May 10, 1894

“Front Page” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The words of inspiration by the Apostle Peter are, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:6, 7.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.1

How few there are who do this. Some do not seem to realise that God cares for them. David knew it, for He said, by the Spirit, “But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me; Thou art my help and my Deliverer.” Psalm 40:17. And Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6, 7.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.2

God not only knows our need, and cares for us, but He is able to do whatever His love prompts Him to do. Happy the man who can say with Job, “I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be restrained.” Job 42:2. Or with Paul, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.3

“Casting all your care upon Him,” means therefore to put it upon Him, and to leave it there with the assurance that He will see to it. “Roll thy way upon the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5, margin. When we go to a railway station, we deliver our luggage into the hands of a porter, and then go our way, thinking nothing more about it, confident that it will be taken care of. Surely we ought to trust the Lord more than we do a man.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.4

But the trouble with so many is that they deal with the Lord just as they do with the railway porter. They deliver their luggage-their cares-into His hands, and then after a while they take it from Him again. We are to cast our cares on the Lord, and leave them there for ever, receiving His peace as our surety, and not to take them again as the traveller does his luggage. He says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.5

In the first book of Samuel we have an instance of this rolling the burden upon the Lord, and trusting Him. Hanna was greatly troubled. Her childless condition had been a reproach to her. She had suffered hardship because of it. So she prayed to the Lord for a son. Eli, misunderstanding her, had reproved her, and she said, “I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial; for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.” 1 Samuel 1:15, 16. Thus we see how greatly she had been burdened.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.6

“Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of Him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.” 1 Samuel 1:17, 18.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.7

Young translates the last clause thus: “And her countenance hath not been sad for it any more.” A strictly literal rendering is, “And her face was not to it again.” That is, she had thrown her burden upon the Lord, and she left it there, and went her way, thinking no more about it. She did not resolve that she would thinking no more about it; but her trust in the Lord, that He would bring her desires to pass if according to His will, was so great that she could not worry about the matter any more, and her face, as a natural consequence, ceased to be sad. From the above precepts and example let us learn how to trust God.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.8

“Tell It to Others” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

“Sacredness does not mean secrecy. Many persons suppose that sacred things are profaned by the violation of their secrecy. There is truth in this sometimes. But there are souls to whom the utterance of some of our most sacred thoughts or experiences would be a life blessing. The question is, Sacred to what, or to whom? Every high and holy experience ought to be sacred to a high and holy purpose, and that purpose is not always to be attained by burying an experience utterly out of the sight of men.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.9

The Scripture admonishes us to tell others what we have seen and heard from the Lord. “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul.” Psalm 66:16. “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name.” Malachi 3:16. God blesses men not for their own sake, simply, but that they may be a blessing to others. Let the language of every lover of the Lord be, “O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 289.10

“What to Tell” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

What to Tell.-Jesus said to the disciples of John, “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard.” Luke 7:22. That is all that any Gospel worker has to do. He has not to strain himself to make a learned discourse; he has not to theorise and speculate; he has only to tell what he has seen and heard. Not what he has heard men say, but what he has heard from the Lord. The command is, “Hear Him.” Tell only what you know from personal acquaintance with Jesus. This was the source of the apostles’ power. They had been with Jesus, and they said, when forbidden to teach, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20. You may not have heard and seen very much, but that little will be as effective as the greater amount that another has seen and heard. But do nothing to add to its effectiveness by adding something that you do not know from personal knowledge. That will weaken the whole. The testimony of the man in court, who knows only one thing about the case, and who sticks to that one thing, is as useful as any man’s testimony could be. But he throws discredit on what he does know, as soon as he begins to tell something that he does not know. This wonderfully simplifies Christian work, and provides a place for every one. “Go your way, tell those things which ye have seen and heard.” “Continue thou in those things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, and knowing of whom thou hast learned them.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.1

“The Gospel Does Not Depend Upon Man” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Whenever a man apostatises, the scoffers set up a shout, as though the Gospel had been greatly weakened. Even many Christians are sometimes thrown into perplexity. They lose courage, and are almost in doubt as to the truth, because some have turned from it. Such need to learn that the Gospel does not depend on man. They must know that it rests on the unchangeable word of God. Paul knew whom he believed, and therefore he could write without a shade of discouragement or doubt, “This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me.” 2 Timothy 1:15. What if all the professed Christians in a province apostatised, and his work seemed to have been entirely in vain? “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure.” The truth is no more true because many men, and even great men, believe it; and it is no less true because many reject it. Jesus was just as much the Son of God when all forsook Him and fled, as He was when the multitude followed Him, shouting, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.2

“‘Intolerant of Evil’” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

At the fiftieth annual meeting of the London Y.M.C.A. one of the speakers, the head master of Harrow, said in this course of his address:—PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.3

If a Christian would be like Christ, he must be strong and even fierce in character. He must be intolerant of the things that are wrong; he must not suffer them, must not endure them for an instant.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.4

Just think what influence might be exercised by this great meeting if we were all resolved that in public and in private life we will be intolerant, as intolerant as Christ was, of things that are evil, and base, and vile. Talk about public men and public opinion! We are public opinion. It is in our power to say, as Christian men and women, what we deem to be right; and, depend upon it. If we stick to that which we deem to be right in Christ’s name, there is no power on earth that can stand against us.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.5

Unfortunately, that idea is very common. This very statement was highly eulogised by a daily paper that is prominent in the ranks of reform, and most people would read it without thinking of its real tendency, which is the worst sort of persecution. It means that every professed Christian is to make his ideas of right and wrong the standard of everybody else, and then to do the best he can to force others to come to that standard. Of course people working singly in such a way would accomplish nothing, and would be regarded as nuisances; and so they must unite and agree on certain points, and then by their combined power and influence compel other people to come to the same standard. There is in human nature enough tendency in that direction, without clergymen teaching it as a Christian duty.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.6

The only way in which a man can rightly be intolerant of evil is to be intolerant of it in himself. The Christian is represented as a soldier, and the Christian’s life is a warfare, but not against men. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.7

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. He was strong, He resisted even unto blood, striving against sin; but by no means could He be called intolerant. Fierceness is not a characteristic of a lamb. He was the light of the world, which means that He enlightened the world in respect to righteousness. He “condemned sin in the flesh,” both by His life and His words; yet He did not presume to condemn men. He said, “If any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:47.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.8

