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VOL. XV. JUNE 1, 1894. NO. 11

ZION’S WATCH TOWER

AND

HERALD OF CHRIST’S PRESENCE.

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PUBLISHED TWICE A MONTH.

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TOWER PUBLISHING COMPANY,
“BIBLE HOUSE”
ARCH STREET, ALLEGHENY, PA., U.S.A.

C. T. RUSSELL, EDITOR; MRS. C. T. RUSSELL, ASSOCIATE.

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By Express Order, Postal Money Order, Bank Draft, or Registered Letter. Foreign only by Foreign Money Order.

FREE TO THE LORD’S POOR

N.B.—Those of the interested, who by reason of old age or accidents, or other adversity, are unable to pay, will be supplied FREE, if they will send a Postal Card each December, stating their case and requesting the paper.

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LETTERS OF CONGRATULATION

Our mails are very large since the Extra TOWER was sent forth. We are receiving from all quarters congratulations on the completeness of the answer to the charges of the conspirators.

Please accept our thanks for these; and be assured that we will no more be puffed up by the loving congratulations of our friends than we were cast down by the slanders of our enemies. To the Lord be praise, now and ever more. Give thanks with us for our mutual deliverance.—THE EDITORS.

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ANCIENT RECORDS

ACCOUNTS OF THE HEBREW INVASION FOUND IN EGYPT

Science contains an interesting account of the Tellel-Amorna tablets from the pen of the Rev. Thomas Harrison, of Staplehurst, Kent. These tablets, 320 in number, were discovered by a fellah woman in 1887 among the ruins of the palace of Amenopis IV., known as Khu-en-Aten, between Missieh and Assiout, about 180 miles south of Cairo. They have been found to contain a political correspondence of the very greatest interest, dating from some 3,370 years back. Many are from Palestine, written by princes of the Amorites, Phenicians, Philistines, etc., the burden of almost all being: “Send, I pray thee, chariots and men to keep the city of the King, my Lord.” Among the enemies against whom help is thus invoked are the Abiri, easily recognized as the Hebrews. The date fixes that of the Bible (1 Kings 4:1) as accurate. Many names occur which are familiar in Scripture, as for example, Japhia, one of the Kings killed by Joshua (Josh. 10:3); Adonizedec, King of Jerusalem (ditto); and Jabin, King of Hazor. (Josh. 11.) Very pathetic are the letters of Ribadda, the brave and warlike King of Gebel, whose entreaties for aid are observed to grow less obsequious and more businesslike as his enemies prevailed against him, robbing him eventually of his wife and children, whom he was powerless to protect. But the greatness of Egypt was waning under the nineteenth dynasty; enemies were pressing her at home, and the chariots and the horsemen went not forth.

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Remittances from foreign countries should be made by Foreign Money Order. From Canada by International Money Order.

Please remember that Canadian and all other Foreign stamps are useless to us.

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CAST NOT AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE

“But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock, both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward; for ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto destruction, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”—Heb. 10:32-39

WITH very many of God’s people, as well as with the world’s people, the ideal Christian life is one of constant peace and tranquility. They have never learned that “the peace of God which passeth all [worldly] understanding,” promised to the Christian, is to rule in and keep his heart (Phil. 4:7; Col. 3:15), and does not apply to his outward life. They forget, or perhaps never learned, that our Master’s words were, “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” but in me ye shall have peace (in your hearts). “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” “If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household?” “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, [in this present evil world or dispensation], shall suffer persecution.” It is of a wicked class, and of the saints, that the Prophet declared, “They are not in trouble as other men.”—John 16:33; 15:18; Matt. 10:25; 2 Tim. 3:12; Psa. 73:5.

Only to those who have some knowledge of God’s great plan is this, his dealing with his people, understandable and readable. The world marvels that those whom God receives into his family, as sons by redemption and adoption, should be required or even permitted to suffer afflictions. But to the well-instructed saint the Apostle says, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that shall try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” And this one may now clearly discern the object and utility of present trials, afflictions and persecutions. He sees that these are in fullest accord with his high calling, his heavenly calling,—to be an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ our Lord, “if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”—Rom. 8:17.

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But why should a share in the coming glory be made dependent and contingent upon present sufferings? We answer, for two reasons.

(1) Because severe trials and testings of our love for God and his truth, and of our faith in him and his promises, are only a wise provision on God’s part, in view of the very high honor and responsibility of the great office to which he has called us. If it was proper that our Lord and Redeemer should be tested in all points as to faith and obedience prior to his exaltation to the excellent glory and power of his divine, immortal nature, much more so it is fitting that we, who were once aliens and strangers, far from God, and children of wrath even as others, should be thoroughly tested;

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not tested as to the perfection of our earthen vessels, for God and we well know that in our fallen flesh dwelleth no perfection, but tested as to our new minds, our consecrated wills, whether or not these are fully consecrated to the Lord, firmly established in the love of truth, purity and righteousness in general. And also to see whether we would compromise any of the principles of righteousness for worldly favor, selfish ambition, or for any of “the pleasures of sin for a season.” Those who love righteousness and hate iniquity, who develop positive characters, these are the “overcomers” who shall, as members of Christ, inherit all things. The undecided, the luke-warm—neither cold nor hot—are far from having the spirit of the Kingdom class, and will surely be rejected—”spewed out.”—Rev. 3:16.

