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    June 2, 1898

    “Each Man's Destiny Self-Decided” The Present Truth 14, 22.

    E. J. Waggoner

    The children of Israel, on their way from Egypt to Canaan, had gone as far as the desert of Paran, on the borders of the promised land, when the Lord said to Moses: “Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel; of every tribe of their father shall ye send a man, everyone a ruler among them.” Num. xiii. 1, 2.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 337.1

    Accordingly the twelve men were chosen, and Moses sent them away with this charge: “Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain, and see the land, what it is, and the people that dwell therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strongholds, and what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 337.2

    So they set off, and searched the land for forty days. “And they came unto the valley of Eschol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bear upon a staff between two; and they brought also of the pomegranates, and of the figs. That place was called the Valley of Eschol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from thence.” The word “Eschol” means “a cluster.” Some people, who make their own limited experience the standard by which the truthfulness or reasonableness of the Bible is judged, imagine that the account of the cluster of grapes so large that required two men to carry it, is an exaggeration.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 337.3

    The Bible does not need any man's testimony to substantiate it; yet it may be of interest to some, as showing the wondrous fruitfulness of the earth in some places, even in these last days, to read that the writer of this has himself seen a single cluster of grapes weighing twenty-eight pounds. If the one that the spies cut was still larger even than that, one man alone would find it a very difficult task to carry it uninjured for several days.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 337.4

    Well, what was the result of the investigation? “They returned from searching the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told them, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.1

    Thus far they were all agreed. One would suppose that the sight of such luscious fruit, to people in a desert, and the knowledge that there was a country full of it, within easy distance, and that the country had already been given them by the Owner thereof, would have so stirred them that nothing would restrain them from going at once to take possession. Alas! there was a “but” in the report of some of the twelve.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.2

    Having shown the desirability of the land, ten of the men added: “Nevertheless the people be strong in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south; and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountain; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.3

    What of that? Those same people dwelt there four hundred years before, when Abraham was in the land, and the Lord had mentioned them all by name, and others beside them, in the promise to Abraham. In giving the land to Israel, the Lord had full knowledge of all its encumbrances. He had promised the ancestors of Israel, that He would give them the land, “when they were but a few men in number, yea, very few, and strangers in it. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, He suffered no man to do them wrong; yea, He reproved kings for their sakes; saying, touch not Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm.” Ps. cv. 11-15. The same God was as well able to protect a multitude as a few.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.4

    Moreover these very people had seen the power of God, not only over a mighty nation,-the Egyptians, whom He shook off in the Red Sea,-but over the winds and the sea. They had seen how all things in heaven and earth are subservient to His will. Yet now as soon as the ten spies mentioned the people of Canaan, whom God Himself had expressly named in the gift, “all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses, and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!” Num. xiv. 1, 2.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.5

    Two men alone were faithful to God in the truth. Caleb and Joshua “stilled the people before Moses,” and said: “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” “And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us; for their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.6

    Surely it would be a one-sided contest: the people of the land had no defence. True, they had cities with high walls; but “except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” Ps. cxxvii. 1. The Lord is more than all, for “all nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity.” Isa. xl. 17. Nevertheless the ten spies said: “We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we;” and so much were they overcome by their foolish and wicked fears that, although they had just told how good the land was, “they brought up and evil report of the land,” saying, “It is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.7

    Well, we know the result. It was just as each one said. Those who said, “We are not able to go up,” did not go up. They could not, indeed, “because of unbelief.” But those who said, “We are not able to go up,” did not go up. They could not, indeed, “because of unbelief.” But those who said, “We are well able to go up and possess it,” found nothing to hinder them. They did indeed find walled cities, but the walls fell down of themselves, before a finger was lifted against them. Those who expressed a wish to die in the wilderness, had their wish gratified; those who wished to possess the promised land, had it.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.8

    Even so it is to-day. “According to your faith be it unto you.” God has blessed us with “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Eph. i. 3. “His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” 2 Peter i. 3. In Christ “we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” Eph. i. 11. Our weapons are “mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Cor. x. 5), while the principalities and powers with whom we are to fight have had their weapons taken away from them by the power of the Crucified One. Col. ii. 15. He is able to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph. iii. 20), and that is “His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion.” Eph. i. 19-21.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.9

    It is impossible therefore for our faith to make too large demands upon God's love and power. We cannot exhaust His gifts. The word is, “All things are yours; whether ... the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours.” 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things;” and the victory has already been won for us. In Christ are all things, and He is “the desire of all nations;” therefore we cannot desire a thing that is not ours already. Nay, our desires cannot begin to compass the things that God has given us; for “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit.” Oh, then, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” and “Be not faithless but believing,” for “all things are possible to him that believeth.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.10

    God can do but very little for a man who misinterprets divine blessings, and concludes that he is favoured on account of some goodness in himself.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 338.11

    “A Lesson in Obedience” The Present Truth 14, 22.

