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vol xviii allegheny pa january 1 1897 no.1 view from the tower we wish the watch tower readers all and everywhere a very happy new year-1897 and whether or not they get the fulfillment of our wish depends almost exclusively upon themselves individually in the eases of those who belong fully to the lord by a full heart consecration a full selfsurrender to his will as expressed in his word circumstances may change hopes or health may fail trusted friends may become cool or even become enemies poverty and lack of life s necessities may stare some in the face yet none of these nor all of them should they fall to our lot need hinder the true christian from having a happy year to the worldly this will be both impossible and incomprehensible for the world has no sources of comfort and peace and joy other than the creature-comforts of the present life when deprived of these they have nothing but misery and despair and these evils are only increased as knowledge and refinement increase the appreciation of earthly good things hence the remarkable increase of suicides in recent years especially in the most civilized lands and wht!rever civilization extends for instance in japan where it is said that the average of suicides per year is over seven thousand respecting suicides here and in great britain the rev p s henson d d baptist of chicago said recently in a sermon there never was such unrest in the world as now the old world is threatened with an upheaval what is the matter with new york and chicago humanity is not eonstituted to be satisfied people are going mad faster than you can build mad-houses to put them in in london the suicides number ten a day [3,600 a year new york is not much better there was never such unrest what the world wants the rich want all classes want is jesus christ but the child of god has other than earthly friends and joys and hopes and prospeets he is rich whatever his outward condition may appear rich in the fact that his debt of sin has been paid for him rich in the assurances of god s word that his present experiences are all under the supervision of divine wisdom and love and are all being overruled for his highest good rom 8 28 rich in joy and hope through the present trials and experiences faithfully and patiently endured god is preparing him for future honors and so he is enabled to reckon those trials which once would have utterly crushed him as light afflictions whieh are but for a moment and which faithfully aecepted will work out a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory thus he looks not at the transitory things that are seen but at the invisible and eternal things thus like moses of old he endures as seeing him who is invisible a present help in every time of trouble whatever he may possess of earthly luxury and comfort he accepts with gratitude realizing himself not more deserving than millions le s favored whatever he may lack he reflects that the faithful of every age have been required to endure hardnes as good soldiers and that our blessed saviour and his noble apostles in choosing the course of faithfulness to the truth denied themselves and endured hungerings thirstings privations and loss of friends and yet though poor they made many rich 2 cor 6:10 with the true riches of grace godliness with contentment great gain which the world can neither give nor take away in every condition these may hear the word of god saying all things are yours for ye are christ s and christ is god s why should the children of the king go mourning all their days the christian s secret of a happy life lies in his knowing and trusting the heavenly father and the heavenly bridegroom even worldly physicians skepties are coming to recognize the fact that the peace of god ruling in and keeping the heart is not only an exeellent medicine but a great preservative of health how many looking back can see that not only their spiritual but also their physical health has improved since they found the lord a very present help in time of trouble if they had nervous troubles which formerly caused them sleepless nights and haggard looks and which almost unfitted them for life s duties and responsibilities they have doubtless found some improvement since they have heard the voice saying cast all your care upon the lord for he careth for you l pet 5:7 behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of god l john 3:1 like as a father pitieth his children so the lord pitieth them that fear [reverence him psa 103 13 be of good eourage and he shall strengthen your heart psa 31 :24 the lord is my shepherd i shall not want his goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and i shall dwell in the house of the lord forever psa 23 :6 true the exceeding great and precious promises of god s word may not hinder us from feeling pain but they will modify the pain and its frequency physicians are of one opinion on this subject that the mind the brain the nervous center of our being exercises a great influence over all of our physical sensations either an aggravating or a pacifying influence truly did solomon the wise say that the lord s word is a valuable medicine prov 3:8 but we have said that these blessings come through knowing and trust,ing god some fail to get the blessings because of a lack of knowledge others having the knowledge lack the trust the faith still others and they are probably in the majority among consecrated christians enjoy a small measure of these blessings when they might have them in abundant measure by a more thorough knowledge of god through his word accompanied of course with obedience to the spirit of their knowledge and by the exercise of greater trust in the faithful promisei we exhort all the consecrated tower readers to join with us at the beginning of the new year in a remembrance and [2083 3-4

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2-6 zion s watch tower renewal of our covenant with the lord to be obediently and lovingly ms in thought word and deed-and in harmony therewith and to the intent that we may enjoy his blessings to our fullest capacity and under all conditions let us put on the armor of truth and righteousness fastening the same upon us with the graces of the spirit as an assistance we suggest as a text to be remembered and practiced daily the words of the apostle paul 2 cor 7 1 having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit the w atoh tower is the editor s general pulpit as he does not desire to preach to any except willing hearers it is as proper that the w atoh tower should stop at the end of your subscription as that he should cease to be pastor of the allegheny church if not selected in december therefore except in very exceptional cases the paper will be stopped at the pulpit please take notice end of the subscription year all who wish the tower for 1897 should send word at once the terms are so liberal as to leave no excuse it is provided free to the lord s poor who send a card each year stating the fact those who can pay later will please send a card so stating by responding promptly you will save us much trouble perfecting holiness in the fear of the lord 2 cor 7 1 and whoever would have success in carrying out the fore going resolves should not only make the engagement at the throne of the heavenly grace but should at all times and under all circumstances preserve the spirit of thankfulness and prayer as the apostle expresses it he should pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks for what son is he that the father chasteneth not if ye be without chastisements and lessons then are ye not sons the heavenly father chastens for correction every son whom he receives all the israel of god a brother writes i have been in the habit of speaking of the true church as spiritual israel recently the propriety of so doing has been called in question by certain advanced teachers who claim that since the time of rehoboam the name israel is scripturally applied to the revolting ten tribes only i have looked up the question in young s concordance but find nothing satisfactory i cannot find that the term spiritual israel is used a single time in the bible please give us some help on this question ve reply we are aware that there are a few who confine the term israel to the ten tribes which revolted from rehoboom and the two tribes judah and benjamin which upheld him and they have an object in so doing they have a theory about the ten tribes having been lost and claim that they have now found them that the english·speaking people of the world are the ten lost tribes-israel earthly patriottsm no doubt has much to do with the theory in those who have not taken a strong enough hold upon the heavenly citizenship although we also are saxons according to the flesh yet we have learned that as there is neither jew nor greek bond nor free male nor female in christ jesus so there is neither french nor english german nor spaniard for all who are in christ are one royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people of which christ is the head the spreat of briti h influence during the past century and a half has indeed been remarkable but let us not forget that similarlj ~pain ran over the wall three centuries ago and ruled much of north america all of central and south america allli ll1anj of the isles of the sea and that her language still dominates a ten itory almost or quite as extensive as that in which english is the prevailing tongue did spanish prosperity prove them to be israel if not why should anglosaxon pro perity be recognized as a foundation for such an assumption the endeavol to uphold their tkeory which is not even a ,·tj llditioll of the elders seemingly blinds those who become mh>re lted iii it so that they ignore and apparently cannot sce the 1 1 ill teaching of the scriptures on this subject israel the fact i that thc phrase ten lost tribes cannot be found m the bible it can only be found in the writings of those who have lhloptej tht tlwory by which they are blinding themselyes 1 01 i tlw tpi ill io~t islael nor any analogous expression follnd iii t hp l i pt 11l thp expre sion lost sheep of the home of biat i twip ihed hy our lord matt 10:6 15:24 ha no iefelcnce to lo t tribes but to individuals who had wandpi pi frolll tilt lord and wpre lost in the wilderness of sin a 1ii1 illl k jle~f ai i ell kno n to bible studcnts there was a split in th twel e ti ibes for four hundred years ten tribes separatil1g from the kmg 4 trihf .tudah on the ground of kingly oppres~ioll old testament p&oofs of this fact it was natulal enough that at the time of the revolt of the ten tribes the namc israel should be held by the majority while rehoboam s kingdom was naturally known as judah the name of hi tribe hich constituted the majority of his suppol tel s the tribc of benjamin being very insignificant in numbers this distinction continued for several centuriesuntil the captivity of babylon the ten trib s were captured first and their p opl scattered throughout babylonia the two tribe tudah and benjamin were captured later and were similarly scattered in babylon from that time the pride and rivalry between the two divisions of israel grew l ss and less common adversity made them feel their kin hip again and the name israel became as at first th com· mon name for the wha7f h01is of israe1 if in the old testament writings which recount the reo turn from the babylonian captivity we find the returning ones no longer recognizing themselves as two nations judah and israel but on the contrary find the whole people spoken of as one and called israel the twelve tribes of israel e~c it is proof positive that the two sticks representing the divided people-ezek 37 16 20 had become reunited in babylon before the return from the babylonian captivity indeed as already shown the proclamation of king cyrus releasing the captivity proves that at that time the petty jealousies between the two divisions had subsided and that the two parts had again become one nation with the common name israel for the proclamation ignored judah entirely and was to au the people of the lord god of israel and as already shown people of various tribes did return to pales· tine although the tribe of judah appears to have been specially loyal to the city and land probably because to that tribe belonged the kingly promise and because the scepter of influence by divine intention was to remain with that tribe until shiloh should come besides the ten tribes had gone into captivity more than one hundred years earlier and their children had become more settled and rooted in the various parts of media and babylon than the tribe of judah a few of whose youth who had seen the city of jerusalem and the temple lived long enough to return however many people-the vast majority of the various tribes including judah and benjamin although reverent toward god and his worship did not return to reside in palestine the total number of those who returned of au israel was less than fifty-fiw thousand whereas we have reason to suppose that judah numbered several hundred thousand at the time of the captiv ity and the ten tribes still more 8ee 2 chron 28 :6 8 15 even before the captivity a fellowship had sprung up between the people of the two divisions so that when josiah king of judah instituted reforms repaired the temple and made the great passover celebration the remnant of the ten tribes for the mass had gone into captivity nearly a centuq before joined in the work of repairing by contributing money etc and joined in the feast of passover at jerusalem see 2 chron 24:9,10 25:18 and at a still earlier date the piously inclined of the ten tribes left their king and allied thcmselves with the tribe of judah and were known as jews -2 chron 15:9 the record of the return from the captivity is given b;y ezra and nehemiah and if the breach were not already healed it would show itself in their accounts but as cyrus set free au tke people of the god of israel so the records show that ezra and nehemiah and the people regarded themselves as israel let each one prove this for himself by turning to and noting their use of the words children of israel people of israel tribes of israel all israel and the offering of sacrifices for all israel according to the twelve tribes in the following passages:ezra 2:2,59,70 3:1 11 4:3 6:16 17 7:7,11,13,28 8:25,35 10:5 10 nehemiah 1:6 2:10 7:7 61,73 9:1,2 10:33,39 11:3 20 12:47 13:3,18 the term lost sheep of the house of israel twice used by our lord matt 10:6 15 :24 most positively contradicts the theory that the ten tribes were lost in the days of our lord s first advent and also contradicts the thought that the see mill~nnial dawn vol ii new testament proofs that is&ael was not ten tribes but twelve and was not lost in the days of our lord and the apostles chap 8 [2084]