(2) A share in the coming glory is dependent upon present sufferings, for the reason that the coming glories are to be bestowed only upon those who have the spirit of Christ, the spirit (disposition) of holiness. And whoever has received this holy spirit or disposition and been transformed by the renewing of his mind or will, so that no longer selfishness but love shall rule over his thoughts and words and deeds, that person, if in the world at all, could not avoid present suffering. His love for God, his zeal for God’s service and people, his faith in God’s Word and his uncompromising attitude respecting everything relating to these would be so greatly in contrast with the prevalent spirit of doubt, selfishness and compromise that he would be thought peculiar, called an extremist and fanatic, if not a hypocrite. Evil surmisings, out of hearts not fully consecrated, will attribute every good deed to some selfish or evil motive, and therefore, “Ye shall be hated of all men for my [Christ’s] name’s sake;” for “the world knoweth [understandeth] us not, because it knew him not.” (Luke 21:17; 1 John 3:1.) The reason for all this is evident: it is because “the god of this world hath blinded the eyes” of the vast majority of men; because the faithful, who appreciate the truth, who have new hearts (wills) and the right spirit on these subjects, are but a “little flock.”

And these conditions will not be changed until the testing of the “little flock” is finished. God will permit evil to be in the ascendancy until that testing, sifting, refining and polishing of the Bride of Christ is fully accomplished. Then Satan shall be bound for a thousand years, and not be permitted to further blind and deceive the nations during that Millennial age of blessing; but, on the contrary, the little flock of overcomers, with Christ, their Lord and Head, will bless all the families of the earth with a full knowledge of the truth.

Therefore, dear brethren and sisters, let us give heed to the Apostle’s words, and not cast away our confidence. Confidence in God, and in the outworking of his great plan, and confidence in all who trust in the precious blood and are bringing forth the fruits of the spirit in their daily lives—meekness, patience, brotherly-kindness, love.

The Apostle here clearly shows that there are two ways of enduring the afflictions of Christ: (1) to be made a gazingstock both by afflictions and reproaches, and (2) by avowing our sympathy for the reproached ones and thus sharing their reproaches and afflictions. For if one member suffer, all the members of the body of Christ suffer with it.

“Call to remembrance the former days,” and note that your afflictions and trials came principally after you had been illuminated with the light of the knowledge of God, shining in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord; and that they have increased as the light of present truth has increased with you. It is not difficult to discern the reason for this. The great Adversary is not interested in disturbing those who are “asleep in Zion;” but he is ever on the alert to mislead and entangle those that are awake. And the more active we become in the service of the Lord and the truth, and consequently the more actively opposed to Satan and error, the more he will fight against us. And the more faithfully and vigorously we fight the good fight of faith, as good soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ, the more we will have of the Master’s approval now, and the greater will be our reward in the Kingdom.

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No doubt there are many and more severe trials just before us. From God’s standpoint, having been blest with great light, we should be able to endure greater trials and afflictions. From Satan’s standpoint, we, as a Gideon’s band, armed with the truth, are more injurious to his cause than all others combined. The only wonder to us is that he has not assailed us still more fiercely in the past. Perhaps he was hindered; perhaps he will be granted yet more liberty to buffet us, as the night draws on. Such is our expectation, based upon the direct statements and the types of Scripture.

But such reflections should bring us no sadness, no fear; for he that is on our part is more than all that be against us. (1 John 4:4; Rom. 8:31.) The Lord of hosts is with us. His promises, as well as his providences, are walls of salvation and protection on every hand. What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ? Shall tribulation? No! it shall but cause us to draw closer to him; and under his protecting care we shall rest. His grace is sufficient for us. His strength is made manifest in our weakness. When we feel weak in ourselves, then we are strong in him. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

“Watchman, what of the night?”
“The morning cometh, and a night also.”

See Poems and Hymns of Dawn, pages 62 and 286.

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THE RETRIBUTIVE CHARACTER OF DIVINE LAW

“Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”—Gal. 6:7

THE Apostle Paul here, addressing the Church, announces a principle of divine law which is applicable not only to the Church, but to all men everywhere. Hosea expresses the same truth, saying that if we sow to the wind we shall reap the whirlwind; Solomon says, if we sow iniquity, we reap vanity; and again Paul says, if we sow sparingly we reap sparingly, and if we sow bountifully we reap bountifully; which is equally true, whether we sow wild oats or good wheat.—Hosea 8:7; Prov. 22:8; 2 Cor. 9:6.

And it is in view of the harvest of the world’s sowing, that we are informed that “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good;” that “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil”; and that “there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known;” that “whatsoever has been spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light”; and that “spoken in the ear, in closets, shall be proclaimed openly.” And again we read, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.”—Prov. 15:3; Eccl. 12:14; Luke 12:2,3; Rom. 12:19.

But when will this reckoning time come? for now, as saith the Prophet Malachi (3:15), men “call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.” With the Psalmist (94:3,4) we inquire, “Lord, how long shall the wicked triumph, and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?” and the Apostle Paul answers that the Lord “hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained,”—the Christ. (Acts 17:31.) And “then,” says the Prophet Malachi to those that fear the Lord and whom he hath chosen as his jewels, “shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.”—Mal. 3:18.

But take heed: the same prophet raises a suggestive question, which all would do well to ponder; saying, “Who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap.” … “And I will come near to you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.”—Mal. 3:2,5.

The reference of these Scriptures is to the great judgment of the day of the Lord—the

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day of trouble with which this Gospel Dispensation is to close,—variously described as the day “of wrath,” “of vengeance,” “of recompenses,” and as a “time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation.”

But while this great judgment will have to do with the world in general—with nations and corporations and all civil, social and religious organizations of men; and while it will touch the cases of all the individuals living at that time, we naturally inquire where retributive justice came or is to come in, in dealing with all the generations of the past?

Our Lord answers the question when he says, “The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of

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man and shall come forth; they that have done good, into the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection by judgment.” (John 5:28,29.) The whole Millennial age is thus set forth as a “day” of reckoning, of trial, of judgment. And in that searching judgment there will be a reckoning, even for every pernicious word (Matt. 12:36); and by submission and learning obedience under those judgments, the masses of mankind who will to obey are to be gradually raised up to perfection of being, as well as of knowledge.

WHERE COMES IN FORGIVENESS OF SINS?

