November 30, 1899

“Front Page” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel.” Micah 5:2.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 753.1

If we compare this verse with the rendering that is given in the quotation in the Gospel of Matthew, we shall learn something of what God means by a ruler, and how He rules: “And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a Governor that shall rule My people Israel.” Matthew 2:6.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 753.2

The margin has “feed,” and the Revision has “be shepherd of,” as an equivalent. These two are the same; for the shepherd feeds the sheep; and one or the other of those means must be used here, since the Greek word cannot be rendered “rule.” It must be rendered, “He shall feed,” or, “He shall shepherd” them. The translators of our common version evidently had the original passage in Micah in mind, and feared that if they translated Matthew 2:6 literally, it would seem like a contradiction; so they gave us “rule.” But there is no need to be afraid to take God's Word just as it reads. There is no contradiction between the text in Micah and the quotation in Matthew; we simply learn that God's idea of ruling is that of feeding.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 753.3

God is Ruler of the universe; He is King over all; yet “Jehovah is my Shepherd.” Christ is “that great Shepherd of the sheep.” Hebrews 13:20. Earthly rulers expect to be supported by those over whom they rule; God Himself supports all His subjects; indeed, His rule consists in feeding them, acting as Shepherd, leading them by still waters and in green pastures. He does not rule them and feed them, but His feeding of them is His ruling.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 753.4

Jesus said: “I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.” John 10:11. So the Ruler feeds His people with His own body. What a foolish choice Israel made when they rejected God as their Ruler, and desired a king like the heathen round them! God warned them, saying, “He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.... And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.” 1 Samuel 8:11-17.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 753.5

Contrast this with Christ, who “gave Himself for us.” The earthly king took of his subjects for himself; the heavenly King gives Himself for His subjects. It is a poor exchange that men have made; but there is still opportunity for us to change back, and to accept as our Ruler the One who gave Himself for us, and who rules only by virtue of His life in us, upon which we are to feed that we may live.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 754.1

For our king is “the Bread of Life.” He came forth out of Bethlehem-the “house of bread.” What wonderful fitness! He is the corn that fell into the earth to die, that He might bear much fruit. John 12:24. He was bruised and crushed for us. As the Bread of Life, His body was and is broken for us, that we may eat, and be “filled with all the fulness of God.” “This is the Bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead; he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.” John 6:58.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 754.2

Yet the manna was bread from heaven. Exodus 16:4, 15. Spiritual meat, even Christ's body, which is the true food (John 6:55), was given to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and eaten by them. 1 Corinthians 10:3, 4. Nevertheless they died. “With many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” Wherefore? Because they did not eat in faith. It was because of unbelief, that they could not enter the promised land, but died in the wilderness. Hebrews 3:17-19. “They believed not in God, and trusted not in His salvation; though He had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food.” Psalm 78:22-25.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 754.3

This Bread of Life is given to us, that we may eat, and not die (John 6:50); yet if the man who eats of Him does not believe, he will certainly die. See Romans 14:23; 1 Corinthians 11:29, 30. “He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18. So he who does not eat of Christ in faith, discerning His body, is the same as though he did not eat. It is therefore only by faith that we really and truly eat of the Bread of Life; and “the just shall live by faith.” So he who truly eats the Bread of life will live for ever.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 754.4

The children of Israel died because they lusted after evil things. 1 Corinthians 10:5. They said, “There is nothing at all, beside this manna before our eyes” (Numbers 11:6), and, “our soul loatheth this light bread.” Numbers 21:5. That shows that they did not believe that the manna was the body of Christ,-bread from heaven,-for if they had believed it, they would have been satisfied with it. Men are “abundantly satisfied” with the fatness of God's house (Psalm 36:8); but it can never be taken except by faith. If one does not discern the Lord's body, he gets no real and lasting benefit from it.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 754.5

Three different events are set before us in the Scriptures, to enable us to discern the body of Christ. We have read of the manna in the desert, and are told that it was bread form heaven-spiritual food. The same night that Jesus was betrayed, He took bread,-the pure, unleavened bread that was upon the table at the Passover meal,-and, after giving thanks, said, “This is My body.” 1 Corinthians 11:23, 24. Here we have Christ's testimony to the effect that pure food is His own body, and that in eating it we are feeding upon Him. On at least two occasions he had miraculously fed some thousands of hungry people with a very small portion of good. There was not bread enough for all to get a crumb, yet all were filled. Where did the bread come from?-Evidently from His own body. He did not at that time say anything (although He did the next day); yet no words would have made it clearer, that it was from the body of Christ that the multitude ate that day; for they saw it demonstrated.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 754.6

God gave the children of Israel manna in the desert, in order that they might “know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” Deuteronomy 8:3. In eating it, therefore, they were eating the Word of God. Why does God feed us? What is the real object of eating?-“That we may live,” some one will say. That is true; but in saying that, we must not forget that God is our life and the length of our days. Deuteronomy 30:20. Only in Him do we live. Acts 17:28. It would be possible, as has been proved on occasion, for God to keep us alive without our eating; but if that were done, we should have no visible proof that we do not have life in ourselves; in taking food, however, which we are obliged to do regularly, we have the proof constantly before us, that we have no life in ourselves, but must receive it daily from God, who feeds His flock with His own life. Food is given to us in order that we may know God, and not forget His benefits.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 754.7

The rulers of the Jews-the princes of this world-crucified the Lord of glory, because they did not know Him. 1 Corinthians 2:8. They did not discern, under the veil of human flesh, the body of Christ. If they had, they could not have crucified Him. Their ignorance was their sin, but there was forgiveness for it if they repented, and accepted Him. Can we be guilty of the same sin?-Certainly. How?-By not discerning Christ's body, under the veil of the food that he provides for us daily. “Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.” 1 Corinthians 11:27, 28. Whoever eats bread, not simply on the set occasions when the Lord's Supper is formally eaten, but at any time, and does not discern the Lord's body-His life in it, given to us that we may have life with which to serve Him, is guilty of the death of Christ just as certainly as were the rulers of the Jews.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 754.8

Just a moment's thought will make this clear. For example: If I am seen taking a man into my house, and the house is watched, but the man is never seen to come out again, I shall be charged with murdering him. There will be strong presumptive evidence of it, and the finding of his body will prove it. Well now, when we eat the daily bread that God provides us, we take His body, His life. That is plainly to be seen. That puts us under obligation to let His life appear in our bodies, and to control us; for He alone has the right and power to live His own life. But if we do not discern the fact that we are taking His life in the food that He gives us, we shall not yield ourselves to it. We shall assume that the life that we have is our own, to use as we please. Thus we take Christ in, but He is not seen again. We take His life, and bury Him. We are thus guilty of His death. That is a terrible thing.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 754.9

Let us not do so any more. We do not need to. Christ liveth. He may be, and should be, and is, crucified in us: but if we confess, Him-if we confess that “Christ is come in the flesh,”-and then believe in our heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, and so allow Him to live in us by the power of the resurrection, we shall continually eat righteousness and life and salvation. He is made unto us righteousness; and they who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled. Oh, receive not the grace of God in vain!PTUK November 30, 1899, page 755.1

“The Gospel of Isaiah. The Sin-bearer. Isaiah 43:14-28” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

(Isaiah 43:14-28.)

“Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing. I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as flax: Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field shall honour Me, the jackals and the ostriches because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen: the people which I formed for Myself, that they might set forth My praise. Yet thou hast not called upon Me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of Me, O Israel. Thou hast not brought Me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured Me with thy sacrifices. I have not made thee to serve with offerings, nor wearied thee with frankincense. Thou hast bought Me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled Me with the fat of thy sacrifices; but thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities. I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and I will not remember thy sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us plead together; set thou forth thy cause, that thou mayest be justified. Thy first father hath sinned, and thine interpreters have transgressed against Me. Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary, and I will make Jacob a curse, and Israel a reviling.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 755.2

GOD'S POWER TO DELIVER

Again we have a reminder of God's power and His care for His people. We recall from the fortieth chapter that Israel says, “My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God.” Therefore God tells what He has done for their sake. All the enemies of His people, who put their trust in their war ships, are taken captive by Him. He delivers His people from bondage, even making a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters, as when He brought Israel out of Egypt. The chariot and the horse, the army and the power, are as nothing compared with the Lord. “The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.” “Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea; his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them; they sank into the bottom as a stone.” Exodus 15:1, 4, 5.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 755.3

That was a wonderful deliverance; but the Lord will do still more wonderful things. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but the Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had drive them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” Jeremiah 23:7, 8. The things which God will yet do for His people are so great that the marvelous events of the exodus will pale into insignificance by the side of them.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 755.4

GOD'S CHILDREN DELIVERED FROM EGYPT

The Lord is the God that has brought His people out of the land of Egypt. “Out of Egypt have I called My Son,” says the Lord by the prophet, and this is true of every one of His sons. Out of the land of Egypt must we all come; and that wonderful deliverance in the days of Moses, will stand as the evidence of God's power to save, and the quickener of faith, until the future, final deliverance shall have been effected, and then to all eternity the “new thing” that God has done will be the theme of the saved. In the performance of this new thing the Lord will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the dessert to give drink to His chosen witnesses, His servants. Now this was written nearly a thousand years after the exodus from Egypt, when God caused the waters to run in the dry places like a river, so that Israel might drink; and since that time there has never been a similar occurrence, that is, none on a similar scale; therefore it is evident that these things are yet to be fulfilled. That they are to be literally fulfilled, we cannot doubt. If we should deny that we here have statements of what will actually occur, the only reason for it would be the improbability of such things being done, because we are not accustomed to them. But that would be a denial of the Lord. This is a case in which God's power and love are called in question, and He will do such things as will leave no chance for doubt. In the time of trouble of which we have previously read, when the flame devours the pastures of the wilderness, God will cause rivers of water to spring forth from the dry ground to refresh His children.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 755.5

POWER YET TO BE MANIFESTED

The wild beasts will also honour God. We remember that Jesus was in the wilderness of temptation forty days, and was with the wild beasts. Mark 1:2, 13. They compassed Him about, and gaped upon Him with their mouths, and He was threatened by the lions, and was seemingly about to be tossed by the horns of the wild oxen (Psalm 22:11-13, 21); yet not one of them touch Him. They recognised in Him the authority of their Creator. Even so it was with Daniel in the den of lions. Their refusal to harm the prophet of God, although they were hungry, as was shown by their instantly devouring his accusers, was a testimony to the saving power of God. Thus they honoured Him. God's people are yet to be brought into just such close places for their faith, and the wild beasts of the desert will do homage to the power of the righteousness of Jehovah in them. God made man to have dominion over the beasts, and this he had as long as he remained his loyalty to God, and when men become perfect witnesses for God,-when the image of God is perfectly restored in them, and the life of Jesus is manifested in their mortal flesh,-the authority of God in them will be recognised by wild beasts and serpents. When it is thus demonstrated that man has recovered his kingly authority, it will be but a very short time until the first dominion will be restored to him.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 756.1

GOD'S GLORY REVEALED IN AND BY ME

“This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise.” It is of us that the Lord speaks. The Apostle Peter says, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him that hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9. That is what God has made us for. He has chosen us as His servants, that He might reveal Himself in us. It is our “high calling in Christ Jesus.” Is it not a wonderful thing, that even as the glory of God shone forth of old from the sanctuary, so now He will let His glory shine forth from the men who will acknowledge themselves to be the temples of God? And the glory of God that is seen on them, will be their own glory, shining forth from them. “He will beautify the meek with salvation.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 756.2

ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE

What shall we think of the Lord's complaint against Israel, that they have not brought burnt-offerings to Him, and have not honoured Him with their sacrifices? Does it mean that they had been remiss in their daily and yearly services? Not by any means. Remember what He said to them in the very beginning of the prophecy of Isaiah. “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the Lord; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.” Isaiah 1:11. What does He mean then, by what He says here? He means just what He meant in the beginning, when He said, “Bring no more vain oblations.” Their sacrifices were vain, because there was no heart in them. They did not give themselves, and that is all the sacrifice that is acceptable to God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17. When these are present, God is “pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness.” God says, “I have not caused thee to serve with a burnt offering, nor wearied thee with incense.” In like manner He said by the prophet Jeremiah: “I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices; but this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people; and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.” Jeremiah 7:22, 23. Sacrifice was never anything in itself; for God has made the only sacrifice that can be of any value. Sacrifices were never anything more than an expression of trust and thanksgiving.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 756.3

MAKING GOD TO SERVE

“But thou hast made Me to serve with thy sins; thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities.” This is one of the most striking statements to be found in the Bible. Instead of being the servants of God, we have made Him our servant! The term is the same as that used in Exodus 1:13, where we read that “the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.” Also Exodus 6:5: “I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage.” Isn't it shocking? Just as the Egyptians made slaves of the children of Israel, putting them to hard and distasteful service, even so we have done to God, piling upon Him all our sins, and making Him carry the load day after day. Now we begin to get hold of that which will reveal to us the infinite patience of God.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 756.4

We are all familiar with the words: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29); but few read the word in the margin, which ought to be in the text, namely, “beareth.” If we always thought of Him as the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world, it might make His work mean more to us. “He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2. Mark it; He is, not, He makes propitiation for sins. He “His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree.” 1 Peter 2:24. These things we have all heard, and they are so common that they have almost lost their meaning to us. Our lesson brings before us in the most vivid manner the Lord's relation to us and our sins.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 756.5

ALL SIN IS UPON GOD'S LIFE

Take the words in the first chapter of Hebrews, that Christ, being the effulgence of the Father's glory, “and the very image of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” He upholds or bears all things. The weight of the universe rests upon Him. Not a thing but is held in place by the power of His life. “In Him all things consist,” and “in Him we live, and move, and have our being.” He is the Soul of the universe. There is no life anywhere but the life that flows from the heart of God. That is the simple truth, which is easily said, but which we may well think upon for days and years.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 757.1

