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vol xxiii allegheny pa .januahy 1 ifo no.1 new year greetings we extend to our list of subscribers and to all friends of our cause all of whom we hope to have on our lists soon as per suggestion 3 in our dccemher 15th issue most hearty greet ings wishing you all a very happy and spiritually prosperous new year-lfj02 we trust that you were all greatly pleased with our report for last year its showing of a previous deficiency wiped out and a snug sum on hand wherewith to begin this year s operation are good cause for joy and for thankfulness to god the outlook for the present year you will be glad to learn seem to us very encouraging ye are expecting much and believe the lord s providences and his word justifv these expertations ve hope to prepare shortly an artide dealing further with the call of this gospel agp showing rome of our r f1roil for surmising that the next four years should quite douhle the pre~pnt numbprs of the interested and the present opprationr in thp service of the harvest message it will apppar a soon as possible and we beli ve will be convincing to all ve mention the matter now in ad ~tnce be aure we think that ~ome are slackening their effort l through a mistaken supposition that little more is to be done we hope to convince and revive them that they may renew their pfl orts in thp service and thus increase their joy and their usefulness we know not what is before us in the ypar dpar brethrennor do we need to know if we have committed our all for time and eternity to the lord s care let us assure our hearts afresh of divine wisdom and power as well as love resting confidently in the everlasting arms we may take whatever his providence may permit not only willingly but joyfully if the year shall bring us blessings prosperity and encouragement in spiritual matters we can while rejoicing lay by a rtore of grace for stormy times of trial later on if the year brings us sorrows physical or mental anguish ipt us receivp them with re 3ignation saying with the master th cup which my father hath poured for me shall i not drink it if dear brethren life s experiences are acceptpd with faith in the manner indicated we may rest assured that thi l will he not only a happy but a blessed year for us it is with ach to determine this for himself under the lord s grace faithful is he who hath called us let us be faithful views from the watch tower the twentieth century church an · orthodox view the rev haweis of st james church london england gives his views of this subject in the lonilon da71y ohronicle from which we extract the following intercsting items the only hope for the church of the twentieth century is that it should make a clean swepp of 1 o ve rs of theology and get back to christ we now know what this theology can do for us it has done a great deal for its rtatements at different times have approved themselves to different ages and been the vphicles of a certain amount of christian truth but as dpan milman said in his wise history of christianity theophilm of antioch who invented the doctrine of the trinity or at all pvents coined that theological word did not thereby very grnlt1y benefit the church the same mav be said of every other christian dogma it isn t that we rlon t hplieve the very important spiritual truths underlying evpry christian dogma but a form of expression of truth which is a living and a satisfal tory one to an age immeiliately bpl nmes false and dangerous when a better and a more complete expression is devised the need fob re-sta.tement the twentieth century church will insist upon re-statement on a large scale present theological text books are obsoipte they practically teach men and women infidelity the cimmerian darkness of sunday-school teaching must be abandoned the conrcientious agonies of devout sunday-school teachers mu~t bp relieved they don t bl lievp in the old hp11 themselves hut they have to teach it the children don t believe it but they have to put their hands behind their backs and tell the teachers these naughty lies every sunday the teacher does not believe in the bible in the way in which he is supposed to teach it no one believes it unless he is a fool or a brainless idot his creed in the same way as has been finely said merely stands sentinel over the heart to keep it empty i believe he says m the resurrpptlon of thl hody hi iloesn t nobody does but he is not allowed to tl al h in~tefl,l i believe in the survival of myself whil h was practil ally all those of old mpant by the phrase the survival of the elf being to them inconceivable apart from the resurrel tion of the body and so on ad infinitum our mistake is in prptenrlillg to believe obsolete statements which once expressed truth but which are now ~een to be defective we should discard them openly and plead for proper re-statements people now despise the clergy on account of the old rubhi~h they are not ashamed to teach the twentieth century will not tolerate them unless they mend their ways the twentieth century will go solid for fact in the shape of re tatement dear me people say the working man doesn t go to church how odd very much odder if he did the twentieth pentury will insist upon a clear statement of what we may call exact knowledge of god or the moral nature of the sovprei n will ruling the universe then the twentieth century will have to entirely change its attitude to the religions of the world and it will have to arlmit that god has always bepn revealing himself his will his purpose as fast as man coulrl reccive it anrl that the different rnd imperfect faiths anil creeds are the result of the obscured mediums of the intelligence and the undevploped spiritual faculties of man the un that always shines is seen through many diverse and distorting mediasmoked glass clouds or mere tiny cracks in a darkened room or again the prism sudset clouds or through folded lids of supplem~nt-3 [2929]