And so He instructed His disciples. “Behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:3. It is the wolves and not the lambs that are intolerant. Christ’s followers are simply to bear a plain testimony, leaving the Holy Spirit to impress it upon the people, and the Lord himself to deal with those who will not accept it.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.9

This was made very clear by the parable of the wheat and the tares. When the servants of the husbandman told him that tares had appeared in the wheat, and asked it they should root them out, he replied: “Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:29, 30. In the same chapter the Saviour explained that “the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” The end of the world and the coming of the Lord is the time when evil is to be rooted out by force. And it is to be done only by the Lord and His angels.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.10

The spirit of intolerance is the spirit of the Papacy. It is a most insidious evil. The intolerant one persuades himself that he is actuated solely by righteous zeal for the Lord, when he is in reality moved only by zeal for his own opinions. He opposes an evil, not so much because it is evil, but because it seems to defy him, or, in other words, “it outrages public sentiment.” And he seeks to enforce something that he judges to be right, simply because he judges it to be right, and not because the word of the Lord commands it. If he knew the commandment of the Lord, he would know that it is love, and that force and intolerance are a violation of it, because “the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:24, 25.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 290.11

“‘Complete in Him’” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The only way for any man to attain completeness-that for which all men seek-is to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. “In Him,” writes the apostle, “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; and ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power.” Colossians 2:9, 10.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.1

The mission of Christ is to set men free; and the freedom that He gives is complete. The Gospel is the only power in the world that takes hold of body, mind, and soul, and restores each to a condition of holiness, or wholeness. That this is the mission of Christ appears from the words in which He announced it in the synagogue at Nazareth, and from the works which He performed during His ministry. It is set forth in these words of the prophet Isaiah, which He quoted: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.2

Looking at the work of Christ, we find that this is exactly what He did. He touched men, and restored their bodies to health and strength; He restored the insane to their right mind, and He gave power to as many as believed on Him to become the sons of God, free from the bondage of sin. And this is the work to which He commissioned His disciples; for when He sent them forth He said, “As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:7, 8.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.3

This is the work done by the Gospel, wherever it has gone. This is what the Gospel does to-day; and therefore it is the one thing which all men need. Man at his best estate, without the Gospel, is a slave. Men count liberty as a most valuable thing, even when it means no more than freedom to come and go, to think and act, without arbitrary restriction from their fellows,—liberty merely in that which concerns the temporal things of this life. But how much more valuable is that liberty through which we lay hold on things eternal,—which unfetters the soul and gives man access to the highest sphere of existence. This liberty comes through the Gospel alone; and without the Gospel all liberty of every kind must eventually be lost. But with the Gospel we are sure of all,—that which is highest and most valuable now, and the rest after we have for God’s glory suffered awhile, and been made perfect.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.4

“A Dangerous Mixture” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The editor of an evening newspaper having been asked why he published sporting news, since he declared that he disapproved of it, replied:—PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.5

The plain truth is, that it would greatly limit the area over which the teaching of the paper has influence.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.6

To the question if it is not a fact that the sporting mania is increasing, he replied:—PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.7

Undoubtedly-spreading down to the very lowest strata of society from the Prince of Wales down to the crossing sweeper.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.8

And then, to the suggestion that the responsibility of newspaper proprietors and amateurs who foster the sporting media is very serious, he replied:—PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.9

Truth. But as things are, the publication of this kind of news is a condition of a newspapers’ reaching many thousands whom it wants to influence. To sum it up, if we did not publish racing news, we should have a smaller circulation and the result would be that the teaching for the social good, which we give the people, would not get into nearly so many hands.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.10

Unfortunately, this plan of doing evil that good may come has not been always confined to the non-religious world. It was this sort of reasoning which led the professed Christian bishops of the early centuries to multiply rites and ceremonies so as to compete with the splendours of Paganism, and to indulge the heathen customs of their so-called converts, in the vain hope that they would by and by outgrow their heathenism. They thought that they must by any means whatever bring as many as possible within the sphere of the church’s teaching, and so they compromised truth with error, with the result that error prevailed, truth was rooted out, and the church became Paganised.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.11

At the present time too many churches are endeavouring to compete with the world in presenting attractions to the people. They think to rival the attractions of the music halls, by presenting some of the same features, trusting that the truth which they have will counteract the evil. But the plan will fail. In order to compete with the world on its own lines, the church must outdo the world on those same lines; and when this is done, the church and the world are one. The union of a clear stream and a muddy one, results in one muddy stream. The clear water does not purify the impure. One of the most effective ways of serving the devil is that, which so many well-meaning people fall into, of combining error with truth, and of pandering to the evil desires of the people to whom it is desired to teach truth. Poison combined with wholesome food is far more dangerous than when enclosed in a bottle by itself, and labelled, “Poison.” In the former case even the otherwise wholesome food becomes poison.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.12

“Reasoning Together” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

If a man is asked why he keeps Sunday, he will promptly answer that he keeps Sunday because Christ rose from the dead on that day. This is almost invariably the first answer that is given. There is scarcely a church-member in the world who would not, if asked to give a Bible reason for Sunday observance, immediately turn to the passage which speaks of the resurrection of Jesus on the first day of the week.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.13

Without questioning the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, we would ask, Where do we find any commandment requiring people to observe the first day of the week? or even a hint in the Scriptures, that the resurrection of Jesus should be commemorated by a day of rest? The invariable answer to this question is that the Scripture nowhere contains any express statement in regard to Sunday observance, but that there must be good ground for it, since the custom is so general. Thus custom is substituted for Scripture.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.14

Some will say, “We believe that one day in seven ought to be observed as a sabbath, but it does not make any difference which day it is.” If asked why they think that one day in seven ought to be kept, they can give no other reply than that the fourth commandment requires it. But for the fourth commandment, known either from the Scriptures or by word of mouth, no man on earth would ever have had any idea that any day ought to be observed as a Sabbath. People who know nothing of the Bible, know nothing of the Sabbath day.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 291.15

But when we read the fourth commandment, we learn that the Lord is particular as to the day to be observed,—so particular that He has very definitely specified the day. It is none other than “the seventh day.” The commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy works; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work.” Exodus 20:8-10. Whoever therefore knows that the Bible requires the observance of one day in seven, has no valid excuse for not knowing that the seventh day, and that only, is the particular day to be observed.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.1