The fact that God is in all things, even in sinful man, is scarcely ever thought of; and too often wholly disbelieved. Compare Deuteronomy 30:11-14 with Romans 10:6-8. In the first passage, together with the context, we learn that Moses was addressing the children of Israel, and exhorting them to obey God. That shows that they were not wholly obedient, and we well know that they were not. Then he tells them that they need have no difficulty in obeying the Lord, for the commandment is not hidden from them, neither is it very far off. They do not need to go across the sea for it, nor ask somebody to go up to heaven, to bring it down for them, that they may hear it and do it. No; the commandment, the Word, is very nigh, in their mouth, and in their heart, that they may do it. It is there whether they do it or not; it is there in order that they may have no excuse for not doing it.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 757.2

SAVED BY THE LIFE

Read now the parallel text in Romans. It is quoted from this one, but inasmuch as Christ is the Word, the name “Christ” is substituted for “Word.” “The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above); or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead). But what saith it? The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that is, the Word of faith which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Confessing the Lord Jesus means confessing the truth concerning Him, namely, that He “is come in the flesh,” even in our own sinful flesh. Why should He come there?-In order that “the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.” Romans 8:3, 4. The theory that would make Christ keep entirely away from sinners until they begin to serve Him, would throw upon them the labour of converting themselves. No; Christ dwells in every man, waiting his permission to reveal Himself. Therefore the wrath of God is justly revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, because they “hold down the truth in unrighteousness.” Romans 1:18. Christ is the truth. John 14:6. That which may be known of God is manifest in wicked men, for God hath showed it unto them; for His everlasting power and Divinity are to be seen in everything that He has made, including man. They are therefore without excuse for their sin. Christ is present in every man to save him from sinning.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 757.3

It is therefore idle for the sinner to say that the Lord will not receive him. Why, the Lord has you; He has been carrying you all your lifetime. There never has been a heart throb, not a pulse beat, not a tingle of a nerve, that did not reveal the presence of the life of God; for all those things reveal the presence of life, and there is no life in the universe but the life of God. If there were, then there would be another God. That is the whole question in controversy-whether creatures can live separate from the Creator. They who think to save God from the disgrace of being in sinful men, do Him no honour. They are conceding all that the devil would claim. If any man can establish his ability to live an hour without the Lord's life, then he can live for ever without Him. But this no man can do, and it is the Lord's mercy that he cannot.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 757.4

WHAT GOD ENDURES FOR MAN

“The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” But for that we could not live at all. In our flesh, our life, is the Divine Word,-God Himself. And what is our condition?-“Laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that are corrupters;” “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores; they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isaiah 1:4-6. This is the condition of the flesh in which the Divine Word has condescended to dwell. “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:17. All the loathsomeness of sin the Lord who hates sin was pleased to take upon Himself, that we might be freed from it. He has for ever identified Himself with humanity. Every sin that is committed by the vilest transgressor is committed with the life that God has loaned to him. God dwelling in human flesh is made the servant of men's passions. They are corrupters, in that they corrupt the life that God has given them. He is not responsible for a single sin, for “in Him is no sin,” yet because it has been committed with His life, He assumes the responsibility. The weight of every sin is upon the Lord, and that it is no small weight is seen from the fact that it crushed the life out of the Son of God. What infinite patience, that He still continues to bear it!PTUK November 30, 1899, page 757.5

LOATHSOMENESS OF SIN

But it is loathsome to Him. With the picture of the body utterly corrupt, full of putrefying ulcers from head to foot, and you have an idea of what God is bearing. Can you wonder then that He says, “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins?” Ah, we do not need to plead with Him, to make Him willing to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; He is most anxious to do it; it is He who pleads with us to allow Him to do it for us.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 757.6

Yes, and Christ has by Himself made purification for sins. With all the sins of the world upon Him, He gave up His life; but because He knew no sin He came forth from the grave, and so when we confess that Christ is come in our flesh, we may know that He is risen from the dead, so that He lives in us with the power of the resurrection life. As soon therefore as we make the confession, and yield completely to Him, we are freed from the bondage of sin; for God is not so in love with sin that He will retain it a second after we turn it completely over to Him. He will cast it into the depths of the sea.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 757.7

The Lord has bought our sins; they belong to Him. He has bought us, and we belong to Him. We therefore have no right to do anything with ourselves. But when we refuse to confess our sins, and at the same time to confess Christ, we are claiming the sins that are upon Him. We are retaining them, because we refuse to acknowledge that they are sins, and we go on putting more sins upon Him. Patiently He abides with us, however, literally suffering long. He has our sins, whether we acknowledge it or not; therefore it does not add one whit to His burden for us to let them rest upon Him alone, and not try to bear any of them ourselves. On the contrary, it relieves Him for us to confess our sins, and cast them entirely upon Him, for then He casts them off, and bears us alone. Before, He bore us and our sins; now He bears us freed from sin. Why not grant the Lord this favour?PTUK November 30, 1899, page 757.8

He asks us to remind Him of what He has done for us. “Let us plead together,” says He. Literally, “Let us go into court together.” If we will but declare the truth, we shall be justified, for the truth s that He has all our sins upon Him. All that is required of any man, in order to be saved, is that he tell the simple truth about what he sees. If we admit that God is supporting us, that we live by His life, and that consequently all our sins are upon Him, and that we are in harmony with that arrangement, then we are freed from them. So although our first father sinned, and we as a consequence were born in sin, we are made as free from them as the only begotten Son of God. What a wonderful Saviour!PTUK November 30, 1899, page 757.9

“‘The Church Militant’” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

Several weeks ago the President of the United States visited the Methodist camp-meeting at Ocean Grove, New Jersey, and made a short speech. After he had gone away, the General Secretary of the Epworth League delivered a sermon in which he said:-PTUK November 30, 1899, page 758.1

When President McKinley spoke about peace with honour, and meeting our duty in the islands of the sea like men, our souls leaped within us, for we recognised in him the conquering spirit of the old Roman and the militant aggressive spirit of Christianity.... He spoke as a patriot and a Christian. There are more than one million young men in the Epworth League alone. No Alexander or C?sar ever had an army like that. We aspire to be the Tenth Legion for any campaign. President McKinley may plan for peace at home or peace with honour abroad. These young men with their blood and breeding will march through sand or jungle and fling themselves at a breastwork with a hardihood and a daring that no veteran of the Old Guard or Wellington's Iron Brigade could surpass. He has our prayers to-day. He can have our money to-morrow, and the whole million will enlist the day after if we are needed.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 758.2

The report says that these remarks “aroused the enthusiasm of his hearers, and the Auditorium resounded with loud ‘amens.’” This is a most striking sign of the “perilous times” that are to come, when war and bloodshed will be reckoned the highest manifestation of Christian zeal. The Crusaders or the Mohammedans could not surpass this.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 758.3