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4-5 zion}s watch tower alli!gh£ny pa closed eyes seen hardly at all but still the sun is always there the teachings of buddha zoroaster confucius moses by a certam moral and spiritual solidarity show that all religwns are of divine origin though christianity is the religion which belongs to the fulness of time missions and the christian life then all this will surely alter the twentieth century church s ideas of missions just think for a moment when missions were most active last century the universal belief was that all savages were doomed to everlasting fire with the abatement of that fear there will be a certain diminutlon of enthusiasm to break up the privacy of their lives we must distinguish between missions and missions there is an enormous difference between attackmg with the most mferior statements of christianity ancient civilizations and religious philosophies promulgated by some of the greatest and best men and deepest thinkers of antiquity and simply interposing in case of savages in order to prevent cannibalism and slaughter anything which stops that is on the face of it more than respectable although under the influence of clothes and the brandy bottle which seem to follow disastrously in the wake of the bible what we call the lower races show a tendency to improve themselves off the face of the earth the whole missionary method must be altered in the com· ing century the christian religion can only spread properly from the christian life-the lives of englishmen and englishwomen not merely from the christian dogma nor the christian machinery the christian calico or even the christian bayonet the only way for missions to be healthy is for the english people abroad so to improve their minds and intelligences as to make the natives come and implore them to reveal the secret of such marked superiailty and goodness which under their own faulty system they t!eem unable to attain the real christian influence should spread as christ spread his religion by enthusiasm for ameliorating the physical as well as the spiritual condition of the people these things must spread not by way of proselytism-plucking the brand from the burning which was the way of the inquisition true christianity is the unconseious outflow from a positive life let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works at present what they mostly see is a whirl of bibles beer brandy mutual jealousies shoddy stores and bad lives the twentieth century must change all that don t i think the clergy want educating in their own theology yes but the more you educate them on the present lines the worse they will be the proper education of the clergy would consist in teaching them to understand the real nature of the bible instead of only teaching them what various theologians in the past have thought about the bible which is a very different thing from what modern research has shown about its records and the value to be attached to them it is unfortunate that the chief doctrines of christianity as understood by the clergy should have been left out of the sermon on the mount the most perfect expression as some suppose of the christian religion it is also unfortunate to note that no one can read the closing chapters of st john without seeing that our loro can hardly be accounted quite sound on the doctrine of the trinity as it is stated in the athanasian formula the twentieth century will probably read the sermon on the mount again humanitarianism or pulpit interest in politics and sociology is a wholesome tendency as far as it goes because it shows the irresistible pressure put upon the clergy to make their moral instruction bear directly on affairs of practical life but it is dangerous as tending to confuse what is roughly called the secular with the spiritual you can t insist too much on the fact that culture is not religion religion always means one and the same thing-the sense of a spiritual nature -and dependence upon a spiritual sourcc external to ourselves i hope the twentieth century will develop both they run on parallel not antagonistic lines though it would not be fair to say they will never meet for there is moral and physical intercommunication between the two the church of the twentieth century will be deeply spiritual even spiritualistic i am sure in a very wide sense of the word spiritualism in all its many forms however people may dislike it does nevertheless stand as a stout protest on behalf of mau s spiritual nature and his spiritual affinities and the twentieth century church will have to look very largely to the recognition and development and purification of these spiritual manifestations and beliefs the early church acts 2:37-47 jan 19 tke lord added to tke okurch daily such u ahould be saved the meager outlines of the