    E. J. Waggoner

    Many people imagine that the times when quiet, unoffending people could be made to suffer real persecution for their loyalty to God and His Word, are in the past, and that men in these days are too enlightened to persecute their fellow-men for conscience’ sake; but we have had under close observation for nearly a year a case which shows that all the elements of religious persecution are everywhere present as much as they ever were, and that more extended and relentless persecution than has ever yet been known is not only possible, but is highly probable, yes, more, is actually inevitable, since careful and systematic preparations are being made for it. The case in question is highly interesting and most instructive, and as the whole affair is now ended, we will give a brief account of it.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.1

    NARRATIVE OF THE CASE

    Early in 1897 Christen Rasmussen, a young man nineteen years of age, from Hurup, Denmark, was called to perform the military service that is demanded of every able-bodied young man. At that time he was not converted, but during a short visit at his home he gave himself to the Lord, accepting Christ as his Saviour, and fully decided to obey his heavenly Master in all things, according to the Sacred Word. This was no mere formal matter with him, as his subsequent history shows.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.2

    He should have presented himself at military headquarters at one o'clock, April 10, 1897, but as that day was the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath according to the commandment of the Lord, to whose service he had given himself, he did not put in an appearance until after sunset. For this seeming dilatoriness he received a reprimand, and was thereafter assigned to his duty.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.3

    During the week he made a request to the captain, to be exempted from service on Sabbath days, but the answer was that nothing could be done for him in that direction. The young man, however, had no question in his own mind as to whether the king of Denmark or the King of the universe had the first claim upon his service.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.4

    Accordingly, the next Sabbath morning when the soldiers appeared for inspection, he remained in his room reading his Bible. A corporal came with orders for him to take his place, but he answered, “I cannot, because it is the Lord's Sabbath.” Then a lieutenant came, and commanded him to take his place in the ranks, but he replied, “I cannot.” “Why not?” said the lieutenant. “Because it is the Sabbath.” Finally he accompanied the lieutenant outside, but could not be induced to take his place in the ranks.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.5

    NO PLACE FOR GOD’S LAW

    He was brought to the captain, who said, “Why do you not take your place?” “Because the Lord has said, The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work.” “Well, you are a soldier, and must obey; nothing of that kind is taken into consideration here. Take your place,” said captain. “I cannot, sir.” Without further parley a sergeant was ordered to take “No. 52” to prison, which was done.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.6

    Before the military court he had nothing else to answer than this: “The God who created heaven and earth has said, ‘On the seventh day, which is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt do no work,’ and I cannot do anything other than obey Him.” He was thereupon sentenced to three times five days’ solitary confinement in a dark cell, on bread and water. The successive periods of five days’ darkness were separated by one day's imprisonment in the light.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.7

    At the close of this sentence he was asked by his friends how he had it in prison. “Oh,” said he, “it was somewhat lonesome at times, but I prayed to the Lord, and sang praises to Him, and so my heart was glad.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.8

    AN EXCELLENT CHARACTER

    It should be stated that the military authorities gave the young man an excellent character. His reputation for activity and soldierly ability was good. The officer said that he was the best man in the company. At target practice he proved himself superior to all the rest. The colonel who had to send a report of the case to the King talked with him, and told what a good report he had heard of him from the officers, and said, “You are a clever marksman, can you shoot as well at the Germans, when you get in the battle?” “No,” was the reply, “I cannot shoot or kill a fellow-men, since God's law forbids it.” “Oh, yes,” said the colonel; “I believe you are a faithful man to do what you believe to be right. You will fear God, and live for Him. I have nothing bad to report about you, but I must write that you are deluded.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.9