Does somebody suggest that the commandment does not specify the seventh day of the week, and that therefore we are left at liberty to select which ever seventh day we wish? The reply is that there is but one seventh day, and that is the seventh day of the week. Because the week is the only period of time consisting of exactly seven days. The week is composed of seven days, designated in regular order as first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh. In the Bible the days are always designated by number, and not by name, with the exception of the seventh; for none of the days except the seventh has a name. The name of the seventh day of the week is “Sabbath.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.2

But we are plainly told that the commandment requires the observance of the seventh day of the week. In the record of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, we are told that He was crucified on “the preparation day,” when “the Sabbath drew on.” Luke 23:54. Of the women who followed, and saw where He was buried, it is said that “they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.” Verse 56. The very next verse, namely, the first verse of the next chapter, says that “upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared.” Mark tells us that this was “when the Sabbath was past” (Mark 16:1), and Matthew 28:1 tells us that their coming on the first day of the week to anoint the body of Jesus, was immediately after the Sabbath.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.3

What do we learn from these statements?—Simply this: that “the Sabbath day according to the commandment,” immediately precedes the first day of the week. Now there are but seven days in the week, and therefore the day immediately preceding the first day of the week must invariably be the seventh day of the week. Therefore, according to the words of inspiration, the Sabbath day “according to the commandment” is the seventh day of the week.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.4

And now comes the strangest thing of all, and that is, that having gone thus far our friend says that we cannot certainly know which is the seventh day of the week. He says that just as likely as not the day we call Sunday is the seventh day! Strange that he did not think of this before. And still more strange that he should say so now, after having started out with the statement that he keeps Sunday because Christ rose from the dead on that day, the first day of the week. No one thinks of questioning the fact that Sunday is indeed the day on which Christ rose from the dead. Then surely it is easy enough to know for a certainty that the day before, commonly called Saturday, is the seventh day of the week, and the Sabbath according to the commandment.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.5

It is certain that Christ did not rise from the dead on the seventh day of the week. Therefore whoever suggests that possibly the day known as Sunday may really be the seventh day of the week, must at once throw up the idea that he keeps it in memory of the resurrection. There is no question, however, but that the day known as Sunday is the first day of the week, the day of the resurrection; and therefore it follows that whoever keeps it must do so in the face of the fourth commandment, which requires the observance of the seventh day of the week.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.6

But it will be asked, “Shall we ignore the resurrection of Christ?” By no means. But commemorate it in the way which the Bible presents, and not in a way which is no commemoration. If the Lord had desired us to celebrate the resurrection of Christ by observing the day on which He rose, He would have told us so plainly. “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.” Since the Bible does not mention the observance of Sunday, that is sufficient evidence that God does not wish to have men observe it.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.7

How then shall we commemorate the resurrection of Jesus? “Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.” Romans 6:3-5.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.8

Baptism,—not sprinkling, but the likeness of Christ’s burial and resurrection,—is the memorial of Christ’s resurrection. It is of Divine appointment, and the fitness of it is apparent. Christ “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25); and baptism is “for the remission of sins.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.9

But some may say that baptism is something that occupies but a few moments, and is then past, whereas we ought to keep the resurrection in mind continually. Exactly, and God has provided that it shall be kept in mind continually. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3. Baptism marks the beginning of a new life in Christ, and renewing of that life day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16) is the making known of the “power of His resurrection.” Philippians 3:10. The working of God in man “both to will and to do of His good pleasure,” is the working of “the mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.” Ephesians 1:19, 20.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.10

And now we ask each reader: Are you a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, and do you take His word and life as the rule of your life? If not, why not?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 292.11

“Not Knowledge but Power” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

In the field of morals it is plainly evident that knowledge is not power. Knowledge is glorified in these days, but all men know better than they do, naturally. What is needed is what the apostle cried out for, a power to perform the good that is known.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.1

This is the need in the great heathen world abroad, as well as with all men in professedly Christian lands. Some have thought that as knowledge increased among the heathen peoples, intellectual culture would pave the way for the reception of the Gospel. But the apostle was speaking of men of education and culture when he said that the world by wisdom knew not God. And it was just because of their worldly wisdom that they did not know God. Because vain in their own imaginations and reasonings, these cultured philosophers were led into the grossest wickedness.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.2

Mr. J. P. Graham, a missionary who has spent many years in India, at first supposed that a course of secular study would undermine the superstitions of the natives. So, in common with a large number of missionaries in those days, his first work was to teach English, logic, history, etc., in connection with religious teaching, in a school for the higher castes. He now writes that he is convinced that he made a serious mistake in supposing that the Hindus needed such training to prepare them to receive the Gospel, or that such training does actually make them more susceptible to the preaching of Christ. He says:—PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.3

Such a supposition takes it for granted that the Hindu has an honest conviction of the truth of his own religion, and that his depravity is due to its rites and teachings. But if our observations lead us to this conclusion, and in the end I do not think they will, it would still be wiser to take our stand on the testimony of God’s word, and that will lead us to an opposite opinion. The primary cause of the Hindu’s depravity is not his religion, but, on the contrary, his religion is only the outward expression of his desire to conceal the true nature of his original depravity-the common heritage that he shares with all the rest of mankind, a carnal mind which is enmity against God. His religion is simply the worthless garment of fig leaves in which he has chosen to clothe himself in the vain attempt to hide his nakedness. A vain attempt, indeed, for he cannot succeed even in deceiving himself, except for so long a time as he is permitted to remain in the dark. When a Hindu is brought into contact with the light of God’s word by the preaching of the Gospel, it is not a conviction of the truth of Hinduism that leads him to hold to his religion, but the deliberate choice of what is agreeable to him, notwithstanding he knows it to be evil. It is as literally true of him as of other impenitent men elsewhere, that he “loves darkness rather than light” because his “deeds are evil.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.4

The Gospel is the power needed, and men are “without excuse” if they refuse it.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.5

“Livingstone and the Gospel” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