preaching on the day of penand prearranged plan-that it was necessary that messiah tecost afforded us by the extracts from peter s discourse indio should die as the redeemer of the people before he could decate simplicity wisdom and courage such as we should expect liver them fully he pointed out that although it was necesin those who were guided by the holy spirit the apostle first sary for christ to die nevertheless a heavy responsibility a took advantage of the charge of some that the speakers were curse hung over that nat!lon which had thus in its wickedintoxicated he showed the unreasonableness of the proposines of heart rejected and crucified god s son tion on the surface and then explained the true meaning of the word of truth as always was a savor of life unto life the phenomena referring his readers directly to joel s prophecy or death unto death 2 cor 2 16 to many the words were and upon the servants and the handmaids in those days i foolishness and had the death odor and they passed on but will pour out my spirit joel 2 :29 to those deeply interested ones who remained the apostle s it may be well to note in passing that joel s prophecy is a explanation of matters was forceful especially as he backed double one and that probably for the very purpose of hiding this up by quotations from the prophets showing that god had the truth until due it states matters in their reverse order foreknown the death of messiah and had foretold his resurreetelling first about the general blessing of the millennial age tion also and this miraculous outpouring of his spirit of which afterward and telling subsequently about the blessing of the they all were witnesses the record is that many of the heargospel age which is confined exclusively to god s servants and ers were pricked to the heart-conscience-smitten they noted handmaidens in those days during the gospel age prior the aptness of the apostle s quotations and their application to the general outpouring of the spirit which will follow the and the logic of his reasoning and doubtless in all these things establishment of the kingdom they remarked of the apostles what they had previously 1 1 having gotten the attention of his hearers many of whom marked of our lord-that the teaching was not like that of were believers in the prophets-and waiting for the consothe scribes and pharisees uncertain indefinite but with force lation of israel which they promised-the apostle proceeded with authority with distinctness with conviction of its truth to preach christ unto them he did not becloud his subject and after this same sort is all the preaching of god s true and confuse his hearers by saying you have heard of great servants done under the influence of the holy spirit it is philosophers and great teachers amongst the gentiles and as illuminating and not confusing error is never clear it is jews we have had some great prophets ourselves one of whom always confused and confusing clearness and simplicity on was jesus but he came directly to the point he wished to the contrary are marks of the truth for various reasons the impress and declared to tlle m that jesus the despised nazold old story which the apostles here preached is considerably an ne of whom doubtless the majority had heard something npglected in our day by professed ministers of the gospel of probably derogatory was indeed the messiah that though he christ one reason is that those who attempt to teach realize had died he had arisen and having arispn and ascended on their own confusion of thought and need first to be taught of high he had shed forth his power upon these speakers who god throngh his word by his holy spirit and through such were now his representatives and mouthpieces in the world to channels as the holy spirit may use in granting illumination declare his mercy neither fpar of rulprs nor shame in conof mind and appreciation of the word another rea on is that fessing the c l ucified one to he his j hster is the least apparent the nominal churches have in great measure ceased to believe in the apostle s language he fully identified himself with the the old old story and have accepted instead an evolution crucified one and as plainly declared that the rulers had been theory only to a small minority of christian people therewickedly and sinfully rcsponsible for his death in that they fore is the true gospel precious the majority more and more had incited the roman governor to its accomplishment he have itching ears for something new-a new gospel of educapointed out that this was no mischance but god s foreknown tion refinement and wealth 2 tim 4:3 4 [2930]