“Notes on the International Sunday-School Lessons. Unacceptable Service: Lessons in Giving. Malachi 1:6-11; 3:8-12” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

The title of this lesson is simply, “Lessons in Giving,” but the first portion of Scripture has no reference to giving, but to the service of the sanctuary, so that the lesson properly comes under two heads. Both portions of Scripture are so pertinent that they need to be reprinted, that everybody may read them.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 758.4

“A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a Father, where is Mine honour? and if I be a Master, where is My fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise My name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised Thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted Thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person?” saith the Lord of hosts. “And now, I pray you, beseech God that He will be gracious unto us; this hath been by your means; will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts. Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on Mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 1:6-11.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 758.5

Whoever reads the book of Malachi entirely through will see that while it is addressed to all Israel, the priests are especially singled out. The people had departed from the Lord, but it was the priests that had led the way. “The priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 2:7, 8. A great responsibility rests upon religious teachers and leaders. Apostasy begins at the head, rather than at the foot. It is the elders that draw away disciples after them. Acts 20:28-30. If the people are going astray, be sure that the priests are still farther astray. Christ said that He sanctified Himself, in order that His followers mighty be truly sanctified. John 17:19. That is the true way, but it is seldom done. All reforms among the people have to be carried out in spite of the leaders of the people. The people are ready to follow the light, but they are hindered by the teachers of the law, who take away the key of knowledge, and will not enter in themselves, nor allow others to do so. If a religious teacher or one in authority in the church is not far ahead of the people, leading them along, then he is far behind them, dragging them back.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 758.6

“Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine altar,” says the Lord. how did they do this? How did it become polluted? By being in the unclean hands of the priests. “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.” Haggai 2:11-14. A clean person cannot make a thing clean by touching it; but an unclean person defiles everything that he touches. So the priests, who had unclean hands, made every offering polluted, even though it was clean when it came into their hands.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 758.7

This scripture has often been quoted as showing how unwilling people were to do any service unless they were paid for it; but such use of the text is based upon a misunderstanding of it; rightly read, it contains nothing about working with or without pay. Notice that the first words, “for naught,” are in Italics, indicating that they are not in the Hebrew. The Revised Version has a fairly correct renderings of the text, thus: “Oh that there were some one among you that would shut the doors, that ye might not kindle a fire upon Mine altar in vain!” The Lord is not complaining because the priests and people would not work for nothing, but because they did any service at all. What He desired was that they should leave off all form of service in the sanctuary. For while people often think that Divine service consists mostly in form, and that things cannot be wholly bad if there is at least a form of godliness, the Lord tells us that under such circumstances it would be a relief to Him if there were no form of service, no going to meeting, no preaching nor praying.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 759.1

Compare Isaiah 1:10-15: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear thee. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 759.2

Surely this is enough for one lesson. If we learn it, we have learned all that we need to know. Service that is rendered to the Lord from an impure heart and with unclean hands, is an abomination. He would much rather that one did not profess to serve Him. “Divine service” does not consist in going to church, in saying or hearing prayers or sermons, and in singing, nor in keeping fast and feast days. In what does it consist? Hear the Word of the Lord: “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:16, 17. Service to God means the same kind of service that Jesus rendered, when He went about doing good. When He washed the feet of the disciples, when He fed the hungry, when He blessed the little children, when He cleansed the lepers, when He cheered the heart of the widow, and when He spoke words of compassion and courage to the repentant sinner, He was doing Divine service. The only kind of Divine service there can possibly be, is the service that the Divine Son of God does. If we allow God to work in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure, we shall render Divine and acceptable service.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 759.3

Cannot a sinner then serve the Lord? Oh, yes. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contract heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17. The ointment that was poured upon the feet of Jesus by a sinful woman was far more pleasing than the grand feast of the self-righteous Pharisee. Luke 7:36-50. God is pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, and He counts every sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness, no matter how vile the sinner who brings it, when it is brought in contrite love.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 759.4

There is a promise in this lesson, an assurance of a time when the Lord will be served acceptably by all. “For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto My name, and a pure offering.” Righteousness will prevail at the last, even though wickedness seem now to have the supremacy. Christ was never more powerful than when He hung up on the cross, the butt of all the ridicule that an unfeeling mob could heap upon Him. That despised cross was the power of God. By the power of the cross a new creation is to be effected. “If any man be in Christ, there is a new creation.” The power of the cross is the power that creates and upholds. The power that created the heavens and the earth in the beginning still acts. Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; therefore the new heavens and the new earth shall again spring forth from the cross which men despise. Then all shall know the Lord, from the least unto the greatest, and every service will be acceptable. Every offering will be pure, for it will be brought by pure hands, the gift of a pure heart,-a heart in which God rules. But that new heavens and new earth will not be created until it is seen that there is need for them, that is, and tell there are new creatures, who need a suitable dwelling-place. So even before the creation of the new heavens and the new earth, there will be a pure offering, an offering in righteousness. Who will accept the transforming grace of God, so that every work of their hands will be acceptable and will be established, because prompted by the Christ who dwells within?PTUK November 30, 1899, page 759.5

“Robbing God” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and He shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you happy; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:8-12.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 759.6

There are a few principles underlying the statements made in this portion of Scripture, that need emphasising. If they are remembered and followed, there will be no difficulty. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1. This text stands over the Royal Exchange, but it is very doubtful if any of the men who do business there ever looked at it, or believe it if they do. There is a standard of honesty among businessmen. If one does not act according to it, he is soon discredited. One point is that a man has the right to the control of his own affairs, and that property belonging to another must be delivered to him. The man who cannot or will not meet his obligations, must cease to do business. He is shut out of the Exchange. Meeting an obligation, means the delivering to another that which belongs to him. Now people do not believe that the earth belongs to the Lord, or else they do not deal with Him with the same honesty that they deal with their fellow-men. If the earth belongs to the Lord, then He has the right to control it, and every man ought to yield to Him His own. Ah, not only do they not believe that the earth belongs to the Lord, but very few even believe that there is any God. Heathen principles prevail not only in the world, but largely among those who call themselves Christians.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 759.7

Although the earth is the Lord’s, He has given it to the children of men. Psalm 115:16. This does not absolve them from acknowledging the gift. To receive a gift, and never to acknowledge it, is ingratitude such as always brings a man into disrepute, if manifested toward one of his fellows. But in giving the earth to man, the Lord has reserved a portion for Himself, as He certainly has the right to do, when it is all His. “All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy unto the Lord.” “And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.” Leviticus 27:30, 32.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 760.1

