking that it might be suppressed. The result was that the request was refused and the work and lives of our friends there spoken of commendably. In every case where our workers have suffered physical violence in Turkey it has been at the hands of professed Christians. The various sects fight among themselves and accuse one another to the authorities. Is it any wonder that Mohammedans have a poor idea of Christians generally? It shows the need of Gospel work in Turkey to show professed Christians and Turks alike that the Christianity of Christ means a life of honesty and sobriety and obedience to God’s law.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.5

Because a man can do little he is not to refrain from doing that little, for that is to distrust God’s power and to say that the good accomplished depends on the giver. A lad once had but five loaves and two small fishes, but they fed five thousand people because Divine power blessed the little store.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.6

We look out upon the world lying in wickedness, and darkness covering the earth and gross darkness the people. There are so few missionaries out in destitute fields; millions of heathen who have not heard the Gospel are hearing of the improved methods of warfare in vogue in the Western world, and are catching the spirit of unrest and violence. Yet the Gospel must go to all nations and tongues before the end comes. How can it? The lesson of the five loaves and the five thousand hungry souls tells us how. God can do it, because there is nothing too hard for Him, and a short work will He make in the earth.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.7

At Pentecost the Lord had gathered to Jerusalem representatives of many nations who heard the Gospel, each in his own tongue. During this century the Lord has so multiplied His Word that it is now speaking the same Gospel in 330 languages, and He now asks believers to go into all the world to carry this Word to those who are waiting to hear the message that it bears. And the Holy Spirit accompanies the Word to convict hearts now as at Pentecost.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.8

No observer can fail to see the revival of the old spirit of the Papacy in the enforcement of Sunday laws. Two cases were before the magistrates in London last week. An Italian was fined for selling buns and cakes. It seems bread may be sold on Sunday by a baker, but not buns, a distinction which the magistrate agreed was a very fine one. The Chronicle says, “Sunday work will, we hope, have the attention of those who frame the next Factory Act.” The Chronicle of course works on Sunday to get out its Monday’s edition, with all the betting and sporting news of the week-end, but this does not prevent its joining in the cry for Sunday observance in ordinary occupations, enforced by fines and imprisonment.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.9

The rinderpest, the terrible cattle plague which has worked such havoc in Rhodesia, has appeared in Cape Colony, and advices state that the fifteenth of this month has been officially appointed as a day of humiliation and prayer. God is as ready to hear as in the days of Nineveh, but He asks for a rending of the heart and not of the garments, a turning from wickedness and not a formal service, with a day’s cessation of the rush of pleasure-seeking and money-getting.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.10

American papers show that the pulpit is taking a greater part in the presidential campaign this year than ever before. It is the natural result of the “Christian citizenship” movement which has got possession of the American churches. And while the issue is arraying class against class and section against section, and observers cannot but think of the possibility of strife and even revolution in the country in the near future, the churches, by joining in the political controversy, are losing their power to hold political passion in check with the restraints of religion.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.11

The life of Jesus is the example of what a Christian life is. “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow in His steps; who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.” And He is the only one who has the power to live that kind of life in human flesh to-day.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.12

A religious journal, arguing in favour of the Christian’s maintaining his rights alongside the worldling, says:-PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.13

It was absolutely necessary that men should be the guardian of his own rights in this world, and for the temporary concerns of this world.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.14

It would be a dreary world if this were true. And how different would have been the history of the world if professed Christians had followed the example of Christ instead of acting on this worldly maxim. The fifth chapter of James shows, too, that the principles of Christianity are to guide the believer in his temporal affairs till the very end. God has not renounced the guardianship of His children, who may safely put their trust in Him.PTUK October 8, 1896, page 656.15