But here a philosophic and important question arises as to the extent to which the justification of a sinner, through faith in the precious blood of Christ, may intercept the course of the above law, that a man must reap what he has sown. In other words, Will his justification save him from the miserable harvest of a former sowing of wild oats?

We answer, yes, in one sense it will. The just penalty for all sin is death—the severest penalty that can be inflicted. And from this penalty his justification freely exonerates him; and the terms of the new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:10-12) assure us that the forgiveness will be so full and free that his past iniquities and sins will be remembered no more. That is, they will no more rise up in judgment against him, demanding their just penalty—death; for blessed are those whose iniquity is forgiven and whose sin is covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute [reckon] sin. (Rom. 4:7.) All who, by faith in Christ’s sacrifice for sin, and by consecration of heart and life to God’s service, come under the covering provisions of the New Covenant are thus blessed. The iniquity (or legal sentence) of such is passed or forgiven entirely: and while their sins and their results (the harvest of their misdeeds sown before they came to a realization of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, or to an appreciation of God’s mercy in Christ) are still painfully with them, they are assured that these are covered; that God does not regard them as they really are, but imputes their sins to Christ who already has paid their penalty, and imputes of his worthiness to their account. They are further assured that God’s provision under the New Covenant is, that they may be healed or cured of the weaknesses brought on them through sin and now reckoned as “covered” from the divine eye.—Rom. 4:7,8; Acts 3:19.

These sins or actual defects are to be blotted out or wiped out when the times of restitution shall arrive, at the second advent of Christ. The result of this blotting or wiping out of sin will be new bodies, new beings,—free from sin, from imperfection and every consequence and evidence of sin. With the Church this cleansing and blotting out process begins with the present life, and will be completed early in the Millennial dawning (Psa. 46:5) by a share in the first resurrection. The world’s cleansing time will be the entire Millennial age, or “day of judgment,” when those who then shall learn of and accept Christ and the New Covenant may gradually be cleansed and healed; and, at the close of that age, if faithful to their opportunities, they may be presented blameless and perfect before God, needing no further healing or cleansing, but being again, as was Adam, the human image of the divine Creator,—perfect men.

The Scriptures, as well as observation, assure us that our justification before God does not remove at once and without our co-operation all the results of previous transgressions. The harvest comes like the sowing, but the

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penitent and forgiven one has promise of grace to help him in the battle with his inherited as well as his cultivated weakness; and so we read (1 John 1:9): God “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It is in this cleansing process, which follows the legal justification, that the justified believer must, of necessity, experience some of the baneful results of a past course of sin,—reap the reward of his former sowing. While the Lord will be very merciful in dealing with him, nevertheless, as a wise physician, he will not spare the necessary discipline to eradicate the deep-seated evil propensities of long cultivation in the past.

Here the retributive character of divine law is specially noteworthy. Men often make a distinction between the law of nature and the moral laws, calling the one natural and the other divine. But the fixed principles of both are divine in their origin, and accomplish the divine will in their operation. Both operate on the basis of retributive justice. All divine law, whether of nature or of morals, is but the operation of certain fixed principles of righteousness, having for their object the peace and happiness of all intelligent creatures under its jurisdiction. Obedience to this law brings its reward of happiness, while any interference with it incurs its certain penalty.

If you put your hand into the fire, it will be burned, and you will suffer pain; if you hold your hand before the fire it will be warmed and your comfort and happiness will be thus ministered to. Thus the law of nature—which was designed to comfort and bless us, is also prepared to punish us if we violate its proper use. And not only so, but it is also prepared to grade its penalties in proportion to the aggravation of the offense against it. If you put your hand into the fire for a very short time it will scorch it; persist a little longer, and it will blister it; and a little longer still, and it will consume it. Apply it properly in the cooking of your food, and it will reward you with a savory meal; but applied improperly the food may be rendered undesirable or unfit for use. Water, also one of our greatest blessings, becomes, if the law of nature be disregarded, an agent of death and destruction. And so throughout the laws of nature we might trace retribution.

In the realm of moral law the case is the same. If you violate the principles of righteousness you deface the image of God in your being. Impure thoughts write in clearly legible signs upon the countenance the dark lines of a bad character; while pure, just and noble thoughts illuminate the countenance and render the pure character transparent to beholders. And the operations of moral law are as sure and reliable as are those of natural law.

The fact that the retribution—the reward or the penalty—is often delayed is frequently presumed upon by the foolish, who vainly think that they can sow their crop of wild oats and never realize their harvest. Both individuals and nations have long presumed to act upon this hazardous and vain hypothesis; and well indeed would it be if they would even now hearken to the Apostle’s warning:—”Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

The operations of this law are most manifest upon classes and nations—first, because their prominence gives them world-wide publicity; and, second, because their harvest must of necessity be in the present life, since beyond the present life they will have no existence. A glance at the pages of history reveals the fact that all the nations of the past have reaped a bitter harvest, and amid harrowing scenes have breathed their last. They had their rising, struggling periods and then their flourishing eras; and then pride and fulness of bread caused them to rest in fancied security, and to sink in the scale of morals, until their decline was followed by their fall:—they reaped what they had sown.

Just now all the nations of the world are fast approaching the terrible crises of their national existences. In a great time of unparalleled trouble, which is even now imminent, they are about to reap what they have sown. They have sown to the wind the seeds of selfishness, and now they are about to reap the whirlwind of anarchy and terror and the destruction of all law and order and national and social organization.

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The operations of this law in individual cases, though not so prominent, are none the less sure. Every thought harbored, and every disposition exercised and cultivated, is woven into the fabric of individual character; and this character, which is more or less plastic in early life, becomes fixed and fossilized in the course of years. If the cultivation has been along the lines of righteousness and truth, according to the light possessed—whether of conscience merely, or of revelation also—the ripened fruit of an established, right-preferring and benevolent character is a blessed harvest in comparison with others, the reverse. If the cultivation has been along the lines of depravity, self-gratification and degradation, the terrible fruits are a fearful penalty.