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tanuaily 1 1897 zion s watch tower 6-7 term israel now belongs to the ten tribes only read the passages cited and see that the lost sheep were individuala-not tribes and that israel was not lost because christ had come to the only israel whom he recognized and with his disciples for three and a half years he went through the cities of i8f ael seeking therein the lost sheep of the house of israel matt 10:23 that the term jew had come to be synonymous with the term israel is proved by the fact that those terms are repeatedly used interchangeably for instance pilate wrote for the cross jesus the king of the jews j while the soldiers and others mocked saying let christ the king of israel come down from the cross 8ee matt 27 :42 mark 15 32 nathaniel was an israelite indeed and his testimony to our lord was thou art the king of israel john 1:47-49 the people never thought about a king of judah but rather when the lord rode on the ass as king in fulfilment of the prophecy of zechariah the people strewed the way with palm branches etc shouting blessed is the king of i81 ael john 12 13 neither were the disciples thinking of judah as a kingdom for they asked the lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to israelf and talking over the matter on the way to emmaus they said sorrowfully and disappointedly we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed [recovered delivered israel luke 24:21 acts 1:6 is it reasonable to think that these all erred in their choice of language and said israel but medjn.t judah no but it is proof positive that they recognized no lost tribes but a reunited israel-part dispersed among the gentiles but coming to jerusalem occasionally to keep the national festivals and part at home in the land of israel in the cities of israel also trodden under foot by the gentiles the angel when directing joseph to return from egypt with mary and the infant jesus said go into the land of israel and the apostle matthew says he arose and came into the land of israel matt 2:20 21 were the angel and the apostle mistaken what would they answer present-day teachers who would say to them you were mistaken the land of israel was then great britain and ireland and the savages of those islands were the true israelites and they had the only genuine king of israel represented in king fergus or some of his posterity and today represented by queen victoria john the baptist when introducing christ declared that his ministry was to i81 ael john i :31 his ministry surely was to the jews and if they are not israel john was mistaken and told an untruth yet the power of god was upon him from his mother s womb and there never was a greater prophet luke 7 :28 matt ii ii if john erred how great a prophet must he be who could be relied upon to correct him our lord sent his disciples throughout palestine to seek the lost sheep of the house of israel and he went also himself to all the cities of israel and when commending the faith of the gentile centurion he said i have not found so great faith no not in i81 ael and addressing nicodemus he called him a ruler in israel was our lord mistaken had he missed the place in not going to the british isles or shall we not conclude that those who would pervert these plain testimonies of scripture to support a theory are greatly mistaken let god be true jews in the crucifixion of christ and proves to whom the name israel belongs in prophecy all the apostles were together when all the senate of the children of 181 ael convened and gamaliel a leading doctor of the law of whose pupils saul of tarsus was one a man noted among the people for his learning showed that if israel were lost he did not know of it for he said to all the senate of the children of israel not ye men of judah but ye men of israel etc acts 5 :21 35 the apostle paul one of the learned men of his day and one of the most exact and logical men of any day did not know of it if the ten tribes were lost and surely thought quite the contrary as is proved by the following statements of his respecting israel he went to antioch in pisidia-among the gentiles-and had no trouble in finding the dispersed israelites the twelve tribes scattered abroad and their synagogue and getting opportunity to speak to the people being recognized by the ruler of the synagogue as a man of education he said men of israel and ye [gentiles that fear god give audience the god of this people of i81 ael chose our fathers god according to his promise raised unto israel a saviour jesus when john [the baptist had first preached before his coming [manifestation the baptism of repentance to all the people of i81 ael acts 13:16 17 23 24 in verses 43 45 and 50 these men of israel are called by the common name by which all israelites are known today namely jews and it is worthy of note that while a small band of jews recently returned to pal stine claim to be of the tribe of dan and another band elaim to be of the tribe of gad yet as a rule the jews today do not know from which of the twelve tribes they spring-so completely have the twelve tribes amalgamated into one nation when paul returned to jerusalem after several years abo sence among gentiles and especially among the people of israel scattered abroad and dwelling everywhere among the gentiles as today he.went into the temple and was recognized and a tumult was raised by a man crying out men of i rael help etc acts 21 :28 that jew evidently thought th same as all the rest that israel was again a united nation and that all jews were now as before the rebellion men of israel when paul pleaded his cause before king agrippa he said i think myself happy king agrippa because i shall answer for myself this day before thee especially be· cause i know thee to be ea:pert in all customs and questions which are among the jews when therefore he said our ttcelve tribes instantly serving god day and night hope to come to the promises which god made to our fathers it proves conclusively that neither the jewish scholar and lawyer paul nor the well-informed roman governor had any knowl· edge of the ten tribes being longer separated from the two tribes nor did they know that the ten tribes were lost nor did they in any manner or degree recognize the then heathen savages of the british isles as any part of the twelve tribes for of the latter he expressly says that they were serving god and hoping in the promi e made to abraham isaac and jacob acts 26:2 3 7 the epistle to the hebrews was written to those same twelve tribes instantly serving god and hoping especially such as were israelites indeed and had accepted christ it is applicable therefore also to all those who from among the gentiles have been grafted into the promises of god to abraham by union with christ the true apostolic testimony respecting israel faithful seed similarly the epistle of james was adthe apostle peter on the day of pentecost preaching the dressed to the twelve tribes scattered abroad james i i 2 gospel under the influence of the holy spirit addressed him· in his epistle to the romans the apostle paul has much to say about israel having rejected christ and thus having self to the jews saying ye men of israel hear these words jesus of nazareth a man approved of god among you by brought blindness upon himself unquestionably referring to miracles and wonders and signs which god did by him in the rejection and crucifixion of christ by the jews all the midst of you as ye yourselves know him ye [men israel he points out that so it was foretold by the prophets of israel have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and and thus shows that the prophets are in accord with tlvis fulslain therefore let all the house of israel know that filment j and that they when apeaking of israel have no reference to our savage forl fathers who when found by saint god hath made that same jesus whom ye [men of israel have crucified both lord and christ acts 2:22 23 36 patrick and saint augustine were totally devoid of knowl john was with peter at the healing of the impotent man edge of jehovah and of moses and the law and of david and a few days after the above discourse and therefore joined in of solomon and of the prophets and of all expectation of a the statement ye men of israel why marvel ye at this messiah such total ignorance and forgetfulness are not supacts 3 12 the same two were together preaching a few days posable in any people even in longer period i-much less in later when they were arrested and agreed in the testimony israelites who never lose their respect for abraham and cirof peter recorded in acts 4:8 10 peter filled with the holy cumcision nor for moses and the law even when they bespirit said unto them ye rulers of the people and elders of come free-thinkers israel be it known unto you and unto all the people the apostle then proceeds to show that it is the same of i81 ael etc evidently these apostles knew nothing about israel that was blinded because of rejecting christ that is to any lost ten tribes nor of any other people than the jews be saved from that blindness at the second coming of christ compare rom 9:27,31-33 10 1-3 ii:2 7 15,24-28 is entitled to the name israel further along verse 27 a prophecy which specifies israel is quoted as fulfilled by the it supposable that if there were another israel recognized by ii1-12 [2085]

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8-4 zion s watch tower au.jlghe;ny pa the holy spirit and the apostle they would have been ignored in the comprehensive statement of the entire plan of god from first to last given in this wonderful and logical epistle to the romans it is not supposable furthermore the israelite according to the flesh who would lay claim to anything under god s covenant with abraham must mdicate his adherence to that covenant by observing the ordinance of circumcision if therefore it could be proved that the anglo-saxon people have any israelitish blood in their veins and we deny that this has been proved we may know that from the time they failed to perform the israelitish ordinance of circumcision that long they have been cut off from all share in the promises made to israel the law on this subject is found in genesis 17 14 and is very explicit it says the uncircumcised man child shall be cut off from his people [from israel-shah no longer be an inheritor of the promises made to israel for in neglecting thus to indicate his fealty to the covenant he hath broken lify covenant so then if it could be proved that the anglo-saxons are de icendants of abraham which we deny it would avail nothing for them for having been uncircumcised for two thousand years or as far back as their history extends the covenant of god wottld be broken so far as they were concerned and they could inherit nothing under it neglect of circumcision by an israelite constituted him an alien a foreigner to the covenant of promise-a gentile our conclusion therefore rpspecting the blessing upon the anglo-saxon people is that whoever their fathers may have been they have no hope for any divine favor or blessing a l i iraelites according to the flesh for such they are not their blessing has resulted from the fact that some of them became members of the body of christ-the higher the spiritual israel and that a larger number have been blessed till ough the influence of thp p and become members of the hou 5ehold of faith and that in general the light of the gospel and the spirit of liberty which it always induces has been shpd abroad abundantly upon that people-bring with it great responsibilities as weh as great blessings spiritual israel freed from some false conceptions on the subject we come now to our correspondent s principal question is there a spiritual israel which has taken the place of natural israel and if so why cannot i find frequent references to her in the scriptures we answer there is a spiritual israel but she has not taken the place of the fleshly israel her hopes are spiritual not earthly they are built upon heavenly or spiritual promises not upon earthly promises they are therefore called by the inspired writers better promises nor does spiritual israel desire to take the f,lace of fleshly israel rather she rejoices that although flesh y israel for the past eighteen centuries and more have been treated as enemies of god and blinded for spiritual israel s sake yet the time is coming when she fleshly israel shall obtain mercy through spiritual israel s mercy and inherit the chief earthly blessing as the natural seed of abraham when spiritual israel with christ jesus her lord shall have been exalted to heavenly glory rom 11 :25-30 some who see that christ and his church his body or bride constitute the real seed of promise gal 3 16 29 are blinded to the fact that there is also an earthly seed which tl}rough christ shall inherit earthly good things of divine favor and bl used also in blessing all the families of the parth ar earthly represl ntatives of the spiritual seed i iraei during this gorpi i ag-e the elect church is constituted the seed by being joined to christ jesus as his bride or joint-l1pir during the npxt age fleshly israel will be favored ith tbe opportnnity to be the first-born of the children of chri it-who as the man christ jesus gave his human life for them and for all of adam s race and will give the lluman life thus purchased to all who will receive it by restitution under the new covenant to the jew first there is the best of reasons therefore for the holy spirit by the apostles not wholly appropriating the name israel to spiritual israel it will be wanted later on by the natural seed we do however find just what we should expect with a proper view before our minds namely the suggestion that the gospel church is the higher israel the spiritual which gets blessings which natural israel never possessed but which she was given the first opportunity to possess and failed to obtain through unbelief and lack of consecration see rom 11 7 9 31 32 for instance the apostle 1 cor 10 18 mentions the customs of the jews and calls them israel after the flesh which implies a spiritual israel or