This is not a mere “Levitical law.” There is the statement of the simple fact: “The tithe is the Lord’s.” There is no limitation, no qualification. It is not limited to time nor to place. It is true all over the earth, in all time. “Didn't Christ do away with it?” Christ did not come to this earth to overturn the Father's Government, but to establish it. He did not come and give His life for the purpose of upsetting what God had established. Even if that had been His purpose, He could not have accomplished it with regard to the tithe, for there we have not a law, but a fact, and nothing can ever change a fact. “The tithe is the Lord’s,” and nothing can ever change the fact. The tithe may be kept back from Him, by robbery, but robbing one of his property never proves that it is not his. If a thing belongs to me, it can never cease to belong to me unless I sell it or give it away. If a man steals it, it is mine still; if I lose it, it still belongs to me if it can be found. Now we have no record that the Lord has ever sold or given away His right to the tithe. That is to say, there is no evidence to show that God has ever renounced all claims on this earth and on mankind. The tithe belongs to Him now just as much as it did four thousand years ago. “I am the Lord, I change not.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 760.2

“But did not Jesus reprove the Pharisees for paying tithe so strictly?” Let us read what He said. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin.” “There you have it; that relieves us of all obligation!” Not so fast, please; let us read a little further: “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Matthew 23:23. The woe is not for paying the tithe, but for their unrighteousness, while outwardly very punctilious in the smallest details. It is the same thing as in the first chapter: no service is acceptable to the Lord when the heart is corrupt and deceitful. Hypocrisy is what the Lord hates. The people could see that the Pharisees were scrupulous in the payment of tithe, therefore they paid it; but that could not atone for their deeds of oppression and their lack of mercy. To pay tithe of what they had rung from some poor widow was not acceptable to the Lord. God says, “I hate robbery for burnt offering.” Isaiah 61:8. After naming judgment, mercy, and faith, the Lord says, “These ought ye to have done,” but He did not say that they ought to have done these things instead of paying tithe. “These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” That is, they ought not to have ceased paying tithe, which is the same as saying that they ought to have paid it, but they ought at the same time to have done works of mercy, judgment, and faith. Christ did not spend time on this earth trying to overthrow the truth, for He is the truth. He came to bear witness to the truth, and one truth is that the tithe is the Lord’s.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 760.3

When a man has exhausted his argument against the payment of tithe, he will often turn, and say, “A Christian cannot be content with giving only a tenth, as they did under the law, but must give more, corresponding to the greater light and privileges that he has.” Very well, but the greater always includes the less. If it is one's duty to render to the Lord more than a tithe, that certainly does not abolish the tithe. But mark the words, and you will note several things that may have escaped your notice. In the first place, we are not told to give the Lord a tithe. It belongs to Him, and we are to pay it. It is not a gift to Him. To be sure, the word giving may be used in connection with it, just as one may say, “To-day I met Mr. A., and gave him the five pounds that I owed him,” but he does not mean that he made the man a present of five pounds. So in handing the tithe over to the Lord, we are simply giving Him what belongs to Him; over and above that are offerings that ought to be made. And these were due the Lord in ancient times just as much as to-day. The very simplest way that we can show that we and all that we have belong to the Lord, is to pay to Him His own.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 760.4

God says, “Ye have robbed me.” Will a man rob God? One would think that God is the last One that one would think of robbing; but it is not so. Men who would feel grossly insulted if it were intimated that they would rob a man of a penny, or would take anything from him that belonged to him, will not hesitate to rob God. All their lives they rob Him, and never once feel any compunctions of conscience. Why is this? Is it because God is so far away, and does not press His claims as men do? Is it because nobody thinks any the less of a man who robs God, while it is disreputable to rob men? If it is for one or both of these reasons, is it not plain that such a man would rob his neighbour if he could do it without losing his standing in society? Can such a man be called an honest man? If a man be brought into court charged with theft, can he clear himself of the charge by saying, “I robbed only one man, and he was a foreigner; I have never robbed one of my neighbors.” Robbery is robbery, no matter who the victim is. Surely it is no less a crime to rob God than it is to rob a man. What a big debt we all owe to the Lord!PTUK November 30, 1899, page 760.5

Marvellous to relate, the Lord positively rewards men for doing their duty that is to say, He rewards those who have robbed Him, when they come and restore what they have stolen. What man would do that? Giving to the Lord, or paying Him what is His due, never impoverishes anybody. People do not grow poor by serving the Lord. There are thousands of people in the direst poverty to-day, who would in a few months be in comfortable circumstances if they would serve the Lord in truth; not make a profession of religion, but really serve the Lord with a perfect heart. “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8. They are in poverty because of habits of life, which a perfect living out of the Gospel would take away, leaving them free. God says that when a whole tithe is brought to Him, He will open the windows of heaven, and bless till there is not room enough to receive it; it will overflow. If anybody wishes to know what sort of blessings the Lord will pour out, he has only to prove the Lord, as He says, and he will see for himself. How many men who invest thousands in doubtful speculations, dare take the Lord at His Word, and give over to Him that which belongs to Him.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 760.6

But do not try an experiment with the Lord. It is not best to keep too strict a book account with Him. Do not go to making the experiment for a year, resolved that if at the end of that time you do not see a marked increase in your business, you will leave off, and pay no more tithe to the Lord. That is not to bring a whole tithe into the storehouse. The payment of the tithe is in itself an acknowledgment that the whole belongs to Him. The tithe of yourself, that is, a tithe of your labour belongs to the Lord, but you cannot divide yourself, therefore you belong to Him entirely. So the only way in the world for you to bring a whole tithe into the storehouse of the Lord, is for you to give Him yourself. You will find that the Lord knows a great deal more about business than you do, and can manage your affairs better than you can. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruit of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Proverbs 3:5-10. Give yourself to the Lord with His tithe, and you will find a blessing that will overflow to others.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 761.1

“Forewarned—Forearmed” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

The memorable battle of Arbela, that resulted in the overthrow of the Persian kingdom, is one of the most remarkable of all history. The Persians under Darius numbered over 1,000,000, while the Macedonians under Alexander were only 47,000. The attack of the Macedonians seemed but madness, the odds were so heavy against them; but Alexander knew his strength, and the secret of this self-confidence lay in the fact that, on the eve of the engagement, there fell into his hands full and complete details of the plans of the approaching attack of Darius, and by this foreknowledge, he was enabled so to place his army that the Persian forces were routed, and he gained the victory that made him monarch of all the then known world.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 761.2

There is no more unequal struggle in all history than that of the man who endeavours to cope with the devil without the help of Jesus Christ. But Christ knows all the wicked plans of the archenemy of souls, and these He has revealed to His children. “But ye brethren are not in darkness,”-for God has been faithful in giving due warning of any judgments that were to come upon the world, that all who would might escape. Noah preached a coming flood for one hundred and twenty years; Lot was warned of the destruction of Sodom; and the Christians knew years before, of the overthrow of Jerusalem, and so definite was the sign given of the latter event, that when the time came, every Christian within the walls of that doomed city knew it and escaped.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 761.3