Even though such a one be freely forgiven upon repentance and faith in the Redeemer—fully absolved from legal condemnation through Christ, who bore its divinely pronounced penalty, death, nevertheless, the fruits of his sowing are manifest in his character, and must all be rooted out and a proper character formed at a considerable cost of painful but valuable experience; for God is just, not only to forgive us our sins, but also to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The eradicating of these evil dispositions, propensities and appetites, deep-rooted and long-cultivated, will cause great disturbances of the soil in which they have grown; and pain as well as joy will attend their removal, and their replacement with the graces of the spirit. The Lord, as a wise physician, will be as merciful and tender with his patient as the necessities of the cure will permit. All will be shown their need of his aid, but no patient will be treated further except with his own consent and co-operation. With the Church this treatment takes place in the present life and is a treatment of the will rather than of the body; for although the body will be greatly helped by the treatment, it is not the Great Physician’s purpose to cure these marred “earthen vessels,” but to give to this class perfect spiritual bodies early in the Millennial dawn. In these the consecrated will is being transformed and renewed to perfect harmony with the will of God, the mind of Christ. The “overcomers,” the true Church, passing through discipline and cleansing and trials of faith and afflictions now, and being approved of the Lord, will not come into the judgment (trial) of the Millennial age (1 Cor. 11:32), but, with

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the Redeemer their Lord, will be kings and priests of God who shall judge the world and recompense to them good or evil, impartially, under the terms of the New Covenant.—1 Cor. 6:2.

Another feature of retribution upon the world during its Millennial trial will be the publicity which will then be given to the reaping and to the deeds of the past. Our Lord has so intimated, saying, “There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid that shall not be known,” etc. (Matt. 10:26; Luke 12:2,3.) This also will come about in a natural way, when in that day all that are in their graves shall come forth—when the murderer and his victim, the debtor and his creditor, the thief and his dupe, the defamer and the defamed, must face each other and the facts which, with even the secret motives, will be discerned. The terms of their reconciliation to each other and to the judge will be equitable, and will be known to all.

Past history will have proclaimed to the world the character of many a Nero; but in addition to that, there will be the necessity of facing the former victims of their ignoble cruelty; and that in the light of a new and healthy public sentiment that will manifest crime in all its horrid deformity. Truly such “shall awake to shame and lasting [Heb., olan] contempt,” even in their own eyes; for as their renewed manhood begins to assert itself, they will the more fully realize the depth of the pit of degradation whence they were digged; and even the generous forgiveness of formerly injured and outraged fellow-men will be a great humiliation. It will truly be, as the Scriptures suggest, the heaping of coals of fire on their heads (Prov. 25:21,22; Rom. 12:20), so great will be their shame and confusion.—Jer. 20:11.

It should be borne in mind, too, that the only standard of judgment in public sentiment, then, will be character. None of the false standards—e.g., of wealth, of noble (?) birth,

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or of an aristocracy of power, by which men are often measured now, and under which cloaks the wicked often take shelter—will then avail anything; for, under the new dispensation, men will come forth shorn of all their former possessions. They will have neither wealth nor power; and, in the light of that age, heredity will be nothing whereof to boast.

The same conditions which will thus expose the evils of the past life and thus, in the natural operations of moral law, bring about a measure of retribution to the evil-doers, will also make manifest the good deeds of the righteous, so that even the slightest favors done for others (which at the time blessed the characters of the doers) will then be recognized and appreciated.

In this view of the matter we can see how, in a perfectly natural way, a man must reap the harvest of his sowing of wild oats, even though he has been freely forgiven, absolved from guilt and its penalty, death, and legally justified through faith in Christ. He will reap it, both in the difficulties he will have piled up for himself in the hardening of his own character, making the steps up to perfection more painful and slow, and requiring severer discipline and also in the just disapproval or indignation of a righteous public sentiment in that Millennial day of judgment. Such will be the natural and inevitable results of present wrong doing, though one consolation will be the fact that this humiliation, in some measure at least, will be shared by all; “for there is none righteous [none perfect], no, not one” (Rom. 3:10); and all must pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others.” It will indeed be a time for melting and mellowing all hearts. Thus the Lord will take away the stony heart and give to all who under the New Covenant shall become his people (typified by Israel) a heart of flesh, according to his promise.—Ezek. 36:22-25-28.

In some instances a portion of the reaping is experienced in the present life; and in some it will be in the life to come, as the Apostle intimates in 1 Tim. 5:24,25. And so also the good works are sometimes manifest now, and rightly appreciated and rewarded. But whether now or hereafter, our Lord’s assurance is that even the gift of a cup of cold water to one of his disciples, because he is his disciple, shall have its reward (Matt. 10:40-42); so minute will be the Lord’s cognizance of character and works, and his rewards therefore; and none the less his because accomplished in the natural operation of retributive laws.

A murderer may be one who has little or no knowledge of God, whose hereditary disadvantages may be great and whose environment may be very unfavorable: he may meet with a just recompense for his crime at the hands of his fellow men, and yet in due time come forth from his grave unto [the privileges and opportunities of] a resurrection [lifting up—all the way up] by judgment [trial, discipline], and if obedient reach the height of perfection and life everlasting, although the sins of his past life may have made mountains of difficulties in his character for him to clamber over during that judgment age. For some such wicked murderers the Lord who will be the judge himself prayed forgiveness upon the ground of at least a large measure of ignorance.—Luke 23:34.