In the laying the foundation stone of a cottage hospital to be built in memory of Dr. Livingstone, Mr. H. M. Stanley said that Livingstone’s hands were free from violence as his lips were from guile. Dr. Livingstone travelled over the whole of Central Africa unarmed, and found no trouble. And yet people, even some Christian ministers, are telling us that the slaughter of whole tribes is a necessary preliminary step to the spread of the Gospel in Africa. We are not yet ready to believe that maxim guns are “the preparation of the Gospel of peace.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.6

“The Power of the Tongue” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Men are usually very careful in handling things that have great power. A steam engine or an electric dynamo is not a thing to be set going by any careless, inexperienced novice. A case of dynamite is not usually tumbled about in a careless manner, and left to come into chance contact with external forces. A lion is not turned loose to roam through the streets at large. The helm of a ship is not left to be manipulated haphazard by crew or passengers. But in the use of the tongue, people throw aside all thought and all restraint, and let it do its work as it will. Yet “death and life are in the power of the tongue” no less than in dynamite or the steam motor or the beast of prey.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.7

Doubtless more care would be exercised in the use of the tongue if individuals realised the extent to which their own interests, as well as those of others, are affected by their words. An individual’s words are the measure of his worth. They measure his character, not only in the eyes of men, but of God; and therefore the Scripture says, “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:37. And James writes, “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” James 3:2. But if the tongue is evil, the body cannot be good. The whole body is affected with this one member. Though the result be not immediately seen or felt, it is registered on the soul, and sooner or later must be taken into account. As well might a person allow his body to be maltreated at the will of some reckless tyrant as to indulge a thoughtless and reckless tongue. The effect in either case would be very much the same in the end.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.8

God has invited men to take Him at His word; and He in like manner expects to take men at their word. Therefore it behoves every person to abide by his word, and to tell the truth. Just what our word is worth, that we are worth. With what confidence could we approach God, if His word had ever failed? If such a thing should occur, He would at once sink down from the place of Deity. The throne of Omnipotence would be vacant. By His word He upholds all things, and His eternal power and Godhead stand or fall with it. And when a man utters that which is not true, or which he fails to fulfil, he lowers himself to the level of vanity and foolishness. He marks up the measure of himself, which God will use in the judgment.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.9

The Psalmist writes, “Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.... He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” Psalm 15:1-4. As the helm controls the ship, so the tongue controls and carries with it the whole body. A lying tongue will go into the lake of fire, but it will take the body with it. Revelation 21:8. While some men may view lying as an occasional necessity, it is not so in the eyes of the Lord. While men depend upon Him, the same power that upholds Him in the truth will uphold them. Men are not to speak idly, without particular thought of the truthfulness or import of their words. He who trifles with the tongue, trifles with life and death.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.10

The power of the tongue is one which affects the individual who wields it more than it can affect anyone else. Though it may shoot barbed arrows that cause pain and sorrow in other hearts, their deadliest poison is imparted to the place from whence they came. No greater folly can actuate the mind than that which leads a person to seek revenge on others by poisonous words. They may cause some injury to the one against whom they are spoken, but they must inevitably be more injurious to the speaker. What folly to roil the stream from which we think others must drink, by stirring up filthy and mire within our own minds!PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.11

Moses made the greatest mistake of his life when, at the rock at Horeb, he “ spake unadvisedly with his lips.” Ananias made the greatest mistake in his when, in reply to Peter’s question, he dared to utter a lie. Such examples might well be kept before the minds of the people of this generation. “What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” The tongue is a mighty power for good when it is used in the cause of truth. By the blood of Christ and the word of his testimony the Christian overcomes Satan, witnessing as Christ did before Pilate, “a good confession,” for “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This is the use appointed the tongue by its Creator.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 293.12

“For Pious Purposes” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The evil doctrine that the end justifies the means is very far from being confined to the principles and practice of the Jesuits. Very often we find people who profess to be Christians, venturing out a little from the pathway that God has marked out in His word, and sometimes venturing out a long way, for the purpose, as they think, of honouring God! It would be well for such to stop and ask themselves what constitutes the honour of God, and how it is that man can honour Him.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 294.1

For instance, consider the matter of Sabbath observance. People observe the first day of the week, as they say, in honour of the resurrection of Christ. They seem never to entertain a doubt but that in so doing they are honouring Him. And although they pay no attention to the seventh day, which God has distinctly specified and commanded to be kept, they have no thought apparently but that their course is just as acceptable and pleasing to God; for is not the purpose of it all to honour Him?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 294.2

But stop a moment. Who is to say what is to the honour of God and what is not? Has this been left for man to decide? Has it been left for him to choose his own way of serving and honouring God, or has God reserved that right to Himself? Is God particular, or does He allow men some latitude to suit their own tastes and their own ideas? God was particular with Nadab and Abihu; He was particular with Saul, although that king had spared the sheep and cattle of the Amalekites for the pious purpose of sacrificing unto Him. Has He changed, so that He is less particular with men now?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 294.3

And how can men honour the Lord? Can they create some honour to put upon Him? Evidently, they cannot. The thing created cannot take something of its own and thereby put honour upon the Creator. Only through the means God Himself has provided, can man honour Him. That only is honour to Him which He has Himself made to be such, independent of man’s ideas and inclinations. In honouring God man merely steps into his proper place in the fulfilment of God’s appointed plan. And that place is always the pathway of obedience. “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices [or any other forms of worship] as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken, than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22. The very essence of the worship of God, by which He is honoured is obedience; for when men disobey God, through disregard or neglect of His word, he steps out of his appointed place in God’s purposes and disconnects himself from them, so that his worship and his honour become self-made and therefore worthless; for nothing that man himself can make or do is worthy of being offered to God.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 294.4

All that man does of himself must necessarily have the stamp of his own finite, fallen, and evil natures; and to offer such a thing to God would only be to offer an unclean thing to a Being infinitely pure and holy. The impropriety of such an act is beyond the power of words to describe.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 294.5

Apply this to the keeping of Sunday,—an act which men offer to God for the purpose of honouring Him. God has never said that such an act would honour Him. He has never commanded men to do any such thing. It is an act of man’s own devising, bearing only the stamp of human wisdom. And disobeying the commandment of God, which says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy... the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,” and observe the first day which He has nowhere commanded men to observe, thinking thereby to honour Him,—as if they could not only create honour to put upon God, but could put such great honour upon Him as to make up for an act of disobedience! Can God accept such worship? Verily, not. He can never allow men to usurp the place of Himself.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 294.6