    Several times was young Rasmussen before the military court for insubordination, the only charge being that he would not work on Sabbath, and as often must he undergo punishment, so that as an Aarhus (Denmark) paper said in giving an account of this case, he spent the greater part of the summer in discharging penalties, and these were naturally made more severe one after the other. Dark cells and bread and water were everyday affairs with him. The closeness with which one punishment followed another, depended only on whether he came out of prison the first or the last day of the week; for as surely as Saturday came, was there the refusal to work, and the swiftly following sentence.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.10

    “ACCOUNTED MAD”

    At last he was sent to the insane asylum, to be kept under observation for three months, to see if he was of sound mind. Here his surroundings were by no means pleasant, but the Lord whom he served did not forsake him, and he always maintained his courage. Whenever his friend saw him in the intervals of his imprisonment, he seemed glad and happy in the Lord, and had not a hard word to say of those at whose hands he was made to suffer.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.11

    In the insane hospital the doctor had naturally many talks with him, but could find in him nothing different from other men, except his loyalty to what the Bible says, and his confidence and happiness in the Lord. The doctor's report of his first examination ran something as follows:—PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.12

    “The patient was sent in for examination as to a state of mind; because he, as an Adventist, had ever since his call to military service refused to work on Saturday, and had therefore undergone one punishment after another. His behaviour in the hospital has been good, and one cannot know any other abnormal symptom in him than his defence of the sacredness of Saturday, which he supports with innumerable texts from the Bible.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.13

    As with Daniel, the only fault found in him was concerning the law of his God.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.14

    On the second of October last he was sent back to the army with the declaration that it was perfectly sane, whereupon the old history began to repeat itself. Friday evening soon came, and, as before, he respectfully but firmly refused to continue his work. Judgment followed quick and strong, and twice more was he obliged to suffer for his faithful “disobedience,” each time five times five days in the dark cell, on bread and water, the last time without any bed. In all this time he uttered no complaint, only expressing the hope that he might soon receive his final sentence of continuous imprisonment.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 339.15

    Finally his case was settled, and he received a sentence of eight months’ hard labour in the penitentiary. This was less than he expected. From the time that he was taken to the prison, until, a little less than two months later, he was pardoned on the king's eightieth birthday, nothing was known of him except that the inspector said he must learn to obey, and he had no doubt but that they would succeed in teaching him, and that in the prison he would be obliged to work on Sabbath, or else be punished according to the prison regulations.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.1

    It transpires that on its refusal to work on the Sabbath, he received the mildest punishment prescribed for such an offence. Instead of being flogged, he was obliged to spend the Sabbath in a dark cell or hole, where, as it was winter, and there was no fire, he suffered much from the cold. Now, however, he is free from prison and from all further military service; and as none of the things he endured could spoil his peace, it may well be believed that he is now glad in the Lord, to whose service he is more than ever devoted.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.2

    WHO WAS DISOBEDIENT?

    We have he headed this narrative “A Lesson in Obedience,” and such it is. The military authorities thought all the time that they were engaged in teaching the young recruit obedience to order; but the fact was that it was he who was giving them a practical lesson in obedience, which most of them were too dull to appreciate, their senses having been blunted by their military training.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.3

    It is true that Rasmussen was technically disobedient, but that which in his case was called “disobedience” was the highest kind of obedience. A writer for one of the Danish newspapers well said: “I cherish the highest respect for this young man. The faithfulness and integrity which he exhibits is so rare that it ought to be rewarded by some other means than the House of Corrections.” In reality it was the military authorities who were disobedient, for the law which says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” is for all, and the king on his throne is under the same obligation to keep it that the peasant is.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.4

    That Rasmussen's case is only faintly suggestive of what may yet follow in multiplied instances in every land, is indicated by the following taken from the Aarhus Folkeblad February 19:—PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.5

    “One cannot comfort himself with the thought that this is an isolated case, for there will soon be many, I know of a certainty. We really come to the heart of the matter only when we see that such a man can come into a yet more serious situation in time of war. For according to what I have been able to learn by conversations with men belonging to the Seventh-day Adventists, they will absolutely refuse to go against an enemy with weapons in hand. They will hold themselves strictly to the fifth [sixth] commandment, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ They will allow themselves to be killed, but they will not kill. If this is correct, and I believe it is, then these men are useless as soldiers, and may, if war should break out, come into the most deplorable condition in that they may be condemned to death, and put others in the painful situation of being obliged to pronounce so hard a sentence upon them.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.6