On the other hand, a man may be a moral man, who has “tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the age to come” and who has been made a partaker of the spirit of holiness through faith in Christ; yet he may permit envy and strife to take possession of his heart, and he may hate his brother though he outwardly violates no law and is esteemed among men. Yet such a one is a murderer at heart (1 John 3:15), restrained from outward violence by the respect for the opinions of others or by fear of the consequences. Who will deny that such a one, because of light enjoyed, may not have even greater difficulties to overcome in the reformation of his character than the grosser but ignorant murderer. To whom much is given in the way of knowledge, opportunity, etc., of him will much be required. (Luke 12:48.) That judgment will be according to knowledge and ability to do right—a just recompense of reward.

Only the idiotic and insane are in total darkness. All have had at least a conscience, and few have been without some hope of reward in following its dictates, though, as Paul says,

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they had no hope and were without God in the world—they were without the only real hope of the gospel. (Eph. 2:12.) Previous to the announcement of the gospel hope of everlasting life, and its foreshadowing in Israel, the hope of the world in general was only for the present rewards of righteousness. And no other hope was clearly held out, even to Israel, although there were hints and foreshadowings to them of the gospel hope, as there was also in the promise given in Eden—that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. These hints of hope were doubtless treasured up and reasoned upon by the more thoughtful minds; but the masses of men discerned only the simple lesson that honesty, righteousness, was the best present policy.

But when Christ came he “brought life [everlasting] and immortality [clearly] to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10); and, proportionately as men have come directly or indirectly in contact with this gospel, their responsibility has been increased, whether they accepted or rejected, opposed or ignored it. As it is written, “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”—John 3:19.

The divine arrangement regarding retribution seems generally to be that of sequence, so that under it rewards and punishments follow naturally, as the results of obedience or disobedience to law. Yet in the cases, both of rewards and of penalties, God sometimes steps beyond this order, as, for instance, when he brings upon Satan and his followers swift destruction at the end of the Millennial age, and when he exalts his Church with Christ their head, to the divine nature and Kingdom and glory. His extraordinary methods have also been occasionally manifested in the past—viz., in the destruction of the world by the flood, in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the confusion of tongues at Babel, and other instances of minor note. But these are special and exceptional exhibitions both of his wrath and of his grace. A just estimate of the Lord’s dealings in the future judgment of the repentant of the world may be approximated by a careful observance of his dealings with his justified and consecrated children now. Though justified, we are not liberated from all the consequences of our past ignorance or waywardness. If in youthful ignorance and waywardness bad habits were contracted which have impaired health and weakened moral and physical powers, we have all the difficulties to struggle against now, though we realize the divine forgiveness and assistance. This is our judgment day; and the judgment of the world will proceed upon the same general principles. They will first be brought to a knowledge of the truth, and will then be judged according to their use or abuse of that knowledge after they receive it, as worthy or unworthy of life, the good and bad actions of their first life previous to their knowledge of the truth entering into it only in the natural order of the retributive character of moral law, as above described.

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“IN MY NAME”

There were only two or three of us
Who came to the place of prayer—
Came in the teeth of a driving storm;
But for that we did not care,
Since after our hymns of praise had risen,
And our earnest prayers were said,
The Master Himself was present there
And gave us the living bread.

We noted his look in each other’s face,
So loving, and glad, and free:
We felt his touch when our heads were bowed,
We heard his “Come to Me!”
Nobody saw him lift the latch,
And none unbarred the door;
But “Peace” was his token in every heart,
And how could we ask for more?

Each of us felt the relief from sin,
Christ’s purchase for one and all;
Each of us dropped his load of care,
And heard the heavenly call;
And over our spirits a blessed calm
Swept in from the Jasper sea,
And strength was ours for the toil of life
In the days that were yet to be.

It was only a handful gathered in
To that little place of prayer.
Outside were struggle and strife and sin,
But the Lord himself was there.
He came to redeem the pledge he gave—
Wherever his loved ones be,
To give his comfort and joy to them,
Though they count but two or three.—Sel.

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THE TEST OF ENDURANCE

“Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.”—1 Kings 20:11

THE test of endurance is certainly one of the severest tests of faithfulness to which the elect Church, the body of Christ, is subjected. It is the test which gauges and registers the strength of every other virtue and grace, and no soldier of the cross will be crowned with the laurels of victory who has not stood this test. The Christian life is a warfare, and the above words of one of the kings of Israel to a boastful enemy of the Lord’s people are applicable, not only to every new recruit in the Lord’s army, but similarly to all who have not yet finished the good fight of faith.

The first gush of enthusiasm in the Lord’s service, much as we may and do appreciate it, may be but the hasty production of the shallow soil of a heart which immediately receives the truth with gladness, but having no root in itself, endures but for a time; and afterward, when affliction and persecution ariseth, immediately they are offended. (Mark 4:16,17.) Such characters cannot stand the fiery tests of this evil day, whereof it is written—”The fire [of that day] shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is.”—1 Cor. 3:13.

Therefore, says the Apostle Peter, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you.” All of the elect Church must be so tried; and blessed is he that shall endure unto the end. The sure word of prophecy points to severe conflicts and great trials in the closing scenes of the Church’s history. Elijah, a type of the body of Christ, finished his earthly career and went up by a whirlwind in a chariot of fire—strong symbols of storms and great afflictions. John, another type of the Church, was cast into prison and then beheaded. And we are forewarned of the great necessity of the whole armor of God, if we would stand in this evil day.—M. DAWN, VOL. II., Chap. 8.

It therefore behooves every one who aspires to the prize of our high calling to brace himself for the severer conflicts and trials of faith and patience that may suddenly and without a moments warning be sprung upon him. In the battle of this day, as in all other battles, the effort of the enemy is to surprise and suddenly attack and overwhelm the Lord’s people; and the only preparation, therefore, that can be made for such emergencies is constant vigilance and prayer and the putting on of the whole armor of God—the truth and the spirit of the truth.