israel after the spirit especially when he draws a comparison as here between their customs and our higher more spiritual customs and arrangements again 2 cor 3:7 13-18 he refers to israel s law covenant and israel s mediator moses and the vail he put on to hide the glory and shows that those who are only fleshly israel are still hindered from seeing anything more than the vail the outward the ceremonial while we spiritual israel may see with open face the glory of the lord and be changed into the same glory as his joint-heirs nevertheless the apostle declares when it shall turn to the lord the vail shall be taken away from the eyes of israel after the flesh after spiritual israel has been selected and changed to the lord s glory again gal 6 16 the apostle evidently refers to spiritual israel when he speaks of the israel of god again eph 2 12 13 writing to the church concerning the time when they were gentiles he says at that time ye were without christ being aliens from the commonwealth of israel and strangers but now ye are made nigh by the blood of christ this means that by god s grace the middle wall of partition has been broken down and that the new creatures in christ are made sharer of those spiritual blessings and opportunities first offered to fleshly israel indeed that we get the choicest portion of blessing proffered to fleshly israel is clearly stated by the same writer rom 11:17-24 he describes our relationship to the promises under the illustration of an olive tree whose natural branches have been broken off and into which wild olive branches have been grafted and whose natural branches may yet later be reengrafted the gospel church as the engrafted branches are partaking of all the fat and richness of the root-the abrahamic promise evidently then these engrafted branches constitute spiritual israel besides have we not on a higher or spiritual plane all that israel after the flesh ever had they came under a covenant with god-the law covenant sealed with the blood of bulls and goats we come into covenant relationship to god under the new covenant sealed with the precious blood of christ they had a mediator between god and themmoses we have a better mediator between god and menthe man christ jesus who gave himself a ransom for all they had typical sacrifices for sins we have the better sacrifices the real efficacious sin-offering they had a priesthood under a high priest and holy places made with hands with their vails candlestick table of shew bread and a golden altar and incense and a mercy seat we have the realities therein typified for the fullness is of christ head and body the antitypical israel of god the royal priesthood the promised seed of abraham isaac and jacob we might multiply such proofs which clearly identify the true church as the higher or spiritual israel but more is unnecessary he that hath an ear to hear let him hear see june 15 1919 issue for critical examination of new covenant renewed devotedness come let u nnl our journey pursue roll round with ui vear and never ~tanl still tiii the ma~ter appear hi adorable will let us gladly fulfill and our tall nt improve r the patience of hope and the labor of love our life as a dream our time as a stream glides swiftly away and the fugitive moments we would not delay haste haste ye along dark moments be gone for the jubilee year rushes on to our view and its dawn is now here o at close of our day may each of us say i have fought my way through i haw finished the work thou didst give me to do a that each from his lord may receive the glad word well and faithfully done enter into my joy and sit down on my throne [2086 -charles lv esley.

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the standpoint of the future thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty they shall behold the land that is very far off lsa 33 17 it is always the part of wisdom to regard the present such a course of conduct is one squared by those prinfrom the standpoint of the future and to regulate the conciples of truth and righteousness to which ultimate victory duct of the present with a view to worthy future possiis assured through christ whose reign of righteousness will bilities any other conception of life or any other course fully establish them in the earth so that the will of god in life is unworthy of the dignity of man and dishonoring will then be done on earth as it is done in heaven such to his maker who endowed him with those mental qualities a man the prophet further assures us is fireproof even in of reason and judgment which if used place him far above this day of trial when the fire is trying every man s work the plane of a mere animal life of present gratification of what sort it is he shall dwell in the midst of the dethe beasts that perish may indeed properly live for the vouring fire and the lasting burnings of this day of wrath present only but not so man who was created in the image which shall burn until all opposition to god and his righteous of god and with the possibilities of eternal life and everway is consumed lsa 33 14 and not only shall these lasting bliss before him howbeit though that image was like the three hebrews in the fiery furnace come out of marred by the fall yet having been redeemed from the the flames without even the smell of fire upon them but they fall the full restoration of that image is made possible shall come out of every such fiery trial triumphantly he bv the assistance of divine grace and it is only in the shall dwell on high [in the place of divine favor his place endeavor in harmony with the divine directions to regain of defense shall be the strongholds of rocks [in the rock that image by daily overcoming sin that true manhood of ages bread shall be given him his waters shall be can be reasserted and maintained otherwise if any man sure for no good thing will god withhold from them persist in ignoring the future possibilities of worthy man· that walk upr,ightly even in this present life while the hood and like the beasts that perish live only for present tread this valley of humiliation and vale of tears vs 1 gratification then like the beasts he too will be esteemed psa 84 11 it is to these also that the words of our text are adof god unworthy of eternal existence and must die this dressed thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty they verdict however will not be passed upon any until divine love and mercy and discipline have utterly failed to imshall behold the land that is very far off the land that pi e upon the heart a true sense of the dignity of manis very far off is not visible to the natural eye but to the hood and the obligation of honoring god in rising to that eye of faith looking through the telescope of god s word dignity by his assisting grace it is a glorious vision there is the king in his beauty but here the question arises how far into the future reigning in power and great glory and with him all his shall we look to find the standpoint from which to view elect crowned at his side there is the happy condition and properly estimate the things of the present that brought about by the victory of truth and righteousness we answer must depend upon circumstances in some inwhen all tears are wiped away there the will of god is stan e we need to look only an instant ahead while in done on earth as it is done in heaven and peace and everothers a week or a year or a few years as indicated by lasting joy are upon all heads there the hitherto de~ert the time necessary to develop the project in infancy we earth blossoms as the rose for there is no more curse and learn by experience to look just a short distance ahead there the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and a reasoning that it is best not to put the hand into the fire little child shall lead them and there shall be nothing to because the fire will surely burn again as it did yesterday hurt nor to offend in all that holy kingdom isa 11 9 that tins or that disobedience will bring the censure of oh what a vision of rest and peace of glory and blessparents or teachers while the opposite will bring approval ing of joyful fellowship of deathless love of unsullied purity and by and by childish plans are formed and carried forand unending bliss who but those who have caught a ward with a view to anticipated results in the near fuglimpse of its glory can estimate its power to inspire to ture in maturer ;rears wider plans are formed with a view holy zeal to earnest endeavor and to patient endurance of to desirable results a few years hence as for instance all the losses and crosses of tlle path of discipline that leads plans for fame or fortune or for the good of others-the to it it is no matter of surprise that not all who name training up of children to noble manhood and womanhood the name of christ are filled with the inspiration of this etc blessed vision for but few even of those who theoretically in all this there is a measure of wisdom but the man know these things really behold the vision and by faith whose thought and planning either for himself or others realize that they have a place in it only those who do the is based upon the standpoint of the future of this life only will of god can thus know of the doctrine-as a guide and is not a wise man in god s estimation however wise he inspiration to the perfecting of holiness in the fear of the may appear in the eyes of his fellowmen as it is written lord only such can really see afar off with a realizing the wisdom of this world is foolishness with god 1 sense that what god hath spoked he is abundantly able also cor 3 19 it is not therefore the standpoint of the to perform only such can have the inspiration of such a future of this life only that should be a criterion of present faith if thou art a faithful doer of the word of god and valuation with those who would be truly wise but the standnot a hearer only then even now thine eyes of faith shall point of a possible destiny in the life which is to come catch the inspiration of the glory to be revealed and thy and which may be eternal if we so wisely and prudently steps shall be quickened in the paths of righteousness conduct ourselves as to prove worthy of eternal life it is the apostle peter reiterates the same truth in a negato the future standpoint of a possible eternal life and tive form when after enumerating the virtues of the truly blessedness and to the glorious consummation of the divine righteous character he adds but he that lacketh these plan that the scriptures invite the attention of all the peothings is blind and cannot see afar off 2 pet 1 8 that pie of god ve are shown that god has a wise and is he cannot see them as an inspiring and impelling power benevolent plan for all his creatures both in heaven and though he may know of them theoretically and hold the in earth that the plan is wide and deep requiring ages truth even in unrighteousness rom 1 18 it is only for its fulfilment that the victory of that plan is assured those who truly love righteousness and whose daily walk and that it will culminate in that glorious victory at the end conversation are therefore in harmony with the principles of of christ s millennial reign and that its victory will be righteousness who can be in any measure inspired with the the victory of truth and righteousness vision of faith of the ultimate victory of truth and righteousthe truly wise man is the man who takes all this into ness and its firm establishment in all the earth who is so blind to the glories of righteousness as the man ho is out of account accepting by faith all of the divine revelation concerning it who in this faith makes and pursues all his harmony with any of its principles can he who glories in plans both for himself and others with the ends of ulti oppression rejoice in the assurance that the oppressor shall mate victory and eternal life in view and who therefore cease and that the gain of oppression shall perish can he seeks daily to become more and more established and con who despi8es the truth rejoice in the promise that the knowlerlge of the truth shall fill the whole earth as the waters cover firmed in righteousness such a man the prophet isaiah describes as one that the sea can he who hates his brother rejoice in the assur walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly that de8piseth ance t~at n.one shall have eternal life save those in whose the gain of oppression [refusing to be profited by any unhearts is written the law of love no to thus by faith behold ricrhteous scheme that shaketh his hands from holding afar off the blessed land of rest and peace all radiant with the ol bribes [that cannot by any consideration be bribed to glory of the king in his beauty rev 21:11 23·25 22:4,5 do evil that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood [from the heart mu8t be in sympathy with that glory and that any scheme of oppression that would cau~e a brother s blood beauty of holine~s no matter how much we may know about to cry unto god for vengeance and shutteth his eyes from it we cannot thus see it unless as both the prophet and the seein/r evil rfrom beholrling evil approvingly or with quiet apostle assure us we are lovers of righteousness-do rs of the word and not hearers only acquiescence lsa 33 15 9-11 l2087]

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11-12 zion s watch tower allegheny p there is a note of solemn warning in these words of the apostle which all would do well to carefully consider for not onl does he aflirm that the one lacking righteousness cannot see afar off but he further states that he is blindblind even to things near as well as afar off a little reflection will i-how how very true this is for there is a philosophy in the oun,e of hfe which constantly tends either toward ultimate perfection or toward ultimate degradation and ruin according as the ways of righteousness or sin are pursued the two prineiples good and evil tend to exactly lppo~ite results and their opposite fruits mature on the philo ophi ul principles of cause and effect consequently .is the postle declares only a blind man-a man mentally hlinde