    THE GOD OF WAR

    When one stops to consider how the war spirit is dominating the nations of earth, and what its nature is, it will be apparent that there are indeed “perilous times” ahead, and not far distant. The demon whom men call “the god of war” is stern, harsh, unyielding, unrelenting, and mercilessly cruel. The groans of the wounded and dying, and the wails of widows and orphans, are music to his ears. Men call him Mars, but he is well represented by the ancient Moloch, that brazen image into whose red-hot arms living children were flung, while the beating of drums and the blare of trumpets drowned their dying cries, or mingled with them to work the multitudes up to the highest pitch of frenzy.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.7

    The Danish people are as kind and courteous and gentle a people as can be found in the world. Moreover all those who came in contact with young Rasmussen liked him personally, and the officers praised his efficiency and willingness, yet the worship of the military demon begets so false a conception of duty, that not one of them would hesitate in obedience to inflict upon him any sort of punishment. Why?—Because in their minds human Government is greater than God. Young Rasmussen was not punished because the officers had any ill will to him, nor because they were hard-hearted men. Far from it. On the contrary, it caused them pain, and they did it at the sacrifice of personal feelings and to what they conceived to be their duty. The same thing would be done in any other country in the world, only the punishment might be much more vigorous. The kings and rulers of earth have set themselves against God, and have assumed the right to set aside His law, which says, “Thou shalt not kill,” and as a matter of course the other portions of that law are as lightly regarded by them.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.8

    A FALLACY

    This case shows the fallacy of another idea, that is entertained by many, namely, that religious persecution must be prompted by hatred of the religious principles of the ones persecuted. In this case those at whose hands Rasmussen suffered had no religious bias. They cared more for the Sunday than for the Sabbath. It was absolutely immaterial to them what religion the soldiers professed, or if they professed none at all. The only thing that concerned them was, to secure implicit and unquestioning obedience to the regulations of the army. If a man disregards them, the fact that he does so in obedience to God's law is not for a moment taken into consideration; punishment must follow to the bitter end.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.9

    MILITARISM ABOVE GOD

    “But there must be discipline in the army, or else its efficiency is at an end; and if partiality is shown there will be an end of discipline,” will be urged by many, and not last, by any means, by men who occupy the places of influence in the church. Think of the wickedness of such a defence! God and His law must be considered of secondary importance to the military machine! It is of more importance that the army should be maintained, than that God should be regarded! The mere statement of the case is sufficient to show that it is as gross paganism as ever existed. What hope can there be of peace on earth as long as such principles rule?PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.10

    The situation will be worse in the future than it has ever been in the past, for war is now sanctioned by the professed ministers of the Gospel, as it has never been before. It is so easy for the rulers to raise the cry of “humanity” in justification of any war, or else there is always that magic word “patriotism;” and when a country is “Christian,” it is readily argued that to defend its “honour” is a Christian act; so that he who will refuse to disobey God's law, “Thou shalt not kill,” will be condemned as a traitor to God in his country, and that even by the ministers of religion.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 340.11

    PAGANISM

    Is it not time that the question were again asked: “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God serve Him, and if Baal, then serve him.” In so-called “Christian” countries the worst sort of paganism is assuming overwhelming proportions. The great mass of people seem to think that when “Government” (which is in the main only another name for the army) commands disobedience of God's law, there is no alternative but to disobey it; and those who refuse to transgress God's law are branded as lawless and disobedient. What is it but heathenism thus to ignore God, and to set the military god above Him?PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.1

    Thank God that there are still faithful witnesses to the truth, lone voices in the desert, saying, “Behold your God!” When the testing time comes the single voices will be multiplied by thousands, whose quiet lives of humble obedience to God's law will speak louder than any words, and will result in bringing many from the camp of Satan, to enlist under the banner of the Prince of Peace.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.2

    “Notes on the International Sunday-School Lessons. Jesus Crucified. Matt. xxvii. 35-50” The Present Truth 14, 22.