“In your patience possess ye your souls.” No other grace will be more needed than this in the fiery ordeals of this evil day; for without great patience no man can endure to the end. All along the Christian’s pathway, ever and anon, he comes to a new crisis: perhaps they are often seemingly of trivial importance, yet he realizes that they may be turning points in his Christian course. Who has not realized them? There comes a temptation to weariness in well-doing, together with the suggestion of an easier way; or there springs up a little root of pride or ambition, with suggestions of ways and means for feeding and gratifying it. Then there comes, by and by, the decisive moment when you must choose this course or that; and lo, you have reached a crisis!

Which way will you turn? Most likely you will turn in the direction to which the sentiments you have cultivated have been tending, whether that be the right way or the wrong way. If it be the wrong way, most likely you will be unable to discern it clearly; for your long cultivated sentiments will sway your judgment. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof is the way of death.” (Prov. 14:12.) How necessary, therefore, is prayer, that in every crisis we may pass the test successfully. Nor can we safely delay to watch and pray until the crisis is upon us; but such should be our constant attitude.

The life of a soldier ever on the alert and on duty is by no means an easy life; nor do the Scriptures warrant any such expectation. On the contrary, they say, “Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ;” “Fight

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the good fight of faith,” etc. And yet many Christian people seem to have the very opposite idea. Their ideal Christian life is one without a breeze or a storm: it must be one continuous calm. Such a life was indeed more possible in former days than now, though the world, the flesh and the devil always have opposed themselves, and always had to be resisted by every loyal soldier of the cross. But now the opposition is daily becoming more and more intense; for Satan realizes that his time is short, and he is determined by any and every means to exert his power against the consummation of the Lord’s plan for the exaltation of the Church.

Consequently we have had within this harvest period many and severe storms of opposition, and still there are doubtless more severe trials to follow. But those who, with overcoming faith, outride them all—who patiently endure, who cultivate the spirit of Christ with its fruits and graces, and who valiantly fight the good fight of faith, rather than withdraw from the field, such will be the overcomers to whom the laurels of victory will be given when the crowning day has come.

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BUYING AND SELLING

THE Scriptures instruct God’s people to sell or dispose of what they have and to buy something else,—even though at a great cost. The inference is that what we possess naturally is not of lasting value, while that which we may obtain instead is of priceless value and everlasting.

“Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”—Prov. 23:23.

Sell that which thou hast, and give alms—dispose of your natural abilities and talents, wisely of course, for the benefit of yourself, your family, and all who have need of such service as you can render—and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Thus should we take up our cross and follow Christ our Redeemer and Pattern.—Luke 12:23; Matt. 19:21.

The “foolish virgins” were instructed to go and buy “oil,”—the light, the spirit of the truth. But they were “foolish” in that they did not buy in the proper time to get the greatest blessing in return. Because of tardiness they failed to enter into the Marriage Feast, thus losing a great privilege and blessing.

The value of a share in the Kingdom of God is likened to a choice pearl, to purchase which the dealer who rightly estimates its value will sell or trade all of his other wares;—realizing that possessing it alone he would be wealthy indeed.—Matt. 13:45.

Again, the value of the Kingdom is likened to a mine of wealth discovered in a field. The real value of the mine is generally unappreciated, but the appreciative discoverer would hasten to purchase the field; and to do so would give all else that he possesses.—Matt. 13:44.

The Lord in symbol points out to the Church, in its present Laodicean period, its really naked and poor and miserable condition; that its own righteousness, in which it trusts, is filthy rags which cannot cover its shame; and that its boasted riches of knowledge is of a spurious sort. He says: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold [heavenly wisdom], tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment [the covering of Christ’s righteousness—purity] that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.”

All who have learned that during the present Gospel age God is selecting the little flock, foreknown in his plan, and that all whom he predestinated must possess the characteristics of his firstborn,—must be copies of his only begotten Son, our Lord—have some conception of the great treasure of priceless value which their knowledge puts within their reach. Those who realize the value of the treasure most accurately are gladly selling off all that they have—time, influence, reputation, voice, strength, houses, lands, carriages, ease, comforts, luxuries,—and are investing the proceeds of all in the purchase of this field, which they know contains the treasure mine. Their

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conduct sometimes seems strange to those who do not know of the mine, or who, knowing something of it, have no real conception of its priceless value.

To one of these a king once said, “Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” But Paul answered, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.” And again he declared, “What things were gain [valuable] to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of [the treasure hid in] Christ Jesus my Lord (Col. 1:26; 2:3), on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them as dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him [a member of his body, one of his joint-heirs in the promised Kingdom]: that I may know him and the power of his resurrection [a resurrection to immortal and spiritual condition] and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the [chief] resurrection.” (Phil. 3:7-11.) “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18.) “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at [and labor not for] the things that are seen, but the things which are not seen [the hidden treasure]: for the things which are seen [and which we are selling off] are temporal, but the things which are not seen [the treasures of God’s gracious plan hid in Christ, which we are giving our little all to possess] are eternal.”—2 Cor. 4:17,18.

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Beloved, it is appropriate that each of us search his own doings, and his own heart’s motives, and see whether we are fully awake to the value of the great wealth of God’s love and favor and honor hidden in Christ, of which we are invited to become joint-heirs. God has given to us, and to all, a great gift in Christ, in that eternal life is secured for all of Adam’s race who will accept it under the terms of the New Covenant, when fully enlightened; but in addition to that gift is the present offer to sell to us a share in the glorious Millennial Kingdom at a price “not worthy to be compared” to the glories and blessings which, as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, we may receive in exchange.

The price is small, but it is all that we each have to give—ourselves, our all. Whether our all be more or less than another’s all, it is nevertheless our all, and God graciously proposes to accept the little all of each, whatever it may be, the sufficiency of Christ’s all compensating for the deficiency of our alls. The chance to buy is now, and very “foolish” are those virgins (pure ones) who neglect or refuse to give the price.