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j nuary i 1897 zion s watch tower 13-14 in the surrounding nations dispersed amongst the gentiles where they were engaged in business was much greater than the number who permanently resided in palestine yet there was amongst them a reverence for the holy land and the law and the latter commanded an assembling at least representatively at the passover or at pentecost in consequence great numbers came to jerusalem from the surrounding countries as representatives of families and communities to bear tithes and to offer prayers and ~acrifices at the temple on these occasions from a census taken in the time of nero more than 2,700,000 were gathered at the passover and still greater numbers came to pentecost the larger numbers in attendance at pentecost was doubtless because this feast came in the summer these gathered multitudes were not drawn from idle curiosity but were devout men the countries from which many of them came are mentioned and include a radius of several hundred miles and the most enlightened portions of the world at that time although greek was the ruling language of that period in official matters and amongst the learned the majority of the people evidently understood little more than their native tongues and dialects nor did the character of the worship at .terusalem make it necessary that they should be very ftupnt in one language they came together to worship and to present offerings rather than to hear preaching yet doubtless the lord s arrangement through moses with referellce to this feast had in view the very opportunities for publishing the good tidings recorded in this lesson the miracle of speaking various tongues was appreciated by some at least of these representatives of true religion throughout the world and the testimony of the apostles heard there was no doubt carried to every quarter if not in sufficient power to convert to christ at least in sufficient measure to prepare the way in some degree for the message which was to be carried throughout the world by the apostles and believers in general who subsequently as a result of persecution in jerusalem were scattered also and went everywhere preaching the gospel 12 13 although the people mentioned were religious devout men it does not appear that the miracle of the apostles speaking in various languages did more at first than to excite curiosity in some while with others it was attributed to an evil influence intoxication thus f atan who endeavored to calumniate our lord as a wine bibber and possessed of beelzebub the prince of demons would now fain hinder the people from hearing the message of the gospel preached with the power of the holy spirit sent rlown from heaven and accompanied with wonderful manifestations then as now god s people wpre traduced by devollt mpn pentecostal preaching jan 17 aets 2:32-47 the promise is unto you and unto your children and to all that are afar off acts 2 :39 notice this positive statement by the apostle that the bethe major portion of the new testament consists of written addresses to the lord s people and each epistle shows loved prophet david is not in heaven so used are they to great order and ability in presenting truth logically and thinking of all the prophets as being now in heaven instead forcefully the book of acts however contains records of of remembering as is clearly pointed out in heb 11 :39 40 that they without us should not be made perfect that several preached discourses amongst which none are more interesting than the one now before us for consideration the ancient worthies will not receive the blessings which god apparently the eleven apostles had been talking to little has provided for them and intends to bestow upon them groups of people here and there as they came together after until first the church the bride the body of christ has hearing of the miraculous manifestation of divine power in been perfected with her lord at his second advent whether the the character of this discourse by the apostle peter is connpction with the pentecostal blessing apostles spoke each in a distinctly separate dialect and were not only worthy of notice and remembrance but worthy of heard by different groups of different tongues or whether imitation by all who would preach the true gospel with they spoke in one tongue and were miraculously heard and power his discourse was not to the effect that this maniunderstood in different tongues by their different hearers festation of power was the second coming of christ and the we are not informed but the miracle would be about equally establishment of his kingdom and glory but to the very great either way and the result the same after being contrary of this he shows from david s prophecy that jecharged with intoxication peter seems to have become the hovah said to christ david s lord and master sit thou main spokesman and lifted up his voice and thus changed on my right hand [that is occupy the chief place of my the matter from private conversations by a number to a favor and power until i make thy foes thy footstool this implies that the heavenly father has engaged to honor public discourse by himself he protested not indignantly but mildly against the charge of drunkenness in very reathe son and to bring all things into subjection to him in sonable and logical form showing that it was too early in his discourse the apostle does not intimate that this has the morning to suppose the apostles to be drunken the already been accomplished and that all foes are overthrown third hour would be what we term nine o clock a m and but merely that the first step in this programme has been accomplished that christ had suffered that christ had bpen would imply that the disciples had met quite early in the upper room and that after the blessing they immediately raised from the dead that christ had been exalted to the improved the opportunity for letting the light shine out by right hand of power this he emphasizes by saying let all preaching the truth to the curious the hou ie of israel know assuredly that god hath maoe that peter immediately connected the outpouring of the holy same jesus whom ye have crucified both lord and messiah spirit with the prophecy of joel and connected this with peter s discourse was not about the stars nor about the our lord and his crucifixion and the prophecies concerning leaves nor about politics nor about finances nor about him pointing to his resurrection acts 2 15-32 eternal torment but about the great central features of the 32 33 after thus laying before them the basis of the gospel that messiah had corne had suffered the just for the gospel the death of christ he most forcefully announces unjust and had been glorified and was yet to be recognized that himself and all of the apostles were witnesses of the lord of all nor did he fail to point out the reo;ponsibilities fact that our lord jesus was not left in death but the of the jews before him as a part of the nation for the death father had raised him up to life and exalted him to his own of christ right hand upon this the only proper foundation of gospel 37-41 the effect of this preaching on a right theme hope and preaching the apostle proceeded to build the dis and in a direct and forceful manner was the conviction of course of this lesson and to account to the pe ople for the some of his hearers that if these things were true they were power of the holy spirit which they saw manifested under a responsibility and an inquiry as to what should be 34 35 realizing that his hearers did not understand their course we look with intense interest to see whether the prophecy which he had just quoted from the psalms or not the apostle advised them as some preachers of today psa l:8 peter proceeoed to prove to them that david would advise that they come to a mourners bench and pray could not have been speaking these words respecting himself and agonize and cry aloud to the lord to receive the m while but that his words were an inspired prophecy respecting the he and the apostles gather around them and sing hymns and re surre ction of our lord jesus from the dead in proof of pray also for them we find nothing of this kino nor do this he call1 d thl ir attention to what they would all very we find the apostle losing his sl nses and his arguml nt and reaoily admit namely that david was dead and in his logic in excited declamation without ml aning intended to sl pulcher that david was not rise n that david had not terrify the repentant ones on the contrary he procpeds bel n exalted and made to sit at goli s right hand and that in the same earnest logical manner as before to answer t1ll ir consequently someone else than david must have been meant questions and to inform them not that they nped to urge ann he proceeded to show that messiah was referred to by god to forgive them but on the contrary that god has the prophet already provided forgiveness in christ and is waiting and very many christian people are surprised when first they ready to receive them and that the proper steps for them [2089]

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<15-16 zion s watch tower au.egheny pa to take are 1 repentance reformation of life the turning over of a new leaf and 2 that as repentant believers they be baptized in the name of jesus christ-thus consecrating themselves to him and to his service and outwardly and publicly acknowledging the same and he assures them that upon so doing they shall receive the gift of the holy spirit also he point out that the promise of the holy spirit included them as israelites and that the lord had specially called them through the hearing and understanding of the truth that they might become heirs of these promises and recipients of this seal of acceptance the astounding fact that three thousand were converted to the lord as the result of the apostle s clear presentation of the simple facts and how they fitted to the prophecies iii not to be accounted for by supposing that the holy spirit operated upon the hearers a well as upon the speaker for the holy spirit i never given to any except consecrated belie-l ers nor are we to suppose that the apostle spoke with such an intensity of power as would of itself have produced such results upon any congregation of hearers the explanation lies in the fact that hi hearers were specially devout men and the work of that day and of a succeeding period was merely the gathering of the ripe grains of wheat from that nation which had for over sixteen centuries been the recipients of divine favor with much advantage every way chiefly in that to them were committed the oracles of god the same apostle and the other apostles under the power of the same holy spirit and with probably increased natural ability in the handling of the sword of the f pi it the word of god did not subsequently succeed in accomplishing similar results so far as numbers were conc erned i t i worthy of note also that the holy spirit s method was not to send the apostles when imbued with power off to heathen lands to preach to those who had never heard of god but on the contrary divine providence so ordered matters as to gather some of the most worthy jews out of every nation under heaven to the apostles for the purpose of hearing and being blessed with the truth these strangers from various parts were all jews although their language differed because born in foreign parts furthermore it was not until about three and one-half years after this that the lord sent the good tidings beyond the jews to the gentiles-cornelius being the first gentile convert so we hold that the present harvest message is now sent primarily to the devout of christendom and we therefore seek and use the means provided for preaching to these first for the perfecting of the saints rather than neglect this work by going after those who can and will be so much more successfully reached in the millennium by the glorified church-the seed of abraham in which all the families of the earth shall be blessed 42-47 we cannot wonder that such a group of consecrated children of god after being illuminated with the holy spirit of promise felt an instinctive desire to be in each other s company nor can we wonder at the unselfish loving spirit manifested in the arrangement that they should have all things in common no such a course is only what would suggest itself to all true christians as a desirable one their zeal toward god is also attested by their application to the study of the doctrines of christ their daily prayers etc and this as verse 47 informs us resulted in attracting others of kindred spirit to the truth thus the lord added to the church daily such as should be saved such as were in a condition to be saved from the blindness of their nation compare rom 11 25 26 such as were the wheat ready to be separated from the chaff and gathered into the garner of the gospel age and away from the fire of trouble that presently came upon all the chaff of that nation luke 3:16 17 although the lord specially blessed this communistic arrangement in the beginning of the gospel age it was we believe for the purpose of drawing to the truth the unselfish lovers of righteousness and peace for the same reason he blessed the church at that time with peace and with favor with all the people after the communistic arrangement and the favor with the people had been permitted for a time and had accomplished their work of gathering certain characters to the church the lord broke up the arrangement entirely and scattered the church through persecution and disfavor with the people everywhere nor do we believe that it was ever the intention of the lord that his people should live in a communal manner during this gospel dispensation but on this subject we refer the reader to an article in our issue of sept 1 95 entitled they had all things in common encouraging letters we publish the following ab an evidence of the fact that the lord is pleased occasionally to grant physical healing probably as an indication of the approach of the times of restitution acts 3 19-21 the sister does not mention the tenor of her prayer but anticipating queries we would refer inquirers to the articles on prayer and faith healing in our issues of july 1 to sept 1 and suggest further that if in her place the strongest prayer we could offer consi»tent with our consecration of all to the lord would beto tell the lord 1 of our unbounded confidence in his ability to heal if he saw best so to do 2 of our desire to have his will done whether it be for our life or death our sickness or health 3 of our earnest desire to serve him and our determination to use whatever strength and health and ability he saw best to grant in his service-as called out of darkness into his marvelous light 4 there w ould rpst the case content whatever lot i see since tis my god that leadeth me others to