Not all worship is true and acceptable worship. There is a kind of worship that the Saviour has pronounced to be “vain.” Of those who made void the commandments of God by their traditions, He said, “This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:8, 9. Very pious they were, apparently, and very zealous for the glory of God; and they worshipped Him, in their own way, with great ceremony and pains. But all their worship was vain, as is all worship which is not based upon obedience.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 294.7

Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but those that do the will of the Father in heaven. To some who have been zealous worshippers after the manner which they conceived to be to the glory of God, and have done great works and taught much people in His name, it will be said at last, “I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22, 23. All work iniquity who do not strictly obey the word of the Lord. Are you seeking to honour God in your own way? Then be admonished by the inspired words of the prophet, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 294.8

“The Great Reality” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

It is a sad truth, yet in the light of Scripture not a strange one, that the great majority of people in all lands are unable to distinguish, in the objects for which they are seeking, between realities and shadows. This is so because man, in his fallen condition, with his understanding darkened, does not perceive the relation of the spiritual to the real. Spiritual things are to him but fancies and vanity; and leaving the spiritual out of his calculations, he is shut up to that which is elusive and transitory, and incapable of affording the satisfaction for which he longs. There is nothing real that is not made so by its relation to and dependence upon the spiritual.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 295.1

Jesus Christ is the great reality. This is the fundamental truth which lies at the very beginning of all knowledge of real things. He is the reality of all good things. And He has not withdrawn Himself from men; He will be in our lives, if we will but let Him. Having Him, life is a grand reality; but without Him, we have nothing that is truly real. Without Him, there is nothing that is truly good, or enduring, nothing that can give a permanent peace and satisfaction.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 295.2

Jesus Christ is not a myth or a fancy, or a figure of speech. Many speak of Him as if He were; many, even of His professed followers can give no proof that He is anything more than this. They convey to the world the impression that the good represented as coming from Him is fancy rather than fact. But this does not alter the truth. No person, act as he may, can make or unmake truth. But he can demonstrate truth; and many have demonstrated the truth of the reality of Christ as the Saviour of men, and the reality of that which He gives to men here in this life. It only remains for each one to take Christ as his Saviour and demonstrate the matter for himself.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 295.3

Christ is, indeed, the reality of all things real. The word of God declares that all things were made by Him, and that “He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16, 17. Not only did He create all things, but He upholds all things by the word of His power. Hebrews 1:3. So then whatever is real is so because it is upheld or maintained by the word of Christ. Take that word away, and things would disappear back into the original void.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 295.4

All created things will, therefore, when viewed aright, speak to us of Christ. They are, as it were, a shadow of Him who is the substance, pointing us to Him as the shadow points to that which casts it. In all created things God speaks to man, and reveals Himself to our race. The heavens declare His glory, and the whole earth is full of it. Psalm 19:1; Isaiah 6:3. The reason men do not see it is because they refuse to see God in His works. They refuse to believe what God has said of His works. They prefer to see with their own eyes, and to put their own interpretation upon things rather than the Lord’s.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 295.5

There is a voice that is continually calling to men, and those who will heed it will know the pathway of peace and happiness, and walk therein. “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets; she crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words, saying: How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning? and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at My reproof; behold I will pour out My Spirit unto you, and I will make known my words unto you.” Proverbs 1:20-23.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 295.6

This voice is the voice of God; for His voice alone is truly the voice of wisdom. The wisdom of the world is foolishness, and God alone has true wisdom, being Omniscient. 1 Corinthians 1:20. It is God’s voice that speaks reproof, and says, “Turn you at My reproof.” He speaks to those who by their lives show that they are “simple,” choosing the chaff rather than the wheat, delighting in “scorning,” and hating knowledge; missing the rest and grasping after shadows and delusions; and He invites them to turn from these vanities unto that which is of enduring worth.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 295.7

Hear what His voice is saying: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” Isaiah 55:1, 2.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.1

What shall we eat? For answer turn to the words of Christ: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” “Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.” John 6:51, 54, 55.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.2

The unbelieving Jews, to whom these words were spoken, queried how the Saviour could give them His flesh and blood; but Jesus explained it by saying “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” Verse 63.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.3

God spake those words in Christ, for Christ said, “The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself; but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” John 14:10. Eating His word, they ate the flesh and drank the blood of Christ; for He is the word of God. John 1:1, 14; Revelation 19:13.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.4

Here, then, is the reality of life,—to live by the word of God. He has given us His word so that all may have it, in the sacred Scriptures. He that will believe, so that He builds upon that word, will show that every word of God has life in it, so that man may not live by bread alone, but “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” God’s word is the primary source of all life, the bread being but the word in visible form. To such a one life will be full of glorious realities, and the invitation is, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.5

“The Church’s Duty Is to Provide for the Church” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

In The Church Times we find this statement that “the church’s duty is to provide for the church, not for the world.” The first thought that might arise in the minds of some would be, “If the church devotes its entire attention to itself, how can the people of the world ever be brought in?” But this question is answered when we remember that in a Church and State combination, the State’s portion of the business is to whip the people into the Church, where they can be taken care of. Far different is this from the Spirit of the Master, who gave Himself and His life for the world, and who sent His disciples out into the world, with instructions to shine as lights. The only reason for the existence of the church of Christ on earth, is that its members may labour for the salvation of souls not in the church. A church that is devoted only to itself is as useless as a candle under a bushel.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.6

“The Word Alone” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Word Alone.-Even at the Church Association meeting, there was considerable stress laid upon the intention of those who made the Prayer Book. “The Prayer Book, the whole Prayer Book, and nothing but the Prayer Book,” was called for. But one speaker spoke with effect against the effort to “whitewash” the Prayer Book, as though Christians, with the word of God in their hands, needed to settle what certain men may or may not have intended when they made a Prayer Book, or drew up certain statements. That is a truth every Christian Churchman ought to see; that every emphasis placed upon preserving the work of uninspired men as though it could not be altered or were binding upon Christian consciences is begging the whole question of the authority of tradition. Ritualism is rampant because it is the natural growth wherever men are allowed to define and set bounds about truth, beyond which the Spirit of the Lord cannot lead their successors.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.7