But merely because we are “the children of light”-because we know these things theoretically,-that alone will not save us. Lot's wife knew of the destruction of Sodom, but that did not save her from being turned into a pillar of salt; and the Saviour in speaking of what would take place in the end of the world, and the danger there would be of even the elect being deceived and turned out of the way, uses these significant words, “Remember Lot's wife.” What did she do? Simply “looked back,”-that is all, but that meant her destruction. She desired to escape the doom of the city, but while her body was on the plain, her heart was in Sodom. There is in this a lesson of a special importance for those who live in the last days, for “as it was in the days of Lot ... even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17:28, 29. “Come out from among them, My people,” are the Lord's words to His children, and “be ye separate.” There can be no compromise. Some of the Lord and a little of Sodom or Babylon will never save us.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 761.4

The struggle is a fierce one; but with all the secret plans of Satan laid bare, for “we are not ignorant of his devices,” and with Jesus as our commander and leader, we are ten thousands times more sure of victory, in this conflict, than was Alexander the Great; and he who is faithful to the end, who overcomes, will reap as a reward, a never-ending life in the kingdom of God.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 761.5

“For Little Ones. A Gospel Lesson” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made of life.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.1

You remember we learned last week that “in Adam all die,” because all his children have his own sinful nature. You know that in the beginning God set Adam over all the works of his hands.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.2

But that he might be multiplied and not live here alone with none of his own kind to associate with him, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, and took out of his side a rib which he made into a woman and brought to Adam. So all the human family has come from the one man whom God first set over the earth.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.3

We learned also that Jesus has won back by His perfect obedience to every word of God, the dominion that the first Adam lost through disobedience. The word of God, speaking of Him, says: “Unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion.” And again, God promises to give to His Son “the uttermost parts of the earth” for His possession.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.4

But the first Adam did not want to rule the kingdom alone, nor does Jesus, the second Adam. Not for His own sake, but for ours, He became man, that He might win back for all the children of men their lost inheritance and character and life.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.5

And now see how the Gospel was taught to Adam in a beautiful figure even before He sinned. For the deep sleep which God caused to fall upon Him was a type or figure of the sleep of death into which the second Adam for our sakes was cast, when He laid down His life upon the cross, that He might give birth and life to a great multitude who should for ever share with Him the restore dominion.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.6

Then, too, the opening of the side of Adam while he slept, that other beings might be formed from his body, what did this teach or signify?PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.7

The Apostle John who stood by the cross of Jesus after He had fallen asleep upon it, bears this record of what he saw: “And one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith flowed there out blood and water.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.8

His heart's blood, the water of life, a healing stream, flowed out that all the children of men might drink and be healed of all their sins and diseases, and share His own everlasting life.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.9

“Whoso drinketh death of the water that I shall give him,” He said to the woman at the well, “shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.10

The fountain of His precious everlasting life has been opened that by drinking of Him we may become a part of Himself, we may share His Divine nature, and become just like Him.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.11

Adam said of the woman taken from his side, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” And this is just what Jesus says of all who share His life; for “we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.12

Remember that He is the Seed that God promised, and except the seed “die, it abideth alone; but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit.” Like the seed that is cast into the ground, Jesus died that He might be multiplied.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.13

And as in the beginning to the first Adam, the king of the earth, God the Father brought the woman whom He had taken out of His own pierced side, so at last to Christ the second Adam, the King of the earth, will He bring the company that have received the life that He poured out for them from His own body.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.14

They shall be presented to Him “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,” but “holy and without blame before Him.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.15

Are you not glad that you may be one of this beautiful and glorious company, and live with Jesus for ever in the happy home that He has bought back for us? Drink every day of the cleansing, healing stream that flows from Him, the fountain of life, and this will make you His own child, a “partaker of the Divine nature.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 762.16

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

-Wireless telegraphy has been adopted by the Royal Navy and in America, the tests in the latter country being of a very satisfactory character.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.1

-The weight of water passing over the Niagara Falls is estimated to exert about 7,000,000 horsepower, more than the whole human race is capable of exerting.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.2

-A watchmakers’ trust, that will include all the watch-mount manufacturers in America has just been formed. It represents the sum of ?6,000,000 capital.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.3

-In an unaccountable manner, jewellery to the amount of ?25,000 was recently stolen from the South Kensington Museum. As yet no clue to the robbers has been made public.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.4

-In 1898, strong drink to the value of only 66 was sent from America to the Philippines. During the first five months of 1899, the export of liquor to that locality from America reached the sum of ?17,360.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.5

-The Premier of New South Wales has just publicly announce the draft of a Government measure of compulsory early closing of shops. In metropolitan areas shops will be obliged to close at six on four days of the week, at one o'clock on one day and at ten on one day.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.6

-The British War Office has under practical consideration the question of adapting bicycles to warfare over rough country. A practical test was so highly satisfactory, that it is understood the Government will provide these for use in the. The bicycles are to be built on a somewhat different plan from the ordinary safeties, being made with springs specially to allow over a rough surface without discomfort.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.7

- A number of cases of plague have occurred in Lisbon and Oporto, the last victim being the distinguished Dr. Pestana, Director of the Bacteriogical Institute at the former place.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.8

-A has been signed in Washington submitting to the arbitration of the King of Sweden the claims arising out of the bombardment of some of by British and American warships.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.9

-A disastrous civil war has broken out in New Guinea. Eleven villages have been obliterated with heavy slaughter of the inhabitants. The missionaries whose lives were in danger, escaped by the exercise of tact.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.10

-The Hamburg-American liner Patria, from America to Hamburg, caught fire in the channel of Deal, and was totally destroyed. The passengers and crew got off in safety, but without any of their personal belongings.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.11

-Some time since, we noted the existence of smallpox in Hull. There appears to be no abatement of the disease, for from November 11 to 19 one hundred and forty-seven person suffering from the disease were removed to the hospitals.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.12

-Since 1890, according to a late report, there were in the United States 230 train robberies, in connection with which fully eighty persons were killed all right, about as many wounded, and property to the amount of many millions was secured.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.13

-Aldershot has just been experimenting with a gigantic steam plough, which can cut a trench four feet deep, and throw the earth aside, so affording perfect covering for into tree, who can follow immediately in its wake. Several of three implements are to be sent out to the war.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.14

-The London Daily Mail secured from the poet Kipling a poem called “The Absent-Minded Beggar,” which it published, also selling the right to publish to others, all the proceeds going to the war really fun. To date, over ?12,000 had been realised, with no abatement of interest in the poem.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.15

-From Pekin it is learned that at a small seaport town of China to petty French officers were seized by the Chinese and be headed. In retaliation a French warship shelled and destroyed the native village in captured a Chinese worship. It is apprehended that the affair may lead to grave consequences.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.16

-It is reported that a cyclone has just passed over Negapatam, India, resulting in terrible havoc. Thousands of native dwellings were levelled to the ground, the railway station, the churches, and nearly every substantial build was unroofed. Fortunately no lives were lost, and the damage done is very great.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.17

-In 1820, when missionaries first went to Hawaii, there were either schools, nor books, nor a written language; legal marriage was unknown, and frequently the aged and infirm were thrown from a press as by their children. Education is now general on the islands, the instruction in the public schools being in the English language. There are at present 195 schools with 14,000 pupils.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.18