the light i had often thought to devote my time and labor to the lord and his kingdom work and am longing to do so now if it be his will i thought of your tracts and especially of do you know i have delayed too long now god forgive me this sin i can offer something on good hopes as the lord has sent me a pension the time is at hand the kingdom is at the door 0 may i be found worthy to work for it and to enter into its glory is the prayer of your friend and servant in the lord mrs e s l indiana dear friends 1 have been in the valley of the shadow of death and my restoration to life and health is thought hy many to be little if anything short of a miracle having been crippled for over thirty years by spinal and sciatic rheumatism i had no hope of ever recovering and was tesigned to the lord s will in january 94 i fell on the icc rc snlting in concussion of the spine and fracture of the hip joint breaking two principal bones for three months j ao unahlc to move a fingpr friends sent me three of the beo;t surgeons they could find and all three agreed that it was nselesr pvpn to prescribe for me that recovery was itnpos ible finally when all looked for me to die at any ll1stant a poor old colored friend a christian woman said to mp you never tried doctor jesus he can cure you now pray with me and rejoice for we will be heard so we praypl and soon i noticed an improvement today i am not only bptter in health but i can walk better than in thirty years and all traees of myoid infirmity are gone vhile i lay helpless i thought how i would try to lead the following letter is from a quakeress or friend who had long followed the lord according to the light possessed but failed to recognize him as having bought us by the sacrifice of himself thank god she has found the only door the only way to god and has entered as a true sheep into the fold of the true shepherd alas how many excellent moral people blinded by the adversary fail to find the only gate to the true narrow way thank god the hour is near when all the blinded ones who are now feeling after god shall have the eyes of their understandings opened and shall find the way compare acts 17 :25-27 isa 29 18 42 16 but what shall we say to comfort or encourage those whose eyes have seen the love of god and of christ manifested in the ransom for all and whom the love of christ has not constrained to love in return nor to be his disciples ah theirs is a much more serious case and we know of nothing in god s word for their encouragement except it be the suggestion of beating with many stripes which may be understood to signify some hope of a blessing through tribulation if then properly exercised by it there is a good suggestion in the letter for some respecting the propriety and necessity of definitely accepting the lord by faith and of making a positive covenant with him upon the only terms full free unreserved joyful selfsurrender as preceding the evidences of full acceptance pennsylvania dear friend just a word to thank you for your letter and prayer which has not been altogether without answer [2090]

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january i 1897 zion s watch tower 16-19 and for the watch tower which came two or three days ago i think my error has been that i have taken the right of sonship too much as a matter of course instead of realizing that the disobedient child is not in the true sense a child of god from the condition of disobedience jesus has purchased me at the heaviest possible cost and i have been enjoying the redemption or the purchased blessings without rendering to him due gratitude in return i have not taken him into account as i ought by degrees it came to me that a definite act of faith was required of me i must cast myself unreservedly without doubt or fear upon jesus christ as a saviour and trust him for righteousness i winced at the thought of such a complete surrender but when jesus bent to ask me to give him my heart once for all and now i found there was no escape i was already a captive and that the sweetest possibility in all the world would be to be his prisoner bond-servant subject slave only to follow and serve him henceforth relying upon him alone for ability to do so and so once for all with bunyan s pilgrim i have dropped my burden at the foot of the cross now i go to my comparatively neglected bible having given myself once for all to a neglected saviour and if to be baptized into see baptism and its import discussed in our issue june 15 93 jesus christ is to be baptized into his sufferings and death,· i will choose these in preference to any present health or exemption from trial unless it be made very clear to me that i am to do otherwise i believe that the redemption gives us health sufficient to do all that the father expects of us and i will not ask for more very gratefully [that is a good point to keep in memory preservation of health and faculties is as truly to be esteemed providential as restoration when impaired although not generally so esteemed and afflictions physical 01 financial are sometimes blessings one of old wrote before i was afflicted i went astray another wrote my son despise not thou the chastening of the lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him for whom the lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth all of the saints sons receive some chastisements some in one way some in another some in ways that all can see some in ways that none but themselves know some learn the lessons slowly and some more rapidly but all have need of divine direction and correction unless disciplined and pruned they will not bear the fruits of the spirit in such profusion as the master seeks and unless fruitbearers they are cumberers of the vine and wiii be cut off editor vol xviii allegheny pa january 15 1897 no.2 view from the tower tendencies already noted toward a combination of religious sentiments in sympathy with political reform movements are step by step making headway preparing for the predicted poli tieo-religlous confederacy isa 8 12 these give evidence of four things i that the form of godline aufi outward ceremony flourish as the apostle predicted 2 tim 3.5 2 that personal vital godliness and clear appreciation of the divine mind are decreasing 3 that the nominal church contains so much of the world and its spirit as to he ready for the move 4 that the worldly while unconverted in the true sense are greatly influenced by respect fear and public sentiment and see no danger from the movement vi are far from claiming as many do that our day is witnessing a general decline of moral and religious sentiment on the contrary we hold that these sentiments are more general perhaps than ever before as witnessed by the philanthropies and charities of both public and private support and the increase of humane and kindly sentiment but we claim that while the civilized world is much brighter and better as a whole than it ever was because of the diffusion therein of the gospel light yet the mass of the church the light-bearers are declining in intelligent faith and zeal and approaching the worldly standard about as fast as the world has been approaching the christian standard so that the world and the nominal church have again come close together i-closer than at any time before during the present century so close that to many it appears that to fully install the millennium-the triumphal reign of the churchesonly the three following reforms are needed viz i insert the names of god and christ in the united states constitution 2 compel professing christians to take a more active part in politics form good citizejlship leagues etc and learn to outwit satan at his own game 3 by so doing obtain prestige and power enough to influence legislation to the enactment of stringent sunday laws which would at least make us look like a religious people also suppress the social evil and break up present rings or else convert them to the new religio-political program later on it will do to enforce religious worship and have the public servants attest their fidelity by attending in squads and in uniform .the appointing of obligatory fast days and thanksgiving days as is and has long been the case in countries thoroughly domi· nated by roman catholicism will follow later the next step would be to suppress all literature antagonistic to this union symbolically behead it rev 20 4-like john the baptist for pointing out the wrong of the professed bride of christ being united to the world then later when questions would arise as to what would constitute christian worship the supreme courts could be called upon to define more and more explicitly what is and what is not christian faith and worship such a reign of the churches will be but the counterpart to the reign of papacy during the dark ages except that it will be a more enlightened reign from the fact that general civilization has progressed and general intelligence will have some weight but that reign will be short worldliness being merely covered with a thin outward veneer of religion will speedily assert its true nature-selfishness envy malice hatred and strife but it will not be left thus to disintegrate its fall will be sudden it will be utterly disrnpted by the great earthquake rev 16 18 the revolt of the masses i?recipi tating the anarchy foretold in scripture in the midst of which the dominions of this world shall pass into the hands of the true kingdom of god when the true millennial reign will begin the fact is that the faith of the church has always been the most pure and fervent when under opposition and even persecution from the world there can be no ground for union between the church and the world except as the church wholly or in part loses sight of or abandons the divine program our lord s example and precepts are applicable to all of his followerr yet and will continue to be so until the present evil world shall give place to the world to come and its messianic kingdom our lord declared ye are not of the world i have chosen you out of the world marvel not if the world hate you ye know that it hated me before it hated you if ye were of the world the world would love its own the present effort to unite the church and the world more closely like the successful efforts of the past is only a trap and a snare by which the great adversary would divert attention from the true work of the church-her self purification and separatiun from the world by which her light would shine upon the world with greater clearness convincing of sin of righteousness and of a coming judgment but as in the past a falling away of the majority into worldliness served to separate the lord s jewels so now such a separation is in progress and it is for this jewel class that god is supplying the light of present truth;clearer light on the ransom and its present and future results on the royal priesthood and its present sacrificing and future glory on covenants and their fulfillment on the kingdom now in embryo suffering violence and by alld by in glory and power the blessing of all the families of the earth on the fulfillment of prophecies which prove that we are in the harvest of this age and that the great reaper is present gathering together his elect his jewels the champions of church and state have been rejoicing considerably over two incidents which they consider favorable to their cause i a supreme court decision which although indirect can be and no doubt later on will be construed to signify that the united states government is in some sense are· ligious a christian government and become a basis for ch.risttan laws and regulations and not merely lans of justice all should know how many narrow meanings have been given to the term christian regulation by various well· meaning but grossly deceived parties in the past 2 president cleveland in his last thanksgiving-day proclamation departed from all past usage by mentioning [2091]

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20-22 zion s watch tower ali.egheny pa in it the name of christ and what might be construed as partisan politics in the suggestion of thankfulness that the silver party had failed to carry the election his example was followed by the governors of several states in their proclamations there is nothing in the constitution giving any authority for such proclamations they are therefore merely suggestions j and in making the sugge8tions all previous presidents have whollr separated politics and in consideration of the fact that millions of citizens including jews infldels and skeptics do not acknowledge christ have merely suggested that thanks be rendered to almighty god for his blessings etc the framers of the national government were not devoid of religious sentiment but they were logical when they said who does not see that the same authority that can set up the christian religion over all other religions can with the same ease set up some particular sect of christians in exclusion of all other sects 1 acting upon this thought they sought to found a government of the people entirely free from religious bias under which every citizen and stranger shall have liberty to worship god or not to worship him according to his own conscience so intelligent a journal as the independent proves the wisdom of the foregoing for while defending president cleveland s proclamation it 8ays suppose the president had been a roman catholic and referred to the invocation of mary as a mediatrix he would have made a mistake because the prevailing sentiment of the land would be against him the intimation is that so broadminded a man as the editor of the independent would be inclined to allow the majority to rule the minority chpeeially if he wer on the side of the majority indeed the unitl d state constitutkn seems to us almost miraculous we believe that goll must have providentially guided in its preparation-so remarkably docs it guard religious liberty even againrt the will of a majority and that in a land where majorities rule in general matters considerable opporition was aroused by these two evidences of religio-political f omhination as well as considerable approval but the ma bes of the people are apathetic and care little one way or thc other and do not see the danger in answer to critici lllr the clcveland plain dealer seems to suggest an amendment to the constitution establishing rules to be drafted hy cxperts for such of f asions as thanksgiving-day proclamations the reform burpau f ommpnting l pprcciatively on the proclamation