“The Minimum of Belief” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Minimum of Belief.-We learn from a contemporary that some candidates for the ministry are raising the query, “How little is a man compelled to believe?” Very little indeed, if we take the word that comes to us from some teachers. It is quite in keeping with the present discussion of fixed standards, that the minimum of belief should be fixed by those who know just how little religion will ensure entrance into the kingdom. Lovers of the word will agree that the minimum of belief is thus defined, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” But this is the maximum of belief also; for He is the Truth, and in Him is all the fulness, and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The Apostle Paul preached Jesus as the sum of all belief, and he therefore believed “all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.” Acts 24:14. Believing in Christ is not believing a little, but believing all truth. The man who thinks he is believing on the Lord, and who yet rejects any word of the Lord, believes nothing. Belief, with a Christian, is not a burden, of which he wants as little as possible; it is an uplifting power which grows stronger as it brings the Lord nearer.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.8

“The Bible God’s Word” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Bible God’s Word.—“God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in His Son.” Hebrews 1:1, 2, R.V. That which God has spoken is most assuredly God’s word. The statement here is that God himself spoke in the prophets. Not only so, but we are also told that “God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:21. Let no one therefore for a moment believe the statement made by those “higher critics,” that the Bible does not claim to be the word of God. It claims to be nothing else than the word of God. Whoever studies the Bible with a fixed assurance that it is the living word of the living God, will not be troubled with “apparent discrepancies.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.9

“Hidden Leaven” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Hidden Leaven.—“The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” Matthew 13:33. Leaven is not seen, but its influence is felt. Even so it will be with the work of God on earth. “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.” It is not always the work that looks the largest, that accomplishes the most good. No one can know how rapidly the work of God is progressing on earth. Even those who are doing the best work, are unconscious of the greater part of it. The kingdom of glory will be ushered in at a time when even Christ’s most faithful followers and workers will think that much remains to be done; because they will not know the influence of their own lives and work, and they cannot know what other hidden agencies God has at work. This should serve to admonish us never to think that the coming of the Lord is far off, since we can see comparatively little done, and to encourage us to be content to work in quietness. Although men may not sound the praise of our work, and even we ourselves may think that it is fruitless, we have the assurance that our Father “seeth in secret.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 296.10

“Without Christ and with Christ” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

“Without Me, ye can do nothing.” John 15:5.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.1

Cain and Abel were the first two brothers that ever lived upon the earth.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.2

Like all the other brothers who have lived upon the earth, they were of a weak and sinful nature because they partook of the sinful nature of their father Adam.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.3

They were also tempted by Satan, just as brothers and sisters are tempted to-day. But they did not need to yield to Satan then, any more than you need to yield to Satan now, for God had provided a Way of escape. He had given His only Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not be overcome by Satan and perish, but should gain the victory over Satan, and have everlasting life. Then, even as now, the words of the Son were, “Without Me ye can do nothing.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.4

Abel, as we learned last week, believed this with all his heart, and showed his faith by bringing the offering that God had commanded. But Cain did not believe it. He thought that his own way was just as good as God’s way, and that he did not need Christ to save him from the power of Satan. He showed his unbelief by not bringing a lamb, as God had commanded.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.5

We see, then, that Abel chose to live with Christ, and Cain chose to get along without Christ, for we are told that Christ dwells only in the heart of the one who has faith in Him. Let us study carefully that we may see which made the better choice.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.6

In the first place, we read that Abel’s offering was accepted by the Lord, and Cain’s offering was not accepted.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.7

Of course not, for Christ says, “No man cometh to the Father but by Me,” for “I am the Way” and “I am the Door.” Since Cain would not consent to use the only way and the only door to God, he should not have expected to reach Him, any more than you should expect to reach a garden if you refuse to use the only entrance to it.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.8

Here was an Almighty Friend, then, for Abel, that Cain could not reach because he was without Christ. And was it not a Friend worth having? “If God be for us, who can be against us?”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.9

And when Cain saw that his brother was accepted and he was not, he was very angry with his brother, and drew his face down until it looked just as yours does when you are very angry; and he said sharp, cruel words to his brother.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.10

The Lord talked with him and tried to show him that he would be accepted as quickly as Abel if he would come in the right way. But Cain refused to accept Christ as Saviour, so he had no way of escape from the temptations of Satan.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.11

“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him”!PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.12

And why did He slay him? Had Abel done anything to harm Cain?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.13

No, he had not so much is said one unkind word, even when Cain had spoken so cruelly to him.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.14

Then why did Cain kill him?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.15

In 1 John 3:12 we are told that it was “because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous”! It was because he had yielded to Satan’s mind instead of to Christ’s mind.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.16

Satan always hates those who have the mind of Christ. And so he puts this same hateful mind into every one who will yield to him. This is why every one who will live godly must suffer persecution.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.17

But remember this: It is better to be dead with Christ than to be alive without Him; for the one who is alive without Him will soon be dead, and the one who is dead with Him will soon be alive.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.18

Look at the one who is alive without Christ, who yields to Satan and allows him to put his own selfish, hateful mind within him—PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.19

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him;” “He that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death;” “The Wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs; they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.20

But hear the promises to the one who is dead with Christ:—PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.21

“Whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it;” “Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven;” “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life;” “Your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.22

Then, never mind, if your brothers or sisters or playmates or friends are angry with you for not joining in their disobedience. Be kind and gentle, and walk bravely on with Christ, and though you suffer now, your reward will be great by and by.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.23

It is not enough for your father or mother or your brother or sister to have Christ; you must have Him for yourself. Abel’s having Christ did not save Cain.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.24

1. Have you a brother?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.25

2. Who were the first two brothers that ever lived on the earth?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.26

3. In what way were they like all the other brothers and sisters who have lived on the earth?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.27

4. By whom were they tempted?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.28

5. But did they need to yield to Satan when he tempted them? Why not?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.29

6. Was the “Way” of escape for them alone? 1 Corinthians 10:13.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.30

7. To how many has God given it? Hebrews 2:9; John 14:6.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.31

8. Then do you need to yield to Satan when he tempts you?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.32

9. What could brothers and sisters do then, and what can they do now, without Christ? John 15:5.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.33

10. Is there no other way of getting rid of all our sins and of coming back to God? Acts 4:12.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.34