-On November 15th the Queen was present at Bristol to attend the exercises incident to the laying of a quarter stone, and the occasion was made a gala day, in which the children particularly took part. It is estimated that 800,000 people witness the pageant, and that night 12,000 poor people were entertained to sea, all of whom were alive when Her Majesty began her reign. Their ages range from sixty-two to nine-nine years.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 766.19

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

“That which may be known of God is manifest,” not only to all men, but in all men. Romans 1:19, 20. Do you know the Lord? If not, why not?PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.1

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower.” Proverbs 18:10. Therefore they that know the Lord will put their trust in Him. Psalm 9:9, 10. You do not need to take this truth at second hand. Trust Him at all times, and you will know from experience that He is “a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.2

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.” James 1:17. Remember this: that every good gift that heaven possesses has come down. If we will but walk in the light of God's countenance, we shall never be among those who complain they ask, “Who will show us any good?” Psalm 4:6.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.3

The Daily Chronicle says that when the Emperor Menelik, of Abyssinia, visits Paris next year, the French Anti-Tobacco Society intends to confer upon him a diploma of honourary membership, because he is not only opposed to the use of tobacco in any form, but he goes to the length of prohibiting smoking among his subjects. He certainly deserves any honour that may be given him for his good sense and firmness in this respect. We believe in the fullest possible liberty of the individual, yet we really cannot see why the Government may not prohibit the use of the abominable weed, at any rate in public, on the same principle that it muzzles dogs. If this proposal were made, however, there would be a general outcry against such an interference with the rights of the individual; and yet very little protest is made against compulsory vaccination! People who have no objection to being compelled to be poisoned would protest against being prohibited from taking poison and poisoning the others.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.4

“The Bible and the Catholic Church” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

We have no quarrel or controversy with any person or any society or church on earth, neither is it our province or desire to criticise anybody. Our one work is to preach the Gospel, “as the truth is in Jesus.” In the process of setting forth that truth, however, it sometimes becomes necessary to call attention to errors, not for the purpose of refuting them,-since the presentation of the simple truth is the true and only refutation of all error,-but to show the fulfilment of God's Word of truth, which has foretold the fact that apostasy would take place in the church, and would assume such proportions as to seem to be the church itself.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.5

When the Catholic Church is charged with being opposed to the Bible, and with purposely keeping it from the people, in order that it may not stand in the way of their receiving the unwarrantable traditions of men, it is sometimes thought an uncharitable assertion. Accordingly we call attention to some statements that appeared so recently as September 29, in the Catholic Times by a priest, the Rev. John Freeland.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.6

The article occupies more than a column, and is partially devoted to a comparison of the so called Authorised Version and the Douay Bible. The writer calls attention to the fact that it is not the rhythmical language of the common version that makes it so popular,-for it was a long time before it displaced other versions,-but that its hold upon the people is the prevailing idea that it is the source of authority in religion. He admits that the Bible is by no means a rendering of the Hebrew Bible, but of the Latin Vulgate, and says that the church is bound to the Latin, so that no new Catholic translation would be likely to be an improvement on what already exists. Instances are cited, which show how entirely different the way Bible is from the Hebrew Bible, which is the only Bible there is, so far as the most ancient portion is concerned.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.7

The fact is apparent, therefore, that the Bible which the Catholic Church provides in the English language is at best a mixture of the human with the Divine original. The Catholic writer declares that “the Latin Vulgate, whose praise is in all the churches, is a monument of vulgar Latinity, of partly Hebrew, partly Greek idiom, and of bad grammar.” But this is not all: even this is not recommended to the people, but quite the contrary. The following extracts which contain the essence of the article referred to, show this.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.8

Having asked the question if there is really any desire on the part of Catholics generally for a different and better translation of the Bible, with a view to making Bible-reading more popular, the writer says:PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.9

“My experience has been that the Catholic laity are positively unwilling to read the Bible, and I certainly have not found that this unwillingness arises from any great dismay experienced from finding that the Douay version is wanting either in simplicity of diction or majesty of language. The Bible as a book is one in which they feel very little interest.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.10

“The rest of the difficulty is not that of the inferiority of the Douay version as a translation; it is that the attitude of the Catholic Church with regard both to the act of reading the Sacred Scriptures as well as to the place it should hold in our public services, is infinitely different from the attitude of Protestantism..... The principle that ‘the Bible, and the Bible only,’ is the religion of Protestants, and the centre of attraction which that principle has caused the Sacred Scriptures to be, is answerable for all the love which the English-speaking races feel for the version which for nearly three centuries has been read and heard at church and in the home. Once grant that principle (and no Catholic would grant it for one minute in connection with his faith), or once order the public reading of the Bible at our Sunday services, (and I fail to see how this is to be accomplished in these days), and it matters very little what edition is used, it is bound in time to make its way into the heart and to become as music to the ear.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.11

After calling attention to how the way has been prepared for the adoption of the “Authorised Version,” the writer proceeds:-PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.12

“On the other hand, the Douay version has had no such circumstances as these to make it, so far as the laity are concerned, a success. It was published at a time when the evils of Bible-reading in the vernacular were evident even to the least observing. It was formed for a down-trodden body of men who justly felt that the perusal of the sacred text in their mother tongue was largely responsible for all their woes.... The fact is, the Douay Bible has never had a chance of becoming loved and cherished. It has never even been read in the churches as the ‘Seventy’ and the Latin Vulgate have been; and I certainly have no very particular wish that it should be.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.13

Here we have the plain statement of the case, in the official organ of Catholicism in England, and here we may leave it. The time is close at hand when every man in this country will have to decide for himself whether he will be guided by the Bible or by that power which sets itself above the Bible; and to this end it becomes everybody so to yield himself to the Lord, body and soul, that he will be in a position to decide;-for “if any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 768.14

“The Gospel of Isaiah. The Gift of the Spirit. Isaiah 44:1-8” The Present Truth 15, 48.

E. J. Waggoner

(Isaiah 44:1-7.)