    E. J. Waggoner

    JUNE 12

    Few are the words in which this most remarkable scene in human history is recorded, but every detail is weighty with meaning. The great central fact is stated in the briefest possible way: “And they crucified Him.” The attendant circumstances are set forth in the simplest and most direct manner. Only the Holy Spirit Himself could give such an account of such an event.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.3

    It was the Son of man who was crucified, our representative. And “we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died.” 2 Cor. v. 14, R.V. It only remains for us to accept His death, and for us each to know, “I have been crucified with Christ.” Then can we make our own the words of the Scripture: “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away, that we should no longer be in bondage to sin; for he that hath died is justified from sin.” Rom. vi. 6, 7, R.V. “But God forbid that I should glory, saving the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Gal. vi. 14. It is thus that we experience the power of His death, that power by which He destroyed the devil and his works. Heb. ii. 14. And since He “His own self bare our sins in His own body to the tree,”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.4

    My sin-oh, the bliss of the glorious thought!-
    My sin-not in part, but the whole,
    Is nailed to His cross; and I bear it no more:
    Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.
    PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.5

    All this, and much more which we cannot now consider, is bound up in the simple statement, “And They crucified Him.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.6

    KING OF GLORY

    And there was His accusation: “This is Jesus the King the Jews.” It was by preferring the charge of treason against Him that His condemnation had been secured from Pilate; “If thou let this man go, thou art not C?sar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against C?sar.” John xix. 12. And yet in His examination before Pilate, Jesus had told him, “My kingdom is not of this world.” But He was King, and in no experience did His kingship stand out more clearly than when He was upon the cross. For He was King because of what He was in Himself, by virtue of His own character, and His death on the cross demonstrated before the whole universe His inherent fitness to be king over all. The fact that He could die to save the world was the clearest reason why He should be made “King of kings and Lord of lords.” And so the Scripture says: “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. ii. 8-11. And He is King to-day, the rightful King, for the Lord enquires:PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.7

    Is it not I who My King have established
    On Zion, holy mountain of Mine?
    PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.8

    Each one of thus, by the way in which we treat Jesus to-day, is declaring whether he recognises this rightful claim to be King, not on earthly thrones, but in his own heart, “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” And so His accusation, while false from the standpoint of His accusers, was yet the expression of a great truth when properly understood. “The Lord shall rule over you.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.9

    “WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS”

    Jesus died where He had lived, with sinners. “Then were there two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.” And these two men were representatives of the two classes of sinners, the repentant and the unrepentant. Jesus was crucified for all, but only those who are willing with humble confession of sin to recognise His kingship will be able to receive the benefits of His death.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.10

    It is perfectly evident that the taunts which were cast at Jesus as He hung upon the cross were inspired by the prince of darkness. When Satan met Jesus in the wilderness, he sought, by casting doubt upon His sonship, to induce Him to depart from the Father's plan for Him in using His own Divine power to save Himself from suffering. Then he said, “If Thou be the Son of God,” etc. And Satan to-day is still finding some who profess to be the children of God, who yet permit themselves be used as mouthpieces for speaking against Jesus. “Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself He cannot save.” Alas for humanity! How little it comprehends the work of Jesus! It was true that “He saved others,” and it is also true that by refusing to save Himself on that day, again declining to use His Divine power to save Himself from the suffering which He had willingly accepted in behalf of man, He saved both Himself and us. But it was for us that He endured the suffering, for He might have refused to drink the cup, but alas for the human family if He had taken that way of saving Himself. How clearly does the cross show that there is no selfishness in Jesus.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 341.11

    “He trusted in God,” they said in derision. Thus it was that in their scorn they were unintentionally bearing witness to the genuine character of His work. For He had said, “I can do nothing of Myself,” and “I live by the Father,” and He had thus placed Himself on the same ground of weakness and dependence as humanity finds itself, to make righteousness (right-doing) by faith possible for helpless humanity. “In all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren.” Well may we say: “For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.” What a scene of mockery and insult is witnessed at the cross! All join in the reviling: “they that pass by,” “the chief priests,” “the scribes and elders” and “the thieves also.” No wonder that the sun, the eye of God, refused to look upon such an exhibition, and that “from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.” Inanimate creation showed more sympathy for its Creator than did man who was made in the image of God. So cruel is sin.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 342.1

    Jesus has endured without a word all that Satanic malice could suggest in bodily suffering and taunts and derision, but now when He takes upon Himself the experience of the lost sinner in His separation from God, that terrible cry is wrung from His human lips, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” “Christ died for our sins.” “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath made the iniquity of us all to meet on Him.” And “the wages of sin is death,” under separation from God. And it was this experience, the sense of being separated from His own Father whom He loved, whose thought had always been His thought, whose will had always been His will, that crushed His soul in that awful hour. It is only in view of the cross that we can measure the cost of our salvation and understand that value which God Himself has set upon the human soul. “I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 342.2