says thus at last we have a proclamation in accord with the supreme court dictum this is a christian nation again in the washington evening star the same bureau says the thanksgiving proclamation is in this respect the first one that might not have bcen appropriately issued in china or among the choctaws or wherevcr a supreme being is rec ogllized thir is thc first prodamation in accord with the long list of hi~toric factr on the basis of which the supreme court said on feb 29 h2 in a unanimous opinion trinity church case this is a christian nation this proc lamation with the hurial of the spoils system and the arhitration trcaty will make this administration distinguished in history ahoy any other since the war on the other !lide we quote from the ohicago israelite as follows between undue sensitiveness and a just appreciation of insult and rightful apprehemdon of encroachments upon libcrty there are great differences no one familiar with the systematized efforts of thc numerous christian organizations to obtain recognition of christ in the constitution of the tendency of the decision of the united states supreme court that this is a christian nation and of the natural resulte which must follow upon the arre t and conviction of seventhday adventists in various states of the union can view with indiffcrence president clpveland s departure from the prece ,lents of all the presidents who have gone before him mr cleveland has donc what no previous president has ever dreamed of doing what all have taken pains to avoid lloing thpre is an untiring effort being made to turn this country into a chrihtian state and to place on a footing of tolera· tion only all those who do not profess the christian religion thc danger of thc cventual success of this scheme is much greater than many arc inc lined to believe eternal vigilance i the price of liberty and it behooves every lover of freedom to hc on his guard against its foes and more especially againht such an evident attack as is made in president clevehl-nll s ml ssage whether it was intended or not tho~p who itsp thpir pyps t the strength of thp move ment which has for its aim the christianization of our country and the consequent death blow to all of its boasted free· dom either know little of what is going on or sadly underestimate the number and influence of those engaged in this revolutionary and retrogressive movement ignorance and indifference only can account for the tendency to make little of president cleveland s breach of the unwritten law which has hitherto been held sacred · · · · those who are inclined to underestimate the influence of his action will have a chance to estimate it at its true value when the jubilations of christianizing elements have had time to make themselves heard that they will be heard in tones unmistakably loud onl those who know nothing of the fight being made can doubt the desire to rule others and to compel obedience is very strong in some people tm ohristian standard for instance is urging a rigid religious observance of thanksgiving day and would like to have all religious people oppose football and other recreative games on that day the christian endeavor society wants to make its mark also and proposes another holy day it proposes to give to washington s birthday a religious tone the christian endeavorer says many christian endeavor societies last year utilized washington s birthday for christian citizenship day the found this plan to be helpful to the cause of christian citizenship · · · · as washington was distinctly a christian citizen and showed his loyalty to his divine master on every occasion there is every reason why the celebration of his birthday should have a religious tone to it it says that about six hundred c e societies will follow the plan this year it is proposed to make it general at the next convention it will not be long probably until those who hold aloof from thes church and world combination schemes will be esteemed rpligious anarchists all this is of a piece with rome s saint days only modified to suit our times · · advocating sunday observance before the iowa sabbath rescue state convention rev e l eaton gave the keynote of the present movem~nt when he said we want to toulh legislation we want to go over yonder into that capitol building and sit there among the law makers with as much serenity and with as much right as do hie lobbyists of the great corporations we want to put our finger on the moral pulse of the legislature until they feel the power of our influence to the extent that they dare not refuse our demands he added that catholics lutherans and all other protestants could as brothers work together in a great cause that is worthy of their effort as usual false doc trine ignorance of and opposition to the divine plan expressed iii the word lies at the foundation of these well-meant but really evil movements let all who can read the signs of the times draw specially near to the lord and hib word and seek the more grace and wisdom to walk circumspectly and to labor while it is called day before the night shall close fjur opportunities and indicate that the gathering of the elect is c omplete · · the evangelical alliance has taken a specially active part in christian union efforts of late it is worth while remembering t.hat in this association dirt ctly the union movement took its start in the formation of thp image as marked in prophecy in 1846 a d it is altogether probable that it will also play an important role in connection with its receiving life rev 13 15 · · a remarkable sensation was created in london recently in connection with the public consecration of re v dr temple as archbishop of canterbury primate of the church of england and next to the queen the head of that church as the ceremonies which took place in the church of saint mary le bow commenced the rev edward brownjohn of bath arose and solemnly and earnestly protested against the consecration on the ground that rev dr temple was a confessed believer in the full doctrine of evolution a doctrine incompatible not only with the bible but also with the book of common prayer and articles of religion of the church of england the queen s commissioners refused to entertain the protest of one man and considering that they had the backing of practically the entire church of england in favor of evolution and the queen s choice of primate the ceremony proceeded this was on dec 22 96 on jan 8 the archbishop was enthroned as the following dispatch describes · · [2092]

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january is 1897 zion s watch tower fls-23 the mandate for the enthronement was presented by the vicar-general to the chapter of canterbury in the treasury aftt r this ceremony the chapter proceeded to the deanery and conducted the archbishop to the great west door the procession was then formed the archbishop was attired in full archepiscopal robes his long scarlet train being borne by two boys king s scholars of the cathedral school they wore according to immemorial custom surplices of pure white linen yellow sandals and little purple caps there was a dramatic incident as the archbishop was traversing the nave 8>t the end of the procession a voice shouted loudly the whole proceedings are a fraud the interruption came from an elderly gentleman of clerical appearance he was speedily and forcibly ejected amid considerable excitement the order of installation was read in latin and the archbishop was conducted to the marble chair accompanied by the archdeacons of canterbury the marble chair known when you get word that any of the pilgrim brethren are coming to your vicinity at a particular date you may expect them and prepare accordingly do not delay arrangements for meetings until their arrival else there will be little time left for meetinlrs for rarely do they remain over two days at one place the routes are arranged in the watch toweb office and the time apportioned according to circumstances and interest-sometimes but one day at a place these pilgrims are not slothful but fervent in spirit serving the as the patriarchal throne is said to have been used by st augustine and in it during many centuries the archbishops of canterbury have been enthroned the new archbishop of canterbury is one of the most advanced liberals among english churchmen he is a professed advocate of darwin s theory of evolution the reaction in the church of england against papacy is showing itself in an increased desire to form a universal l rotestant organization the bishop of salisbury at a public meeting recently said of the pope s recent deliverance which repudiated anglican orders and union it has set us free to do work which lies nearest hand without so much regard to ulterior consequences we are free to follow the path opened to us by a divine providence and to create an independent world-wide communion he suggests that the first step should be toward a union with presbyterians lord so arrange for two or three meetings each day as will suit yoor convenience improve such opportunities for having your friends and neighbors whom you have been trying to interest by conversations and reading matter hear a connected delineation of the plan of the ages from the chart of the ages we commend to you as a pdvilege the entertainment of these brethren of whose coming we send you notification heb 13 2 rom 12 4-18 but they do not take up collections expenses being provided from the tract fund traveling brethren on time christian fellowship he that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and i will love him and will manifest myself to him judas saith unto him not iscariot lord how is it t.hat thou wilt manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world jesus answered and said unto him if a man love me he will keep my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him john 14:21-23 in these words the people of god have set before them ments and its most careful expositions of the principles of the blessed privilege of intimate communion and fellowship righteousness and truth may avail little or nothing in the with our heavenly father and our lord jesus the privilege education and training of character therefore says the of a realization of the divine presence of which the world apostle we ought to give the more earnest heed to the cannot know and which realized is an earnest of our inherit things which we have heard lest at any time we should how shall we ance with christ beyond the vail of the flesh if we be one let them slip for · with christ here his faithfulness is our assurance that noth escape [the wrath of god if we neglect so great salvation ing can separate us from him now or when we shall have the salvation which comes only through faith and obedience finished our course and proved our faithfulness even unto to the word of the lord diligently laid up in our hearts and death who says paul shall separate us from the love its principles carefully and prayerfully wrought out in our of christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or lives heb 2:1-3 the promise of the divine favor and famine or nakedness or peril or sword nay in blessing is not to the forgetful listless hearers who fail to all these things we are more than conquerors through him apply their hearts unto instruction but to the attentive hearthat loved us for neither death nor life nor ers and faithful doers of the vord james 1:25 angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor it is not enough therefore that we have read the word thing s to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature of god and gained a general knowledge of its principles and shall be able to separate us from the love of god which is in precepts and the plan and purpose of our god there is yet christ jesus our lord rom 8 :35-39 more much more to be learned and done there must be this is the blessed assurance of faith that springs spon a daily laying up of its treasures of wisdom and counsel in taneously from the realization of a present and vital union the heart and the working out of its principles in the life with christ such fellowship and intimate communion should thy words were found and i did eat them said one of the therefore be the longing desire of every child of god whose saints of old and thy word was unto me the joy ana rejoicprayer and constant attitude of heart should be ing of my heart jer 15 16 so must we also feed upon 0 god this is my plea whate er the prooess be them in our hearts this lov to know moses addressing the typical people of god shows with it is only in heart-to-heart fellowship that we become what carefulness god would have all his people regard his truly acquainted with another and only so can we realize testimonies saying ye shall lay up these my words in your the depth and sweetness of divine love but the conditions heart and in your soul and bind them for a sign upon your of this fellowship the process by which we may come to hand that they may be as frontlets between your eyes and really know him in whose favor is life and his dear son ye shall teach them to your children speaking of them when our redeemer and lord must not be overlooked the condi thou sittest in thine house and wht n thou walkest by the tions are that we have and keep the divine commandments way when thou liest down and when thou risest up and the having and keeping of the commandments our obedience thou shalt write them upon the doorposts of thine house and to the heavenly wisdom constitute the proof of our love to upon thy gates deut ii 18-20 joshua also said to them god thus also is proved our love of righteousness for the this book of the law shall not de:part out of thy mouth law of god is the law of righteousness commending itself to but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou the highest moral instincts of our nature to the soul there mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein fore that loves righteousness the commandments of the lord -josh 1:8 are not grievous i john 5:3 for they are the expression again we read prov 7:1-3 my son keep my words of the most exalted virtue the noblest benevolence the purest and lay up my commandments with thee keep my omlove and all the beauties of holiness mandments and live and my law as the apple of thinp pye in the inspired words of the lord and the apostles and bind them upon thy fingers write them upon the table of prophets we have the divine will expressed foxplained illus thint heart trated and enforced line upon line and precept upon precept it i l those who thus carefully lay up tht treasures of and yet with all this teaching it is possible even for the divine wisdom that they may in aepa and in truth live by consecrated peoplt of god to be forgetful hearers and readers them that truly keep the commandments of god it is very of the word so that its most explicit directions for daily manifpst that our lord would have us apply not only our living its most faithful warnings ag-ainst snares ana best t headfl hut also our llt art l to the instru tions of hi lvotd [2093]