“But hear now, O Jacob, My servant;
And Israel, whom I have chosen;
Thus saith Jehovah, thy Maker;
And He that formed thee from the womb, and
will help thee;
Fear thou not, O My servant Jacob;
And, O Jeshurun, whom I have chosen;
For I will pour out waters on the thirsty;
And flowing streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on thy seed,
And My blessing on thine offspring.
And they shall spring up as grass among the
waters;
As the willows beside the aqueducts.
One shall say, I belong to Jehovah;
And another shall be called by the name of
Jacob;
And this shall subscribe his hand to Jehovah,
And shall be surnamed by the name of Israel.
Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel;
And his Redeemer, Jehovah God of hosts:
I am the first, and I am the last;
And beside Me there is no God.
Who is like unto Me, that he should call forth
this event,
And make it known beforehand, and dispose it
for Me,
For the time that I appointed the people of the
destined age?
The things that are now coming, and are to come
hereafter, let them declare unto us.”PTUK November 30, 1899, page 773.1

THE “CHOSEN”

How often in these chapters we find the word “chosen.” God has chosen Israel. But who are Israel? Israel is the prince of God, the one who overcomes. Does the Lord then choose as His favourites only those who have made a conspicuous success in life? Oh, no: the choice must necessarily be made before the struggle is ended. As we well know, Jacob was chosen before he was born. We are chosen in order that we may overcome. God has blessed us in Christ, “according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Ephesians 1:3. All are chosen; we have only by submission to His will to make our calling and election sure.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 773.2

WHY GOD CHOOSES US

It is evident that Israel means more than one man. The man Jacob, who was by the Lord named Israel, was dead hundreds of years before the prophet Isaiah wrote these words; they apply to all the children of Israel. And here appears some more of the comfort of God. God has taken away every ground for discouragement, in this promise to Israel. Notice that He uses both names, Jacob and Israel. Jacob is the supplanter, the deceitful schemer, the one whose character is anything but attractive. The Lord indicates that He has chosen Jacob from his birth. That means that He has chosen us from our birth. But we have a bad record. No matter, so had the original Jacob. He has chosen us, that He may make us better. So we need not mourn over our early life; God makes all that pass away in Christ. Every inspired prayer is a promise of what God will do; and in Psalm 25:7 we read: “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions.” That this is what God promises to do, we have already learned from the preceding chapter, where He says, “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgression for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy “sins.” He has chosen us, “that we might be holy and without blame before him.” Ephesians 1:4.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 773.3

LITTLE CHILDREN

“Fear not, O Jacob, My servant; and thou Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.” The word “Jeshurun” occurs only four times in the Bible, the three other times besides this one being in Deuteronomy 32 and 33. It is a diminutive, such as people use as pet names, and is equivalent to “the good little people,” or, “the dear little people.” It is applied to the whole people, just as a mother uses a term of endearment to her child. It reveals the tender affection of God for His people. It corresponds to the “little children,” so frequently used by the Saviour.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 774.1

THE WATER OF LIFE

The Spirit of God is the water of life. This is seen from the following texts: “Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believed on Him were to receive.” John 7:37-39. Remember that this promise in Isaiah is to the same ones who in the preceding chapter are said to be witnesses, and the Spirit is necessary in order that they may bear witness, “and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and the three agree in one.” 1 John 5:7-8, R.V. God, who is the Fountain of living waters, is Spirit. John 4:24. The Spirit “proceedeth from the Father,” the stream flowing from the fountain head.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 774.2

COOLING STREAMS

Nothing gives a more complete idea of satisfaction than cold water to one who is thirsty. God promises not merely to give the thirsty ones a drink, but to pour water upon them. He giveth liberally. If any one has ever know what it is to be faint from thirst in a dry place on a sultry day, he will appreciate this. He longs not merely for a drink, but to plunge into the water. He does not want simply a cupful of water, but a stream of it; and when he sees the stream in the distance, how he runs to it, and, throwing himself down, buries his head in it, or immerses himself in the refreshing liquid. Even so can the soul who thirsts for the living water find satisfaction.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 774.3

THIRSTING FOR GOD

Recall the expressions of longing for God, that appear in the Psalms. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God; for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2. “O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth for Thee; my flesh longest for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” Psalm 43:1. All are familiar with the expressions, and yet much of their force is lost because they are considered as only figurative, when as a matter of fact they are very literal. The psalmist does indeed use a figure, but it is only to express his longing for God. The thirsting after God is not the figure; that is the fact. As the hart pants after the water brooks (this is the illustration) so his soul panteth after God. This is the thing illustrated. The thirst which God satisfies is real thirst, and He satisfies it as really as the brook satisfies the panting deer.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 774.4

DRINKING THE LIFE OF GOD

Recall the passage which says that the glorious Lord will be to us a place of broad rivers and streams. Isaiah 33:21. Remember that the river of water of life clear as crystal, proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Revelation 22:1. That the water which proceeds from God and the Lamb is real water, such as will satisfy literal thirst, we are taught by the experience of the children of Israel in the desert. Exodus 17:1-7. Christ is the Rock of Israel, and He stood upon the rock which Moses smote, and we are told that the people “drank of that spiritual Rock which followed them.” 1 Corinthians 10:4. From the spiritual Rock comes spiritual water; but spiritual water is very real. It was real enough to satisfy the thirst of the whole company of Israel, and also all their cattle. It is of this water that comes from the throne, that God says He will give all the thirsty ones freely. Revelation 22:17. It is from this stream, flowing from the throne of God, that the thirsty land is watered and made fruitful. “Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it; Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water; Thou preparest them corn, when Thou hast so provided for it. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly; Thou settlest the furrows thereof; Thou makest it soft with showers; Thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness; and Thy paths drop fatness.” Psalm 65:9-11. When we remember that two-thirds of the human body is water, it is easy to understand that water is our life; and then when we learn that the water which comes from heaven and gushes forth from the earth in springs comes direct from the throne of God, we can see that we live by the life of God.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 774.5

GOD ALONE CAN SATISFY

It is a fact, therefore, that men may literally thirst after God. Indeed, whenever they thirst for pure, fresh water, it is for God that they are thirsting, although they do not know it. Every desire, every unsatisfied longing, is but an expression of the soul's need of God. He alone satisfies the desire of every living thing. “None but Christ can satisfy,” even though the soul does not recognise the fact. Sometimes a man tries to satisfy his thirst with alcoholic liquor, but that never satisfies; it only creates a worse thirst; instead of building up, it tears down. That spirit is not the Spirit of life, but of death. Satan, who tries to make people believe that he is the Lord, and that his work is Divine, has stolen the name of the water of life for his spirit, calling brandy eau-de vie. That is what pure water is, while the spirituous liquor is the water of death. The exhortation is “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 774.6

THIRSTING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

“The Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10. The water and the blood, which agree in one with the Spirit, are also life, and consequently righteousness. We know that the blood of Christ is righteousness, because it cleanses from all sin. Drinking of the water of life is therefore drinking of the blood of Christ which is righteousness and life. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6. Everything that gives us real life is from God. Whenever we take in that which builds up the body, we are receiving of the life of God, the blood of Christ, the water of life. If therefore we recognise God in His gifts, we may actually take in righteousness with every drink of water that we take. All our thirst is but a longing for that which only God can bestow; but we do not, however, always thirst after righteousness. Instead, we try to satisfy the longing with everything except God. It is not popular to acknowledge our dependence upon God. Men have no hesitation in letting it be known that they are thirsty, but they would never think of admitting that they are longing for the life of God. That is why so few become filled with righteousness. Nevertheless God sheds the Spirit upon us abundantly, even though we do not recognise the gift. He gives to the unthankful as well as to the thankful. If we but recognise the gift, and thank Him for every renewal of it, righteousness will be ours as surely as God lives. How easy and plain is the way of righteousness and life.PTUK November 30, 1899, page 774.7