To buy we must consecrate and give—time, energy, study, to gain even a knowledge of the mystery (the secret mine of wealth) hid in Christ. (1 Cor. 2:7.) Each day will bring to the consecrated opportunities for giving something to the Lord, either directly, or indirectly to his people or others in his name. Each day will bring opportunities for giving up something precious to the selfish, carnal nature.

All such gifts presented to God (by those who have already been reconciled to God, through faith in his precious blood) are acceptable in the Beloved, and are treasures laid up in heaven, of two sorts: (1) the service rendered to God which, although in itself imperfect, he accepts as perfect through Christ; (2) the character thereby developed in our own hearts is a heavenly treasure acceptable to God by Jesus Christ; for every time we give anything to the Lord’s service or give up things highly esteemed among men for the sake of the Lord, or his Word, or his people, or even for humanity’s sake, we to that extent overcome the fallen disposition or spirit of selfishness, and cultivate the spirit of love and benevolence, the spirit of God, the spirit of Christ, the holy spirit or disposition, without which none will be acceptable as joint-heirs with Christ in his Kingdom;—for “if any man have not the spirit [disposition] of Christ he is none of his.”—Rom. 8:9.

Let us see to it that, having made the contract, we pay over the price in full.—Acts 5:1-11.

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“THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE”

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”—Gal. 4:6,7—

IN writing this epistle the Apostle is endeavoring to defend the Church in Galatia against certain Judaizing teachers who were seeking not only to undermine his teaching and personal influence, but thereby to bring believers under bondage to the Jewish law;—giving the inference that faith in Christ was only efficacious for salvation when supplemented by the keeping of the law.

The Apostle (Chap. 1.) expresses his surprise that these Galatian Christians should so soon become entangled in this error, when the gospel of the Kingdom had been so clearly set before them. Then (Chap. 1:10-24; 2:1-10) he reproduces the evidence of his apostleship, and in a masterly way sets forth the strong foundation of the hope of the gospel, the entire freedom of both Jews and Gentiles from the bondage of the Law Covenant, and the glorious liberty and peculiar privileges of the sons of God.

These Gentile Christians had never been under the Jewish law. They were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise.” But, through the preaching of the Apostle, they were brought nigh to God “by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:12,13); i.e., through faith in his blood they had been freely justified. “This only would I learn of you,” said he, “Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”—Gal. 3:2,3.

Then he proceeds to show further that while the Gentiles were not to be brought under bondage to the Jewish law, neither were the Jews

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justified by it; for it proved to be unto condemnation to every one that ever was under it, save the one perfect man, Christ Jesus, who fulfilled all its conditions, and, being blameless, rendered himself an acceptable sacrifice to redeem those who were under the Jewish law (3:10,11,13), as well as all of the Gentile world who were under the curse of the Edenic law, which was the same law written originally in the heart of the first perfect man, Adam. Thus “by one offering he hath perfected forever [made complete in his righteousness] them that are sanctified [fully consecrated to God],” whether Jews or Gentiles.—Heb. 10:14.

In the words of our text, he then bids them mark the fact that the witness of the holy Spirit with their spirits is to the effect that they are the recognized sons of God, and that they came into this grace without the works of the law. He says, “Because ye are sons [i.e., because you have believed on Christ alone for salvation and have consecrated yourselves to him and therefore been adopted into God’s family], God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son [the seal of your adoption—Eph. 1:13] into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Blessed privilege! why then go back to the beggarly elements whereby the Jews so long and so vainly sought to find salvation? (Gal. 4:9.) In Christ alone is full salvation for both Jew and Gentile; and in him there is no difference, for we are “all one in Christ Jesus.”

Thus the way of salvation is set forth as the way of simple, confiding faith. Men in all ages have sought to complicate the way and to hedge it about with forms and ceremonies. They have added penances and prayers and fastings, and monastic rules and regulations and numerous and varied superstitions, but the simplicity of the true way they stumble over. To keep the perfect law of God was a thing impossible for imperfect men; but if it had been possible, verily, says the Apostle (3:21), that would have been the way of salvation. But God had mercy upon our weakness, and, through Christ, offers us salvation upon the terms of simple faith and of loyalty and obedience to his will to the extent of our ability—the terms of the New Covenant.

To thus accept the favor of God through Christ—the evidences of sonship and the present

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and prophetic inheritance of sons—is to enter into the blessed rest of faith. This rest of faith is something which the world can neither give nor take away. It brings with it peace and happiness and joy in the midst of all the shifting circumstances of the present life. To those who have entered into this rest of faith penances are seen to be of no avail, and prayers are occasions of sweet communion with God; feasting from the Lord’s bountiful table take the place of fastings, active zeal in the Master’s service supplants the gloomy and useless life of the solitary and self-tortured recluse; and the glorious sunlight of truth chases away the shadows of human superstitions.

O how blessed is this rest of faith! Would that all who name the name of Christ might fully enter in! True, there are self-denials and sacrifices and disciplines and trials, and often persecutions in the way; but in the midst of them all there is rest and peace. Such, though in the world, are not of it. They are in the world as the Lord’s representatives and ambassadors. They are here to tell “the good tidings of great joy” to all people who have ears to hear, and to make known among men the unsearchable riches of Christ. They are the light of the world, and if obedient to the Master’s voice they will not hide their light by retiring from the world and shutting themselves up for religious meditation.

Some in times past have gained a reputation for great sanctity by secluding themselves from the world and devoting themselves to a monastic life; but how strangely their lives contrast with the active, zealous devotion of the Lord and the apostles and the early Church, before this superstition was promulgated. Let us mark the footprints of our Lord and those who followed him, and strive to walk in them. As sons and heirs of God let us rejoice in our inheritance with thanksgiving, and let our zeal in service manifest our love and devotion to God.