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january i 1902 zion s watch tower 5-6 as the apostle clinched one feature after another of his law cove.nant cludingtheir national sin .in the rejection of argument and showed how completely jesus had fulfilled the the ~iessiah lth these purged away with the symbolical declaration of the prophets in respect to his life his teachings vashmg they would be back to the standpoint of true israelites israelites indeed and a shch they would have everv his miracles his death his resurrection and the holy spirit now poured out upon his followers conviction of the truth was right and privilege belonging to the israelites but belonging forced upon the minds of many of the hearers and they cried to members of no other nation out men and brethren what shall we do is there any gentiles grafted in mercy for us seeing we are members of this nation whose the apostle pa~l explains this relationship rom 11 sayrulers have thus despised god s grace and crucified his son this was exactly the condition of heart which peter desired mg that the israelites were the natural branches in the olive to awaken he wisely realized that people must see the pro root of the abrahamic promise as branches already in that vision for their forgiveness and rescue before they will lay hold il oot they would not need to be grafted in as do we who by upon salvation he would not begin by tendering mercy but nature are gentiles they were already ill relationship to god by showing the right the truth and the wrong but now that and all that they needed to do was to repent of their sins and figuratively wash them away when they would be fully accepthis hearers were in the right condition of heart the apostle did able branches in the olive tree which would not be broken off not seek to terrify them but promptly told them of god s mercy and love assuring them that they were still his favored but on the contrary would receive now a special share in the people and that if they would come to the repentant condition pentecostal blessing subsequently when exhortin gentile of heart they would be accepted of the lord even as the other converts to baptism the apostle paul explained most clearly believers were already accepted and that they too would its difference from this baptism of .jews for the remi~sion of have the blessing of the holy spirit and its gifts there is a sins acts 19:1-6 he shows that our baptism signifies or pattern in this preaching which all of the lord s royal priest emblemizes our introduction into the body of christ as wild hood should take note of and practice as they have opportunity olive branches grafted into the approved stock to be partakers to dispense the good tidings instead of ranting they should of ti,e richne~s of the proml~es through the root rom 6 3-5 use logic reason and scriptural quotations and those con we should however remark that the .tew no longer holds this victed and seeking to know the way should not be terrorized same peculiar relationship so that if the apostle were adbut should be promptly assisted and guided in the lord s way dressing jews today we believe he would addrpss them exactly and assured of his mercy as he would address gentiles on this point of serking union the apostle was fully justified in teiling his hearers that with christ our reasons for so thinkin are that as the the promises were still theirs as a people for it was clearly j1afwnal favor to israel ended with the dpath of christ in the declared by the lord thro.ugh the prophet that christ should mid t of tlwir week of favor so the iiidivldual favor to the be cut oil in the midst of the seventieth symbolical week of jew above the gentile ceased with the breaking off of the natisrael s favor leaving one-half of that seventieth week viz ural olive branches during the remainino thirtv-three years of 3y2 years of special favor to israelites individually after their their harvest which ended with th de~tr~lction of their national favor had ceased dan 9 :25-27 matt 23 :37 38 polity a d 70 a natural branch once broken all could be rp~nitpd only by engrafting-in no way cljfferpntly from a wildgodly sorrow worketh repentance specifically peter s answer was that his conscience-stricken olive branch consequpntly any jew seeking to come into hearers should individually repent and be baptized he did not christ since the day of wrath upon his nation could come in make the mi take that some are inclined to make when only under the same terms and conditions as a gentile the apostle would have his hearers understand that the they suppose that sorrow for a wrong is repentance peter rejection of christ and his crucifixion did not end the mercy perceived that they already were sorry perplexed in their of god toward them these matters were merely steps in the hearts sonow is not repentance but as the apostle explains divine plan for the execution of divme mercy the promises godly sorrow lcadeth to repentance 2 cor 7 :9 10 repentance would he the proper fruitage or result of a proper wpre still theirs yea the would be for their children and sorrow repentanrc would mean a full retraction of all share ultimatelv for all mankinfl however far they might be from in the gleat national sin of israel the rejection and crucifixion god at that time but he intimates distinctly that a divine ejection is connected with the matter and that only those of messiah it would mean therefore an acceptance of jesus called of god could at present be expected to hear and to as the messiah and the confession of him as such and this respond and this we see about us today and as we look back in turn would mean that confessing him to be the son of god through the past as abraham sent his servant and invited they ould become fully submissive to his teachings become his disciples repentance therefore rightly understood meant rebekah to be the bride of his son isaac so th heavenly fathpr has sent hi servant the holy rpirit during thi go~pel a great deal and it means no less today than then whoever age to call the anti type of rpbpkah the church to be the bride today refuses to acknowledge christ as