11. Did Abel believe this?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.35

12. Did Cain?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.36

13. How do you know that Abel had faith in Christ? Genesis 4:4; Hebrews 11:4.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.37

14. How do you know that Cain did not have faith in Christ? Genesis 4:3; James 2:18, 26.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 301.38

15. In whose heart only does the Lord dwell? Ephesians 3:17.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.1

16. Then whom did Abel choose to have with him?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.2

17. And whom Cain choose to get along without?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.3

18. Which, do you think, made the better choice?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.4

19. What are you asked to do to-day? Joshua 24:15.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.5

20. What was the first difficulty that Cain got into because he was without Christ? Genesis 4:4, 5.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.6

21. Suppose we should gain the whole world and yet not have God on our side, what would it profit us?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.7

22. Then did not Cain miss something that was well worth having? Romans 8:31.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.8

23. How might he have gotten out of this difficulty and been made acceptable in the sight of God, if he had chosen to do so? Genesis 4:7; 1 John 1:9.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.9

24. What was the next difficulty that Cain got into because he was without Christ? Genesis 4:5, last part.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.10

25. Does it do any harm to get angry? 1 John 3:15.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.11

26. Why does it keep one from having eternal life? Because it is yielding to Satan who brings death, instead of to Christ who is our life.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.12

27. How did this mind of Satan, to which he had yielded, lead Cain to look? Genesis 4:5.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.13

28. How did it cause him to speak?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.14

29. How did it make him act? Genesis 4:8.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.15

30. What did it cause him to tell, when God asked him where Abel was? Genesis 4:9.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.16

31. How did it cause him to regard his brother?—“Am I my brother’s keeper?”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.17

32. And what did it cause him to become? A wanderer, with no true happiness in this life or hope of any in the life to come. Genesis 4:11-15; Proverbs 11:19; Psalm 37:20.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.18

33. Did it pay for Cain to choose Satan?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.19

34. Did Abel get angry, and look cross, and speak harshly, and strike? 1 John 3:12.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.20

35. Don’t you suppose he was tempted to when Cain spoke so cruelly to him?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.21

36. Then why did he not do it?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.22

37. Did it pay for Abel to choose Christ when he was hated, and reproached, and cruelly treated, and killed?PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.23

38. What has God, who cannot lie, promised? Matthew 16:25; Luke 6:22, 23; Revelation 2:10; Colossians 3:3, 4.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.24

39. When will God fulfil these promises to Abel and to all who, like Abel, bravely walk with Christ and suffer with Him? 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15; Hebrews 11:39, 40.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.25

“Interesting Items” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

-A great fire has destroyed 300 houses at Tokio.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.26

-A fire in the Mourillon arsenal, Toulon, caused a loss of 2,000,000f.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.27

-Five employees were killed and thirteen injured by a railway accident in Upper Egypt.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.28

-A famous turtle in Ceylon, well-known to be over two centuries old, has just died in Colombo.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.29

-Five of the nine Barcelona anarchists lately on trial have been sentenced to death, and the remainder to hard labour for life.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.30

-The United States Consul at La Libertad has telegraphed to his Government that a revolution has broken out in Western Salvador.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.31

-Labour troubles have occurred at Cleveland (Ohio) and Birmingham (Alabama), U.S.A., as a result of the strikes existing at those places.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.32

-An accident to the landing stage at Ibralia, on the Danube, precipitated a crowd of people into the river, eleven of whom were drowned.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.33

-In twelve months no fewer than 21,889 persons died in India from snake bite, and over half-a-million of snakes were destroyed during that period.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.34

-In view of the defeat of the Government in the recent election in Holland, the whole Ministry have tendered their resignation to the Queen-Regent.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.35

-The season at Monte Carlo is said to have been a very indifferent one. Still the year’s profits of the gambling-saloon amounted to ?880,000.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.36

-The “oldest tree in the world” is still growing in California. A section of the trunk recently reached the British Museum, and experts declare that it has existed for 1,330 years.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.37

-Canadian vessels are loading corn at Toledo (Ohio) for direct shipment to Europe. Three million bushels will be exported during the spring, and 5,000,000 bushels of wheat early in the summerPTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.38

?Advices received at San Francisco from China report a disastrous conflagration in Shanghai, by which 1,500 houses and 2,000 bamboo huts were destroyed, entailing a loss of 4,000,000 dollars.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.39

-A fissure in the Paris aqueduct will it is said deprive the French capital of proper drinking water for several days, obliging the inhabitants to use Seine water with disastrous results to health.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.40

-After further investigation into the nature of the disease prevailing at Lisbon, the doctors have confirmed their first report that it is epidemic cholera morbus of a very mild form, and bids fair speedily to disappear.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.41

-The press censorship in Austria has been modified so that no guarantee need nor be deposited before beginning publication, and upon seizure the publisher can by inquiry learn the cause of the Government’s action.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.42

-The visitors to the Zoo last year numbered 662,649, nearly 22,000 more than in the previous year, owing so the sunny weather. The number of animals was 2,522, including 1,400 birds and 356 reptiles. The income was ?26,278, and the expenditure ?25,278.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.43

- A terrible disaster is reported from the Bois du Luc coal mine, near Mons, Belgium. As a cage containing sixteen men was descending into the pit, the cable broke, and the miners wore, precipitated to the bottom. Only three of then, escaped with their lives, the remaining thirteen being killed on the spot.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.44

-An Athens telegram, dated April 29, gives a detailed account of the recent earthquake shocks in Greece. The consequences of the diaster are shown to have been even more serious than was at first reported, and many thousands have been left homeless and destitute. The number of the victims is not stated, but in Locris alone there have been 300 killed and at least as many injured.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.45

-A provisional modus vivendi on the Pamir question which was concluded recently between the Russian Government and Tching Tchang, the Chinese Minister, embodied considerable concessions made by Russia to China, including an engagement on the part of the Russian Government not to let the Russian troops push on to the portion of Pamir territory claimed by China pending the conclusion of a final agreement.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.46

-Considerable uneasiness has been caused at Vienna by the action of King Alexander of Servia, in rescinding the decree of expulsion issued by the ex-Regents and the Government of the kingdom against ex-King Milan and Queen Nathalie. It is confidently expected that further high-handed acts will follow, and that ex-King Milan will be appointed to the command of the army. King Alexander will, it is expected, make an extended tour through Europe.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.47