    The fact that Jesus “cried again with a loud voice” just before He “yielded up the ghost” shows that it was not physical suffering which caused His death. He was crushed by the weight of the sins of the world and died literally of a broken heart. But in His agony of death, borne down by the weight of the sins which He had taken upon Himself, He became conqueror and King of the universe. He had already said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto Me,” and so it was. When other kings have died the cry has been, “The king is dead,” and they have turned to the new king with the cry, “Long live the king,” but this King gained both His kingdom and His subjects by His death. “Yea, I loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have by drawn thee.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 342.3

    Oh, 'twas love, 'twas wondrous love, the love of
    God to me;
    It brought My Saviour from above, to die on
    Calvary.
    PTUK June 2, 1898, page 342.4

    “Crooked Vision—Perverted Judgment” The Present Truth 14, 22.

    E. J. Waggoner

    “What is the charge against a prisoner?”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.1

    “Breaking the Sabbath, your worship. He spent the most of last Sunday at work.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.2

    “Ah, that is bad; what was he doing?”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.3

    “He was killing a man, your worship; and as the man was strong, and made much resistance, he had to work very hard before he could finish the job.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.4

    “That is bad, very bad; but as this is his first offence, I will let him off this time, with a caution to wait until Monday the next time he wants to kill anybody.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.5

    You say that this is but a caricature, and unworthy a place in a religious journal! Then read the following, and say if our story is far-fetched. It is a despatch from Indianapolis, U.S.A.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.6

    The Presbyterian General Assembly has forwarded a resolution to President McKinley, a king that no battles be fought on Sundays, and urging that if Admiral Sampson should meet Admiral Cervera on a Sunday he should request the Spanish admiral to wait until Monday before fighting.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.7

    Here we see the result of a departure from the plain commandment of God, and the substitution of the commandment of men. Nowhere does the Bible forbid any kind of labour on Sunday; but there is an explicit command, saying, “Thou shalt not kill.” Men have so long ignored the commandment which says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work,” and have substituted for the Lord's day a day of man's own choosing, that now they are unable to see any sin in killing men in droves, provided it isn't done on Sunday. So perverted has their judgment become, that no thought is given to the sinfulness of transgressing God's commandments; the only fault found is with the disregard of man's ordinance.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.8

    This is a sign that perilous times are coming, when the earth will be filled with violence, as in the days before the flood. The persistent disregard of the fourth commandment, not only by the world, but by “the church,” will yield such a harvest of lawlessness as will be terrible to behold. God's law is a unit, and the disregard of one portion of it carries with it rejection of the whole. “Turn ye, turn ye, for what will ye die?” Man can live only by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.9

    Another instance of the terribly perverted ideas of the Gospel which now prevail, has come to our attention since the foregoing was written. The New York Independent, one of the most influential religious journals in the United States, contains a leading editorial entitled, “Reparation, not vengeance,” in which the war cry, “Remember the Maine,” is deprecated, and it is insisted that the plea of “humanity” must be strictly adhered to. The Independent wants war, but wants it under the guise of Christianity. Revenge isn't a nice word, and the editor says it is “unworthy of a Christian people.” And then follows the serious exhortation, “Let us keep to law and Gospel even in war.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.10

    We have long been accustomed to seeing the ten commandments ignored and perverted, but it does sound a little strange to hear men talk of slaughtering human beings in harmony with the Gospel of Peace, whose Author said, “Resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also,” and who Himself set the example. But the law and Gospel are inseparable, and the perversion of the one cannot fail to be attended by the perversion of the other.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.11

    In striking contrast with this plea for the law and Gospel to be adhered to in war, is the following from the Daily Telegraph of May 23, with reference to the resolution of the Presbyterian Assembly concerning Sunday fighting:—PTUK June 2, 1898, page 344.12

    A very great and very wise English prelate declared in the House of Lords that foreign policy could not, unfortunately, be conducted on the principles of the Sermon on the Mount. Still less can actual war be carried on without outraging the fundamental axioms of Christianity at every point. Absurd as is the resolution, it may serve the purpose of calling attention to the fact that war, inevitable, and even imperative as it sometimes is, must temporarily put in abeyance the doctrines of the Gospel of Peace.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 345.1

    It is a pitiable state of affairs, when the world has clearer ideas of Christianity than the church itself has. Now is the time for Christians to show that Christianity is something more than a name, and that true Christians never put the doctrines of the Gospel of peace in abeyance even temporarily.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 345.2

    “A Vain Appeal” The Present Truth 14, 22.