the messiah the sent of god-whoever refuses to obey his teachings to follow him-is of christ-joint-heir with his son as not all the women of the world were called to he the bride of isaac so at prpsent unrepentant no matter how fully he may believe that jesus not all mflnkind are calii d to be thp bride of christ those of nazareth was the messiah the sent of god the redeemer and even though he sorrow at the record of the sufferings of invitpd to thi joint-heirship mmt first be rplated to god even fls the one invited to be i~aac s bride was a relative of abrachrist he has not come to the point of repentance until he has renounced the sins for which christ suffered and become ham hence the step preparatory to this call to joint-heirship a follower of his teachings only such as are thus repentant with christ is justifiration throngh faith thp apostle s hearprs being members of the typically justified nation needed only have part or lot in the household of faith god s proposition is not to sa ve people in their sins but to save them from their to accept christ as the anti type of 1 ro~es and to recognize sins and during this gospel age the first condition of acceptspiritual israel as the antitype of natural israel in order to ance and even a reckon i d salvation is that the sinner shall be fully in relationship to the lord s call renounce his sin and accept the lord and the righteousness and eviclently the lord was guiding in respect to every feature harmony with god for which he stands as representative he of the estahlishment of thr church and it was on this account that hath the son hath life and he that hath not the son of that so large a number as three thousand persons were prepared god hath not life 1 john 5 12 to accppt the message-to accept .je~u as thpir tiedeemer and the persons whom the apostle addressed were all jews and king and to avow themselves his followers his disciples it hence he said be baptized for the remission of your sins is not necessary that we should suppose that they wpre all baptism is not god s appointed channel for the remission of baptized in the one day nor are we indeed certain that they sins for as the apostle declares without the shedding of all avowed their allegiance to messiah in the same day but blood there is no remission heb.9:22 however the jewish that as a lesult of that one day s preaching about three thounation under god s arrangement through moses was accepted ~and were added to the church these were not added to a of him as a whole as a nation and sin-offerings llad been made denominfltion a party a sect but were additions to the one for them all as a nation and had been accepted and a covenant church the body of christ-members added to the one head of had been made called the law covenant those whom the apostles addressed being under the law covenant werp under the church we do not read that their names were enrolled as members of the church nor that they took certain vows nor all these favorable conditions under the blood of the typical that they assented to certam confessions of faith he who sacrifices typically justified and reconciled and to them conaccepts christ as his redeemer and as his instructor who sequently god s promises pertained as they did not pertain to pledges himself to obedience to him and to walk in his footthe gentiles who had not come under such typical reconciliasteps has taken the only obligation which the scriptures define tion through typical sacrifices the sin which the apostle wished his hearers to emblematically wash away in baptism as marking those who are probationary members of the true was not therefore original sin but was a sin against their church and it is still proper to make an outward acknowledgment or sign of this acceptance of christ by a symbolical · millllnnial dawn vol ii p 201 [2931]

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7-8 zion s watch tower at lilchilny pa baptism the real baptism the real consecration of the heart or will its bunal into christ takes place first the outward or symbolical representation of this in water is the good confession by which the irhlividual show l in god s appointed way to his fellows or to whopver may witness that he has died to the world and become alive toward god through jesus christ our lord that the new eonvrrts were israelites indeed was demonstratl ll by the fart that they did not speedily fall away and brrome poll on the contrary we are informed that they eontllllll ll stparlfa,t rpco~nizing the teachings of the apostlesthat goi f t cially u,p thpm as hi representatives and mouthpiprr for thr m,truction of hi church they thus continued in fpllo hip ith thp !wu pho 1 of faith anri this woul,l imply llwding ith tllpl11 phiy fir t llay of the week to celebrate the lotti s rpf u rel·tion to utilt thpir prayprs at the throne of g iarp and to inu l one another up in the mo t holy faith hi aking thl spii itual iii cad on thpse oecasion tlll y also 11!litl rl in a 1 01l11110n meal in remembranrp of th lotti s first !li dlllg idth tl li :illii maklj1 ljimsl f known after his rpsurr pi·j ioll in thp l,lp ing anll hi pnking of brpad luke 24 35 thh hn lio n,fl ii lipp to the ~lpmorial supper which wns celeiii ntpil ypall,v aiiii not with bread alone but also yith the cup of ·qual im jrtancc fenr p,line upon evcry sol;i reverence-an appreciation to ollie p,t pt at il a,t of thp