-May Day demonstrations took place in all the principal Continental countries, although apparently the cessation from work was not so general as in previous years. There were a few minor scuffles in one or two places, but nowhere was there any serious collision between the demonstrators and the police. For the most part the day was devoted to processions and meetings, usually under cover, at some of which resolutions were passed in favour of an eight-hours day and other reforms.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.48

-A disastrous flood has occurred at St. Anne, not far from Quebec, Canada. On April 28 there was a great landslip, and a dam was formed by the debris across the River Noir. In a short time the river overflowed its banks and spread over the adjacent country. Several farm houses were carried away and their occupants drowned. The exact loss of life is not yet known, but it is feared that twenty persons have perished. Hundreds of horses and cattle were overtaken by the flood, and many mills and bridges were destroyed.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.49

-Pope Leo is soon to issue another encyclical, which, it is said, may be taken as in some measure his political testament. Its interest will extend far beyond the bounds of the Catholic Church. In it the Pope will review the chief events of his Pontificate, beginning with the gradual and patient negotiations concerning the “Kulturkampf” in Germany. He will also refer to Irish questions, to his action in the United States, both in reference to the Knights of Labour and to the mission of Mgr. Satolli. Another important passage will be devoted to the approbation given to the French Republic and to his pastoral guidance of French Catholics. A hope for religious peace and the growing prosperity of the nations will conclude the document, which is expected to be a triumph of the Latinity of Joachim Pecci, but will, of course, be simultaneously translated into all languages.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 302.50

“Back Page” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Catholic Times says of the Disestablishment Bill: “All things considered, the State is making a fair offer to the Church. It is doubtful if the Churchmen can obtain such terms, say in ten years more, when the power of the Democracy increases, and Radicalism is in the ascendant.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.1

Following are the main provisions of the Welsh Disestablishment Bill: The church is to cease to be established on Jan. 1, 1896. At that time all patronage rights will cease, all ecclesiastical corporations will be dissolved, the ecclesiastical courts will no longer have jurisdiction, and ecclesiastical law, as law, will be abolished. Clergymen appointed in the meantime will have no vested interests. The Welsh bishops will lose their seats in the House of Lords, but English bishops now excluded are to take their places. Every one holding a freehold office in the church, is to retain that office, and to receive his present emoluments, on condition that he discharges his present duties. If he prefers to return, he may do so on a pension. The clergy are to retain their parsonages, and the church buildings, except cathedrals, are to be kept by the church. The local authorities are to have control of the churchyards, and the county councils are to control the tithe.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.2

We read a statement recently about “the human character of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That was a grave error. Christ took human nature but not human character. His whole life on earth was for the purpose of showing how the character of God may be manifested in the midst of human weakness. He was in all things “made like unto His brethren,” yet He “knew no sin.” “Tempted in all points like is we are, yet without sin.” Thus He is able to succour them that are tempted, and to bring them to God.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.3

In view of the Welsh Disestablishment Bill now before Parliament, an appeal for ?20,000 to be used in the campaign against it has been issued by the Church Defence Institution. The Archbishop of Canterbury commends the subject of this appeal to the Church of England, as “the greatest issue that has been before it since its planting.” The Duke of Westminster has also called for ?25,000 to be used exclusively in Wales. It does not seem to occur to these people that the same voluntary effort by which they carry on the Church’s political campaigns, would do the spiritual work for which alone it has any reason for existence.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.4

It should be kept in mind that the controversy in the London School Board is not as to whether or not the Bible shall be taught in the Board Schools. The Bible is not now taught in the Board Schools, probably never had been taught, and it is very certain that those who are so zealous that their ideas of the Christian religion should be drilled into the children, do not desire that the Bible itself shall ever be taught in them. As another sample of the kind of teaching that does pass muster, we have the statement recently made by a teacher, that John the Baptist went about sprinkling people! Everyone who reads the Bible knows that it does not say so, and that it does not intimate anything of the kind. If the Bible were really taught, there would be such a change as none of the School Board ever contemplated.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.5

At a vast meeting of the Catholic Social Union, recently held in St. James’s Hall, and presided over by Cardinal Vaughan, the chief speaker of the evening, “Father” Bernard Vaughan, said: “More souls have been received into the bosom of the Church throughout England in the year gone by, than in any other year since the so-called Reformation.”PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.6

“How to Understand” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

How to Understand.-There is only one way to understand the truths of Christianity, and that is by faith. “Through faith we understand.” Hebrews 11:3. It is common to hear individuals say, “I understand” (thus and so), putting some construction upon the word of God; but no knowledge of truth can ever be gained in this way. It is not the human understanding that is to cast light upon the word, but the word that is to enlighten the understanding.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.7

“Not by the Sword” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Not by the Sword.-In reply to those who, strange to say, talk as though the interests of the Gospel and the progress of Christianity demands a war now and then with uncivilised peoples, the Bishop of Mashonaland says:—PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.8

I absolutely repudiate any sympathy with those who speak of Christianity or missions being aided by fighting. Whatever was the political reason for the war is no business of mine, but I intensely dislike the theory that the success of missions or the spread of Christianity can be assisted by the sword.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.9

The “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” is the only weapon the Christian can use in the warfare of the faith.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.10

“The Ritualistic Tide” The Present Truth 10, 19.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Ritualistic Tide.-It is flowing fast and furiously according to the address of the Chairman of the Church Association, which represents the Protestant wing of the Church of England. Not a sign of encouragement, it was stated, could be seen in ecclesiastical affairs, and all the speakers at the annual meeting, held the other day, agreed that the Ritualists were having their own way and waxing worse and worse. Only two bishops in the whole of England were considered Protestant, and few bishops, it was declared, keep up even an appearance of fairness in their administrations. None too soon has the Association decided that it is useless to appeal further to law, and determined on a new departure, as one speaker put it, namely, to evangelise the masses, and appeal to the religious conviction of the people of England. That is the only thing to do for any church, and only as the Gospel is received in the hearts of believers can Romanism be shut out. The effort to “defend the faith” in any other way than by the preaching of the word-with no admixture of tradition-is but playing into the hands of the enemy of truth.PTUK May 10, 1894, page 304.11