    E. J. Waggoner

    The Committee of the International Peace Bureau have issued from Berne the following general appeal:—PTUK June 2, 1898, page 345.3

    As soon as the question of Cuba had led to a state of tension between the United States and Spain, the friends of peace sought both by individual and united effort to prevent hostilities between the disputants, but events precipitated themselves and notwithstanding the peaceable intentions of the two Governments, the dreaded war was rendered inevitable by the passions of the two peoples becoming inflamed against each other.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 345.4

    The war had hardly been declared before some of its deplorable consequences made themselves felt throughout Europe, in the rise in the price of bread and in the trouble and suffering which has followed. Incontrovertible evidence is thus given of the ever-growing inter-dependence of all the members of the great human family. War cannot now be carried on at any spot on the globe, without all civilised communities feeling the disturbance, and each having its own interests affected thereby.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 345.5

    If the peace of Europe were to be broken? We tremble to think of such a possibility, and we are seized with horror when we attempt to realise what a European conflagration would mean; nevertheless, just as the present war has been brought about by misguided public opinion, so in Europe the same cause might lead to manifestations of hostility, and disastrous consequences might be inevitable.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 345.6

    Therefore, under the present sad circumstances, we appeal to you to unite together in protesting against the use of brute force to settle international differences, as well as against all oppression, and we entreat you to demand that some pledge shall be given to the nations, that the peace, which humanity longs for, shall be secured to them.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 345.7

    We ask you to join your efforts to the efforts of those societies, which are working in every land, in the cause of peace; and we urge you publicly to declare your determination that this scourge of war shall be driven from our midst. Let your voice be heard above all cries of international passion and hatred!PTUK June 2, 1898, page 345.8

    This appeal clearly sets forth the situation, and present danger; but it will be ineffectual, because it utterly ignores the cause of war. “From whence come wars and fighting among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” James iv. 1. To declare a determination that war shall be driven from our midst, is really to declare that emulation, wrath, strife, hatred, greed, ambition, etc., be driven from human hearts. Each individual may make this declaration for himself, and if he do so in sincerity, the Holy Spirit of God will put all these things away from him, and fill him with the love and peace of God. But war can no more be suppressed by resolutions or pledges than a man can be cured of leprosy by Act of Parliament.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 345.9

    “Murderous Millinery” The Present Truth 14, 22.

    E. J. Waggoner

    The following letter was sent to the editor of the Christian World. It can hardly be wondered at that Christianity is regarded by so many as a sham when those who appear in public as its advocates and adherents manifest so inconsistent a disregard for its principles of kindness and all-embracing love. If not a sparrow falls to the ground without the notice of the Father, how must He regard the slaughter of His creatures for the adornment of those who profess to be His servants?PTUK June 2, 1898, page 347.1

    Sir,-It is an extraordinary thing that, despite all that has been said on the subject of “murderous millinery” and the proved and reiterated statement that every graceful “osprey” plume nodding in a woman's bonnet means the slaughter of a whole family of birds, under circumstances peculiarly revolting, Christian women, some of whom are leaders in Christian work, still wear these barbarous adornments. At the May Meetings of the different religious societies, ospreys are everywhere-even on the platform. At one meeting a woman pleaded for self-devotion-with ospreys in her bonnet! At an important ladies’ missionary gathering the lady who presided, and one of the missionaries who described the cruelties of Indian life, both wore ospreys. It is hardly conceivable that, after all that has been said and written on the subject, any woman can be unaware of the barbarity of the trade in ospreys. Perhaps some comfort themselves with the idea, sedulously fostered by drapers and milliners, that their ospreys are only “imitations.” But in nineteen cases out of twenty the plumes are real, and are only called “imitations” in order to salve the easily soothed consciences of the women who buy them. As Ruskin says, a woman who will wear relics of murdered birds in her headgear would almost make her dead baby into an ornament if fashion demanded it-Yours truly, A MAY MEETING WOMAN.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 347.2

    A letter to the Chronicle states thatPTUK June 2, 1898, page 347.3

    “Back Page” The Present Truth 14, 22.

