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INTERESTING LETTERS

“LIGHT AFFLICTIONS—BUT FOR A MOMENT”

DEARLY BELOVED BROTHER IN THE LORD:—

“Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you, making request with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now.”—Phil. 1:2-5.

The Vow brought me much blessing, likewise the Resolve; then I began to watch for suggestions. Last fall came one: Z.’14, p. 341—to live each day as though it were our last. That was beautiful to me, and most helpful; to think to myself each morning, You wouldn’t want to go Home tonight to a kind, gracious Father and a loving Bridegroom unless you, too, had all the day been kind, gracious and loving. It checked many a hasty word and act and mellowed all my life.

When the suggestion concerning the cultivation of Love came, I rejoiced, for I knew a blessing lay in that also; and there has, and a deep and rich one, too. Not only have I been enabled day by day to be more kind in my thoughts, gentle in my words, and loving in my deeds, but my eyes have opened wider and wider to the measureless love of our Heavenly Father and His dear Son. In every day I find Their love; I have only to follow step by step as They beautifully arrange each day and fill it with blessings and love.

I have more trials than ever before, but they are only blessings in disguise. I am learning what St. Paul meant when he spoke of “light afflictions, but for a moment.” The “eternal weight of glory” is getting brighter each day, as I learn more of the height and depth and length and breadth of the wonderful love of God. I shall be glad to go Home by whatever way my Father sees best, but I am not anxious as I used to be, for each day is full of His love and blessing.

I have wished to tell you particularly (as an isolated child of God) of a rich blessing I found I was not shut out from, did I but reach out by faith and claim it: Some time since, a dear sister of the Cameron Class was unable to attend the usual Wednesday night testimony meeting, and so, alone at home, she had a blessed testimony meeting. Afterward, when she told of this experience, I wondered if this blessing were not for all the isolated ones. I remembered your admonitions in Vol. VI. concerning the Memorial—that an isolated individual allow his faith to go out with sufficient strength to the Lord to claim the promise of Matthew 18:20, regarding the Lord and himself as two. It seemed to me the same principle applied here, and I began the Wednesday night meetings—and such blessings from the Lord! It is as good as the DAILY MANNA morning service—to be in union with the Body—the whole world over!

I have been very careful to use Wednesday evening, because the Lord’s blessing is more especially with me on that day. Other isolated sisters are testifying to this same blessing. We had been getting too much solid food and not enough fluid, heretofore.

The blessing of fellowship with yourself still continues with me through the pages of THE WATCH TOWER. It is ever “meat in due season,” for which my appetite grows continually keener.

Dear Brother, “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace!”

Your sister in the Anointed,
HOPE TATE.—Canada.

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BLAZED A TRACK THROUGH BAD THEOLOGY

OUR WELL-BELOVED PASTOR:—

Loving greetings in our dear Lord and Redeemer, to you and all of “like precious faith.”—Ephesians 3:14-21.

Beloved Brother, it has been our thought this year to send you some slight token of the great love we have for you, as God’s appointed servant and channel for dispensing the “Meat in due season” to the Household of Faith. How grateful we are to you, under God, for blazing a track for us out of a maze of bad theology! Daily we bear you up before the Throne of Grace, praying that He who has so far worked out His will in you may complete His work in His Elect, that you, with us and all the dear ones who are earnestly pressing forward, may be presented faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.

We ask you, dear Brother, kindly to accept the HEAVENLY MANNA sent herewith with our autographs, also the 2L. Money Order enclosed as a token of our loving esteem from those to whom the Truth has come at the village of Turangarere.

Sister Black by asking Sister Kelly to read Vol. 1, was the means of presenting the Truth which Sister Kelly was privileged to pass on to Sisters Mitchell, Merritt, Clough and Mulvay; and Sister Clough was used to pass the Message on to Sister Brown, and Sister Mitchell to Sister Gage. All are fully consecrated and pressing forward for the Great Prize.

Sister Black received the First Volume in a very strange way. Her little granddaughter was buying a book for a birthday present for her grandmother at a second-hand dealer’s shop. The man advised her to take the book, as her grandmother would like it; and so this great blessing came to us.

Another dear one, Sister Bessie Lambei, sent a subscription asking that she, too, might be included in the gift to the Pastor to whom, under God, we all owe so much. Sister Lambei is one of the Lord’s isolated ones.

We are hoping if it is the Lord’s will to meet in Wellington for Convention on December 25th; but just now New Zealand trade is paralyzed by an industrial strike, which if not soon settled may hinder our meeting. But we all look forward soon now to be favored by being present at the Great Convention of the First-born ones (Hebrews 12:22-24) beyond the Veil. Then we hope to meet our Beloved Master; and among all the dear Elect, what joy it gives us to look forward to meeting the dear Pastor, who has been so abundantly used of God to bring blessings to us and all the dear “Feet” Members of the Body, which is the Church! Earnestly entreating God’s blessing upon your labors of Love for Him and His,

Your loving Sisters, by His Grace.
North Island, New Zealand.

[The Editor begs these dear Sisters in Christ to accept his thanks for their kind words of comfort, which he will always cherish as priceless in value; also for the copy of MANNA containing their autographs. As for the 2L., he is putting it into the “Comfort Fund,” from which he sometimes has the privilege of doling out a few dollars for the aid of brethren falling into dire need. The Editor has no lack. The Society’s allowance to him and all the office workers, of ten dollars monthly for clothing and incidentals, is more than sufficient for our comfort.]

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THE CANADA RED CROSS CONTRIBUTIONS

DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL:—

Here in Canada there is a general movement on for soliciting funds for the Canadian Red Cross work. Will you kindly give us your view on the subject?

This is a matter of personal judgment—as is every benevolence. The Lord’s people must remember that their all is consecrated to Him, and they must seek to use their best judgment respecting the use of their financial talents, as well as others. We would feel disposed to resent anything in the way of an attempt to coerce or compel contributions, and would prefer to exercise our own judgment and conscience, and not to have any one tell us what we should do, or should

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not do. However, emergencies might arise in which we would have the right to allow mercenary considerations to have their weight—if, for instance, because an employee should fail to contribute it would bring him into disfavor with his employer, so that he might lose his situation, or if a business firm found that they might be boycotted unless they contributed liberally, we believe that they would have a right to treat this matter from a commercial basis. The giving to the Red Cross Society would certainly not interfere with anybody’s conscientious scruples.

An examination of the Canadian Militia Act shows that certain persons are exempt from military obligations; viz., Judges, Government clerks, Telegraph clerks, Revenue clerks, Wardens of Prisons and Asylums, Policemen, Firemen, College professors, the Clergy, the son of a widow and persons averse to military service on religious grounds.

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— November 15, 1915 —