Whom the Son makes free is free indeed; for he is made free by the Truth.—John 8:32,36.

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STUDIES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

—INTERNATIONAL S.S. LESSONS—

SUGGESTIVE THOUGHTS DESIGNED TO ASSIST THOSE OF OUR READERS WHO ATTEND BIBLE CLASSES WHERE THESE LESSONS ARE USED; THAT THEY MAY BE ENABLED TO LEAD OTHERS INTO THE FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL

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THE PASSOVER INSTITUTED

II. QUAR., LESSON X., JUNE 3, EXOD. 12:1-14

Golden Text—”Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”—1 Cor. 5:7

The term Passover signifies to pass by or spare from an affliction. When the last plague was visited upon Egypt, the houses of the Israelites were all marked with the blood of a slain lamb, that the destroying angel might not cut off the first born of Israel with the first born of Egypt. These first born ones were afterward represented in the priestly tribe of Levi, to which Moses belonged (Exod. 13:2; Num. 3:11-13), and through this priesthood all Israel was brought into covenant relationship with God. The Gospel Church, is the antitype. These alone of all people are now in danger of everlasting death—the second death—because these only have the knowledge sufficient—if rejected or abused—to bring condemnation to the second death.

The first born of Israel represented those who now by faith abide in Christ, under “the blood of sprinkling”—the precious blood of Christ, our passover lamb, slain for us. And these shall be delivered, spared, passed over, being counted worthy of life through the merit of the precious blood of Christ. But if any abide not under this covering, he must surely perish, as any of the first born of Israel would have perished had they ventured out, beyond the protection of the blood of the typical lamb. How forcibly does the type thus illustrate the value of the precious blood of Christ, our Passover Lamb!

The typical feast, commemorative of the typical Passover, was celebrated ever after by Israel. Our Lord and his disciples observed it, as all Jews were required to do, yearly on the fourteenth of Nisan. The Lord’s Supper was instituted just after this Passover supper, and to take its place, on the last night of our Lord’s earthly life—

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the same night in which he was betrayed, the same day on which he was crucified, the Jewish day beginning the evening preceding at sunset. This annual remembrancer was to be to Christ’s followers what the Passover had been to the Jews. They were to see Christ Jesus as their lamb, and rejoice in their justification through his precious blood. And they were to celebrate it yearly—as the Israelites had done—but now in remembrance of the reality and not of the type. “Christ, our passover, is sacrificed for us; therefore, let us keep the feast”—as often as the season returns, until fully delivered from death to life in his likeness.

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PASSAGE OF THE RED SEA

II. QUAR., LESSON XI., JUNE 10, EXOD. 14:19-29

Golden Text—”By faith they passed through the Red Sea.”—Heb. 11:29

This chapter in the history of God’s ancient people is an illustration of the power and wisdom and love of God. And it is a warning to all who are disposed to heed it, to beware of undertaking to contend with the Almighty. No matter how weak or insignificant or poor or despised among men may be the subjects of his care, the hand that is lifted against them defies the power of Jehovah, and shall surely come to grief.

This deliverance of typical Israel from Egypt illustrates the deliverance from sin and its bondage of all who desire to be God’s servants and to have the promised blessing as it shall be fulfilled after the plagues (Rev. 16), in the utter destruction of all the systems born of sin and selfishness which would hinder human prosperity and advancement toward God. The overthrow of Pharaoh’s army by the sea, corresponds to the fact that many of the present enslaving agencies will be overthrown by anarchy in the great “time of trouble,” now so near at hand. Already the storm is approaching which will eventually overthrow all evil-doers; but a way of escape is provided for all who seek God and put their trust in him, following the course which his wisdom has marked out.

It is important to note in this connection that the terms “borrowed” and “lent” in Exod. 11:2; 12:35,36 are improper and misleading translations of the Hebrew word shaal, giving the impression of a command to dishonesty on the part of God and a dishonest transaction on the part of the Israelites. The Israelites did not borrow, but asked for (as in R.V.) jewels of silver and jewels of gold and garments. And the Egyptians did not lend, but allowed their request. Thus the Israelites had some reward for their long service, though it was only granted by their oppressors under fear to refuse them.

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THE WOES OF THE DRUNKARD

II. QUAR., LESSON XII., JUNE 17, PROV. 23:29-35

Golden Text—”Look not thou upon the wine when it is red.”—Prov. 23:31

The significance of this lesson is too manifest to need special comment, but is worthy of the careful consideration, not only of those who are liable to the temptations of strong drink, but also of all who have any influence over others in this respect. The principles and practices of all God’s people should be specially clear and pronounced upon this and every other question of morals and conduct.

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REVIEW

II. QUAR., LESSON XIII., JUNE 24, SCRIPTURE
READING, PSA. 105; HEB. 11:17-29

Golden Text—”The Lord’s portion is his people.”—Deut. 32:9

A careful review of the lessons of this quarter in connection with the Scripture readings suggested will be found very profitable. The Old Testament worthies surely command our deepest respect and admiration; and their faith and faithfulness is worthy of our study and imitation. And all the steps of divine providence so clearly marked in Old Testament history are such as to establish and confirm our faith in the goodness and power and love and wisdom of God. Let us not forget that these blessed lessons are recorded, not to satisfy mere idle curiosity, nor to furnish entertainment, but to acquaint us more fully with the works and ways and will of our God.

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TO BRING THE GREEK CHURCH UNDER VATICAN CONTROL

Mgr. Satollistates, through Father O’Gorman, his interpreter, that there are pending diplomatic negotiations to bring the Greek church of all Russia, now under the personal control of the Czar, into the keeping of the Vatican.

Churchmen take it for granted that if the Czar is to place the state church under control of Rome it is in the interest of Leo’s hope to effect the disarmament of the great nations of the world, and for securing the ultimate universal peace and arbitration of international quarrels.

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