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24-25 zion s watch tower alughltlfy pa prov 23 12 this implies the study of ourselves as well how absurd and ridiculous how mean and contemptible how as of the divine word that we may see just what portions vain and foolish and how effectually it impedes progress of the word apply to our individual present necessities we toward actual perfection no man can make commendable know that as members of the fallen race we are all afflicted progress toward perfection in any direction who does not with the malady of sin and though through faith in christ recognize his shortcomings if we say we see our blindness our redeemer we are freely forgiven and reckoned of god remains if we say we are wise our ignorance remains and as free from sin even this reckoned standing before god our f?lly is manifest to others while we glory in our shame through faith in chri~t s merit applied to us is accorded to -phil 3 18 19 us only in view of our hatred of sin our love of righteoussuch is the spirit of this world it is blind to the highest ness and our earnest heart·desire to be pure and holy it interests and noblest ends of life it intoxicates the mind would indeed be a vain thing to trust for eternal life in the and heart and sends the man staggering along the downimputed righteousness of christ and at the same time to love ward way to destruction wise only in his own conceit against and continue in sin if any of the world of mankind do so in the intoxicating spirit of this world it is the duty of the the next age they will never reach perfection and eternal christian to set a vigilant guard he has covenanted to live life accepting first the favor of redemption through christ apart from the world with all its ambitions pride and vainthey must then work out their salvation by obedience and glory and apart too from its selfishness greed and strife persevering effort to eradicate sin and put on righteousness let us therefore be sober and watch unto prayer and let the same principle applies also to the church now on trial the burden of our prayer be cleanse thou me from secret we should ever bear in mind that justification through faith faults [show them to me that i may put them far from me in christ does not directly and beyond all peradventure keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins let them insure to the believer eternal life but it does secure that not have dominion over me search me 0 god and know legal standing before god upon which believers both of this my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there age and the next must work out their salvation with fear be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlastand trembling phil 2:12 ing psa 19:12-14 139:23,24 having by faith accepted this legal standing before god we need to know and clearly recognize our errors if we our subsequent ourse of life must make manifest our heartwould indeed be cleansed from every secret fault if there desires to be cleansed from all sin shall we continue in be any secret fault in us what though no human eye might sin that grace may abound 1 god forbid for if we continue detect it if we are indeed lovers of righteousness we will in sin the grace of god will not abound and if we give want the cleansing power of the word applied to take it up the struggle against sin and allow it to take possession of away remembering always that all things are naked and our mortal bodies the grace of god must eventually be opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do withdrawn heb 4 13 sin is a disease inherited from our fallen progenitors yes it is in the diagnosis of our case that we are most it affects one individual in one way and another in another likely to err and it is here that sobriety of mind and meekand even though through faith in christ we are reckoned ness are so much needed self-love does not like to admit of god as free from sin nevertheless the actual tendencies to the faults that are in us to particularize them and look them sin are still present with us like the children of israel we squarely in the face with the searchlight of god s word are led into canaan the rest of faith and of the divine clearly revealing them it is much more conducive to comfavor but we have still a great work to do in the way of placent ease of mind to generalize and to overlook particulars routing the enemies of righteousness long intrenched there -to say yes i know i am not perfect etc etc but it reand for this work both persevering effort and divine grace quires a great deal more of moral courage to say yes i see are needed while the precious blood of christ applied by now in the light of god s word that i have been selfish or faith is the great atoning remedy for sin whereby we are unkind or unfaithful to my obligations or whatever the fault justified to life the only restorative remedies are in the law may be it requires meekness humility to admit these and testimonies of the word of the lord all which would things even to one s self and still more to confess them to however be unavailing except as supplementary to the great those who have been injured or grieved by them yet how atoning remedy and these must be carefully and prayerfully necessary are the recognition and the confession-the proper sought out and applied with persevering effort for our cleans diagnosis of the case-to the healing confess your faults ing and healing to this end it is important also to rememone to another and pray one for another says the apostle ber that a correct diagnosis of our case is one of the first james that ye may be healed jas 5:16 the recogni essentials to a cure but who is sufficient for this 1 who tion and the confession as well as the prayer are thus seen can understand his errors 1 who is able to look into his own to be very important in order that the heart may be in the character and without prejudice to mark its defects surely proper attitude to receive an answer to the prayer none who are intoxicated with the spirit of the world with careful reflection will show at once how necessary to the pride or selfishness or vain glory cure is a correct diagnosis for instance suppose a case of it is for this reason that the apostle paul counsels sobriety extreme selfishness for a time it moves along and prospers and humility saying for i say through the grace given and the disease grows worse and worse until by and by some unto me to every man that is among you not to think of of its bitter fruits begin to appear now if the patient fails himself more highly than he ought to think but to think to discern or admit the selfishness he may regard the bitter 8oberly rom 12 3 fruits of it not as the penalty for wrong-doing but as sufferings for righteousness sake and with this incorrect diaga sober estimate of self is a humiliating not an exalting exercise yet it is healthful and beneficial it reminds us nosis he may come to the word of god and take away the continually that we are men of like passions with other wrong remedy if he should go at all he will probably look for words of consolation designed for those only who are men and thus enables us not only to strive a,gainst our own wcaknpsses and besetments but also to sympathize with those truly suffering for righteousness sake and that will not of others and to bear with them as we wish them to bear help his selfishness but will make it worse he will go on with us it makes us continually to realize that our fallen cultivating the selfishness and take comfort in the promises nature gravitates toward sin and that we must resolutely that are not his whereas if he realized and admitted the fit rive against it or else float with its downward current to selfishness he would be considering the warnings against it destruction and praying for grace to overcome it he would be acknowl· edging it to those concerned and endeavoring to make amends a sobpr estimate will remind us too of our mental infirmities for however favorably we may compare with some for it and in so doing its bitter fruits would begin to wither other members of the dying race about us we are very imbethe peace of god would come into his heart his heart would cile as compared with human perfection how slowly and enlarge and the love of god and of his fellow-men would la boriously does the mind act how dull are the perceptive begin to fill it faculties how inert the reasoning powers how unskilled the this is what it means to keep the lord s commandments judgment how feebly we discern the great principles of and to apply our hearts unto instruction it means not self· truth and how stupidly we go about applying them how gratification but self-abnegation and self-purification it repeated are our blunders and failures and how tedious and means that in meekness and humility we must deny ourslow our progress surely no man however favorably he selves and take up our cross daily and follow christ this may eompare with some of his fellows has anything whereof is the narrow way walk ye in it there is no other way to to boast in a ober estimate either of his mental or his moral life and certainly no other way to the kingdom than the capacity or development as compared with the standard of way of righteousness humility and true holiness and of faith perfection in the lord jesus christ whose abundant merit applied by in a sober estimate of character how painfully manifest faith will make up for all our deficiencies that are not wilful are those overestimates of pride and vainglory which are due it is those who walk this narrow way that may even now to the intoxicating spirit of the world how unlovely it is enjoy the sweets of fellowship with the father anti our lord 2094]

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january is 1897 zion s watch tower 25-26 jesus and with all who are led of the spirit of god let as many therefore as would follow on to know the lord whom to know is life eternal studiously apply their hearts unto instruction and in meekness and humility receive the ingrafted word and let it do its purifying work hear the exhortation submit yourselves therefore to god resist the devil and he will flee from you draw nigh to god and he will draw nigh to you cleanse your hands ye sinners and purify.y0ur hearts ye double-minded · humble yourselves in the sight of the lord and he shall lift you up -james 4:7-10 paul speaks of the great profit to the corinthian church of their humble recognition of and godly sorrow for sin saying now i rejoice that ye sorrowed to repent ance for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation · · for behold this selfsame thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of yourselves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire yea what zeal yea what revenge [against the evil in all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter 2 cor 7 :9-11 such are the results of sober self-examination in the spirit of meekness and prayer and with a view to cleansing our hearts and minds from all the defilements of sin both small and great 0 lord keep thy servants in the way of thy commandments in meekness and soberness and let the rich reward of divine fellowship be ours both here and hereafter mrs m f russell the lame man healed jan 24 acts 3 1-16 his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong the stirring scenes of the day of pentecost were past and helpful manner this is our duty as children of god and this lesson introduces us to another notable discourse by 8-10 it is very evident that the poor cripple was not the apostle peter delivered probably not long after the day an impostor for such a one instead of leaping about and of pentecost in company with the apostle john they had enjoying his blessing and praising god would have regretted gone up to the temple at the hour of prayer the clear intiany circumstance which would deprive him of the opportunity mation is that the apostles were praying men and that under for preying upon the sympathies of the people in order to the leading of the holy spirit they were guided in their minis· avoid working for a living trations of the truths connected with the new dispensation 11 12 we may reasonably suppose that the goin of to the praying jews devout people rather than to the peter at this particular time to the temple was of premeditagodless and so it is with the true gospel ever since there tion we may suppose that he had been ther frequently is a messag-e or a call to repentance which is applicable to before and that frequently before he as well as the others every member of the human family but the special message who attended at the temple ilad seen this same cripple if of the gm pel is not to the unregenerate but to the repentant peter did not plan this particular visit and healing we may to the forgiven to the reconciled the jews who assembled reasonably suppose that the holy spirit planned and directed to worship the lord at the temple were of course not beit for him at all events the whole matter was very successful in that it drew the attention of the most devout prayerful hevers in the lord jesus christ and therefore were not justified by faith in his blood but under their jewish covenant jews to the gospel of christ the apostle peter was quick the law eovl nant and by ml ans of its typical sacrifices they to use any and evp-ry opportunity to tell the good tidings were up to thifl time typically justified as a reople and the he began by modestly aflsuring the people that it was nothing grace of god was ofterl d to them from that standpoint they wonderful in john and himsclf that had produced the mirwere nnt trl ated as strangers aliens foreigners but as heirs acle and that the man was not cured either by their holiness of all the divine promises and blessings and as a people or by their power but by the power of the risen christ the jews eontinued to oeeupy this position for three and onejesus it is