    E. J. Waggoner

    Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 347.4

    That means that kings are His subjects. He is “on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.1

    This is all that can be said of the poorest man or the one in the humblest position on earth. All owe Him allegiance. Kings and rulers owe Him the same service that the peasants are bankers do, except that those who have the greatest influence and opportunity have the greatest obligation.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.2

    No man is great in the sight of God. He “bringeth princes to nothing, and maketh the judges of earth as vanity.” “Men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie; to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.” Ps. lxii. 9. “Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” Ps. xxxix. 5. From the height of heaven, whence God beholds the earth, no man is greater than any other.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.3

    Therefore He speaks to mankind as a whole, including every individual, saying, “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God?” Micah vi. 8.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.4

    Every man's duty then is plain. It is to worship the Lord God, and to serve Him only. Matt. iv. 10. Whoever does this, will do his full duty to every other man on earth, no matter what his name or rank.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.5

    Then when anyone is brought into a situation such as that described in this paper, where men in places of authority demand that which is a violation of the commandment of God, the way is very clear. One has only to serve God. Only so can he rightly serve his fellow-men. The highest service we can render mankind, and that for which we are placed here, is to show them the power of the truth of God.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.6

    The poorest and most unlettered person in the world, even a little child, can do this. It does not require that one shall be able to make fine distinctions as to just how far the rights of earthly rulers extend. The question of human rights, whether of the ruler or the subject, has not to be considered at all. But only the question of what is right; and God's Word determines that. One has only to know the Lord, and to receive the words of His mouth, to be able to “understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.7

    The bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in their semi-annual session at Albion, Michigan, U.S.A., passed the following resolution:—PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.8

    That we render most hearty thanks to God for the victory He has vouchsafed to our arms at Manila, and that we congratulate our navy upon this magnificent result.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.9

    What can the bishops mean by “our arms?” They are Christians, and “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.”PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.10

    An American religious journal of high standing says that “nothing is wanting to make Commodore Dewey's victory complete and satisfactory to the last degree,” and then proceeds to describe the battle, stating that the commander “brought all his ships and men safely through the action, destroying nearly a dozen Spanish ships, killing and wounding a thousand or more Spaniards, silencing shore batteries, and making useless about $6,000,000 of Spanish property.” That is not the kind of work that Christ finds “satisfactory to the last degree.” He comes that men may have life, and His work is to restore, and not to destroy.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.11

    The editor of the Daily Telegraph says that war cannot be carried on without “outraging the fundamental axioms of Christianity at every point.” Yet many, very many, professed ministers of Christ are defending war as necessary. Then it must be that the editor of the Telegraph is mistaken in his estimate of Christianity, or else many of its professed ministers are false to it. If it be the first, then they ought to labour to convert him, by explaining to him how peace and war, universal love and wholesale murder, are compatible; if the latter be the case, then the church needs conversion. Certainly something needs to be done, for there is a fearful confusion in the minds of many as to what Christianity really is.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.12

    The idea of an Anglo-Saxon alliance is finding much favour both here and in the United States. The sentiment of the leading journals of the latter country is thus expressed: “Let us not hesitate to join Great Britain with or without the aid of the other Powers, in policing the world.” It will be a bad day for both nations, and for the world, when that programme is carried into effect.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.13

    It may seem to some that we are devoting much space just not to references to war and fighting. We are indeed, because it is necessary. The world, and the professed Christian world too, is filled with a spirit that is directly opposed to the Spirit of God, whose fruits are “love, joy, peace,” etc. The Gospel is being set forth as sanctioning war and bloodshed, and it is necessary that the world should know that war talk, no matter from what source it comes, has nothing in common with the Gospel of Christ. The Christian religion is being misrepresented, and many souls will be lost as the result. We would do what we can to remind people that the Gospel is just the same to-day that it was when Christ lived it on earth.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.14

    Dr. Agar Beet's book, “The Last Things,” has been causing some stir among his Methodist brethren. Dr. Beet, who occupies a prominent position in the denomination as a teacher and lecturer, denies in this book that the doctrine of the soul's inherent immortality is founded on Scripture, and shows that it was derived from Plato and introduced to the church by men who “called to their aid, in defence of the teaching of Christ, Greek metaphysics.” Perhaps, now that a Professor of Theology has led the way, others will feel free to accept the Scripture which declares that God “only hath immortality.” 1 Tim. vi. 16.PTUK June 2, 1898, page 352.15

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