worthy of note that although in addressing the half year nfter our lord s crucifixion and their national reman peter exercised his own faith only yet now in speaking jeetion the lord s favor acl ording to promise continued of the matter he asflociates john with himself as a sharer in with them individually until the full end of their seventy whatever honor might belong to them as the instruments of weekq god how unselfish and how beautiful vhat a lesson is in this verse for all who attempt any serviee for the king 2 3 at that time hospitals homes for incurables blind asylums poor houses etl apparently were not thought of of kings how necessary that we should realize not only our and were not instituted as we have them today in civilized own insuffil ien y and nothingness in connection with the lands nor are they yet institutionr in the east thus public work of god but how proper that self sllould sink entirely alms-giving was probably l onsirlprl d a duty we might 11ere out of our thoughts and the glory all be given to him whose remark that in our judg-ment the course adopted by civilized right it is nations of taxing all propertv and wealth for the rearonable 13-15 the apostle s dirl ourse as narrated was a f hort and comfortable support of the incapables of society is emione hut well jirel ted and right to the point beginning with nently proper and should be so completely carried out as a statement by whil h his hearers would undf rstand him to be to make public begging unnecessary also a devout israelite he proreeded dir rtly to the point4-7 peter s statement would indicate that he at least christ a crueified and risf n saviour nor did he spare his was a wry poor man silver and gold have i none hearers but drove home the truth that the nation of israel although he raid look on 118 thus directing the cripple s were the real crueifiers of god s dear son l ven when a roman attention to the apo ltlf john as well as to himrelf yet governor found no fault in him and desired to set him at speaking of their financial condition he does not say silver liberty and gom have we none the fact is that there is good ye killed the prince of life what a thought they ground for supposing that the apostle john had some propall realized themrelves as death-condemned nnd dying creaerty we remember that our lord with his dying words tures they felt their need of life eternal life and harl i en commended his mothl r to the l are of ,john-possibly not praying for it and hoping that according to the divine promise merely because of his love for john and john s love for him it should come through messiah a saviour-a life-giver and but alro beeaufle john had some means wherewith to care now they were almost staggerpd by the apostle s words ye for mnry we rl membpr furthermore that the al count states killed the prince of life the life-giver it is presumed that john took mary into his own home john 19 :27 that our lord and the apostles spoke in the syrine language the aport1e peter seems to have exercised his individual and in thp syriac version of the nl w tpstament the word gift in the healing of the eripple such as i have give i life-giver is used where in the english the word saviour thee nevertheless it was not in his own name that the occurs the apostle must have strurk a very tender chord miracle was performed but properly all credit was /ziven to in the hopes and aspirationr of these devout prayerful ,tews the lord jesus this was evidently not a case of prayer we fancy them looking with incredulity and raying within cure for we have no record that the apostles prayed over themselves could it be possible that jesus of nazareth was the man nor that they anointed him with oil in the name indeed the messiah the life-giver of the i>ord it was on the contrary an exercise of the 16 while they were yet wondering on the subject the gift of healing which was then with the church for the inspired apostle quirkly drew their attention to the evidences purpose of introducing the apostles and the gospel which they before them in the healing of the cripple which attested the preached truth of his declaration that jesus was no longer dead but although fully conscioufl of the power of god operating risen here was just such a mirarle as those which he a few through him to perform the miracle peter apparently to months before had performed in their midflt it was another assist the exercise of faith on the part of the cripple stretched of jesus miracles the apostles themselves performing it in forth his hand and hlllped him to his feet thus illustrating his name and utterlv disclaiming any ability to do such the propriety of acting according to our faith and permitthings themselves · ting the influence of our faith to reach others in a natural 17 -21 thus pointing them to the fact that jesus was · see mili nnial dawn vol ii chap 3 still a living powerful sympathetic and gracious saviour [2095]

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27-28 zion}s watch tower allilchilny fa he urged them to repent assuring them that it was god s purpose to send great blessings through jesus and to send jesus himself back again a second time assuring them also that at his second coming there would be an abundance of such manifestations as these which they had just witnessed times of refreshing shah come from the presence of the lord and he shall send jesus christ which before was preached unto you whom the heavens must receive [retain until the times of restitution of all things which god hath spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began kote that the apostle bl gan by expressing confidence in the fathers and in israel s hope built upon jehovah s promise to them note also that after connecting those promises and hopes with christ and his sacrifice and linking it with the cure of the cripple he points them down to the millennial age as the grand consummation-time for all the blessings all the good things which god had t>romised by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began js it any wonder that such testimony-both reasonable and comprehensible-delivered to such devout israelites drawn to· gether by a desire to worship the lord resulted as it did in the conversion of about five thousand as in the case of those noted in our last lesson these were the wheat of that jewish age which the lord was gathering out preparatory to the blinding of all the remainder of that people for the period of the gospel age at the close of which their blindness will be turned away rom 11 :25 26 they had been with jesus jan 31 acts 4 1·14 there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be savell as the apostles were preaching christ taking for their have eveq reason to believe that the prcsent movement in text the manifestation of his power through peter in the favor of christian union will eventuate in such a combihealing of the impotent man at the temple gate beautiful nation of all the powerful and influential religious systems and while the devout worshipers heard them gladly and reo as to affect politics and laws and put into the hands of pentantly the theologians were disturbed it seemed mono theologians the power to head off the further advance of strous to them that any but themselves should undertake to divine truth and to stop the spirit-ordained ambassadors of teach the peopll and that the people were giving more interchrist from teaching the people advanced truths respecting ested attention to these laymen than they gave to them,the close of this and the dawn of the new dispensation the chief priests religious rulers and doctors of the law in arrogantly accustomed to overawing the common people this they but manifested the usual worldly spirit which in with their titles learning and authority the high priest and every religious system except the true one manifests special all the priestly family and the religious rulers and elders opposition to any light or teaching which does not emanate and learned scribes met as a court to hear to overawe to from those recognized as ordained teachers true these browbeat and to condemn peter and john for their temerity apostles were ordained by the very highest authority in the in attempting to teach the people universe-the spirit and power of god communicated by they were surprised when the two men whom they had christ but such ordination such authority to teach was not judged from their general manner dress etc to be un· recognized by those doctors of divinity who like their suclearned not theologians but of the common people adcessors to this day failed to recognize the ordinations of dressed them meekly simply yet with holy boldness concerngod and mercly recognize human authorizations to preach ing jesus of nazareth and his power to heal as much since not only were they envious that others than themselves his crucifixion and resurrection as before peter if speaking should have the ear of the people for religious instruction of himself might have been inclined to avoid mentioning the but they had listened sufficiently to the discourse themselves guilt of his hearers in connection with the crucifixion of our to ascertain that the apostles were really imparting to the lord but as a chosen vessel for this very purpose he was people some knowledge of spiritual things the people were sp~ially under the control of the holy spirit and although actually being taught and that upon subjects concerning in no bitter or acrimonious language he told his hearers the which they the recognized doctors of divinity and theology plain truth concerning their guilt as the crucifiers of jesus knew nothing and could teach nothing if therefore such and showed them from the prophets that they had set at teachings were permitted the worshipers would very soon naught the chief stone of the spiritual temple of god but know more than their religious rulers which would never do that nevertheless god had highly exalted him to be the head they were unable to teach the people themselves and were over the church which is his body-the spiritual templenot humble enough of heart to receive instruction and hence into which we as living stones are being built up were quite ready to be overcome by the spirit of envy hatred there is no ambiguity in preaching done thus under the and malice against those whom the lord had appointed and inspiration of the holy spirit it is direct to the point peter was using while passing them by they had power to stop did not say that jesus of nazareth was <»ie of the great the preaching aull to imprison the apostles and they did teachers of the world and as worthy to be heard as moses this same spirit was equally manifested and even more or confucius or others neither did he say it makes no difunrighteously by tho roman catholics during the dark ages ference whether you ever hear of the historic christ or not they not only imprif,oned but tortured and put to death those as some false teachers now declare peter s spirit-inspired who ventured to instruct the people in spiritual things withteachings were evidently not at all in harmony with what out their permi l lion ordination etc this same spirit was is known as the new theology nor with what is known as manif~sted to a considerable extent by the reformers also we the higher criticism nor with what is known as the broad are sorry to say calvin luther and numbers in authority theology espoused by the chicago parliament of religions in the episcopal church from the bixteenth to the eighteenth and advocated by many of the great theologians of our da centuries wpre similarly grieved with efforts to instruct the peter gave the message direct and with force there is people outside their own phannels and the same spirit to a none other name given under heaven or among men whereby considerable extent followed some who fled from perrecutions we must be saved in these words he told his learned hearin the mayflower to tljis free land we need not accuse any ers that there was no hope of salvation in moses and in the of these of intentional wrong they lived in a time when law any more than in the heathen systems of theologyreligion and politips were blended and they verily thought that knowledge of and faith in and obedience to christ was thpy did god servicl in opposing as they did that which they the only god appointed way of salvation l onsidl rl n to he · resy had they opposed the heresy with what could they say what could they do under such forpp of logi and rpriptun· lllerply and sought thus to vancircumstances they had utterly failed to overawe these 111i~h what thl y believ d to be errors with what they believed humble fishermen and instead had received a discourse from to hp truth they would not only have been worthy of apthem which was wholly unexpected under such conditions prova i hut also of admiration and they might have been they were not in the humble attitude of heart to be affected as were the three thousand who on the day of pentecost were ipd into tl truth hut their zeal misled them into the use pricked to the heart and converted nor were they of the of un ju t mpal1 and they more or less fought againrt god but he it jloh d all these improper efforts were unavailing to humble worshipful teachable spirit of the five thousand suppre tl truth an1 ml rply f,l rvpd to purify ann refine worshipers who had been converted by hearing the apostles the saints af gold tril d in the f1ll nace in the temple the day before they could do nothing but intelligence and iiherty during the last century have to a marvel but they took knowledge of the fact that the same large extent annulled the power of the spiritual rulers and meek and quiet spirit of jesus was in these his disciples unwillingly confined their opposition against advancing truth and the same powerful logic directness of discourse and to anathemas excommunications insinuations as to unorhumility of manner thodox and social ostracism and as each reform tew in so let it be with each of us the followers of jesus if strength and asserted itself these oppositions gradually died we have opportunity for testifying to his grace and gospel out as for in~tanee the opposition to the quakers to ]pt us not fear to declare the whole counsel of god but let baptists to discipli r and others but as we read the us not do it rudely nor unkindly but with the gentleness signs of the timer in the light of the divine revelation we and force which are of the spirit of the truth [2096]

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