womlerful rplationship to god into hieh tl.py hall !jppn introthwpll and of the wonllerful po pr of coil 01 king iii their nlhl,t ami especially manifested tll 1i dl thp miraplt·s anti sign which the apo tles were thus j i1i ittpil to peifonn for the e:otablishment of the faith of tha ju,tjill d communism at present impractical it ha br n a sumrd by somp that communi m as that term i applll today ins pral tjrel in the early ehurch ancl it is illl l laun of olll tlwt it should iwi er haye been di~continuetl but slwliiii alllay obtain among:ot the lord s p opl ve an pr fil~t that thp p:lily church tlidllot practice what is now knllll n :1 oinllluni,lii sprol1l1 th lt solllpthing akin to what thr p:lrly i h lll h dill praetil r but mo,1ifie<1 still is the rule nlllong,t thp lo l s saints thinl the xbeme view anti practll t of the eaj ly l hurch i as apparrntly not intended to n nmin 1 1 nryer cnjoinl d b.y thr lold nor the apostles and f j p r:ltlll r a :lll yitlpi,ee agullist the frasibility of the doct iups of communism unller pn rent conditions f o f:j r a the rreonl how therc was no compulsory division of p,iith sueh a communism purpo ps on the· contrary pi,lthlllg as volunbly and eyer~·thing of the same kind is ju-t a fll e ill,t a yoluntary an iust as prop r now as then lloi1wrp oo 110 il 0 f omp of tho r who owni d farms and t pl sonn i l wpprty f oltl th~m ami hrought thr money and placed it nt thp apostlp frpt-gnye it into their charge some may hn p ginn nil th:lt thry hat in thi manner but it is not so ~hlt l on th contrary vnrious things giye the inference that ihrn:lha q · i ho soltl thr fipltl ami gayr the monpy may still 11 iyr rpt:1inp,1 otllpr properbe which no rlouht he would have 1 n i illlllg to han diqpo p,l of bter and to havr mane similar 11 1 of the monrv a it might be nr rlerl the sin of ananias n!1 ~apphira lli,l not ronsist in their not putting all of their proj1l lty into th common trpasury hut in their deceitfulness in 1hi mnttl r in tllt ir prptpn ling to give the entire proceeds of onp propprt whrn tll lli,l not rlo so some scriptures drnrlv inhm,lt that sonlf of the lord s people at that time llad pjiy,ltr poqqr ion asille from those which were put into til i jnllllon func f pp al ts 12:12 21 it is possible of l om p that in til two insbnl rs dted til propertips might kl i i l i n gl rn to thr rommunitv and might have bepn retm nl l i hl n the rommunitv failr and whpn the brlievers were path rr,l nhro:1l1 on thl othl r hano we think it rpasonabje to uppoor tljnt the selling of the po es ions was merejy to sl1l h an p,tpnt a la nrcrssary to supply the wants of all-so t1mt iwii of thn loni s ppoplp mi,ght lack while others han ,ul prfluitv thi klllll of hrotherlinr and common interest ~h01j 1 still prrl ail amlngst the lord s people indped to a pon ldrlah]p p,tl nt it mu~t prel ail or else we are none of his yr are not to folgpt howpypr that the necessity for private piol i,ion of this klll1 today is le than it las eighteen cen· tmh ng-o for now tllrrp arp many more opportumties for enrning a lii pllhood ami man proyisions for the aged the sick anti h,p infirm thp puhlic proyision for the poor today is rroholhly uite suprnor to that hirh was accorded to the poorer hrpthrrn untlrr consil]rration the same spirit of nharity filhl ample opportunity tolhy on eyrr ~i<1e we s0p hrf thren an,l si,tprs having neprl not of thp meat that peri hrth but of the meat in due season the spiritual food and having need also of the robe of justification there is abundant opportunity for all to join in dispensing these blessings worth so much more than temporal good things to those who have need ot them it is noteworthy that the apostles neither commanded nor advised communism nor do their writings intimate that it prevailed in the early church as showing that there were both rich and poor in the assemblies of the primitive church note the apostle paul s words to timothy charge them that are rich in this worm that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living god who giveth us richly all things to enio,y that they do good that they be rich in good works ready to diqtribute tclllmg to communicate laying up in store for themsc!vps a gooll foullllation ag-ainst the time to come that they may lay hold of eternal hfe 1 tim 6 ii the same apo tle reprons some of the wealthy brethren for improper displays in ponnretion with thp memonal supper saying have ye not houses to eat and drink in or de pi~e ye the church of god and shame them that have not [wf alth i cor ii :22 the apostle john intimates differences in financial con,lition when he asks how coultl he who loyes god shut up the bowels of compassion against a brother who lacks hfe npl·t ltjes i john 3 17 the apo~tle .james says it a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them depart anti be ye warmed and fcd notwithstanding ye give thpm not tho:oe things which are needful to the body hat doth it profit james 2:15 16 indeed in our judgment the necessary les~ons of life could not be ~o well learned either by the rich or the poor if community of goods were either the law or the rule amorjf st chnstia;ns there can be no question however re~ppcting the propnpty of eulllnlulllly of pnolslon for tho~e lho ale in ant in di,tress it is in harmony with tills thought that the apostle advi~e l ea h to l1y by him on the fii st day of tllr eek according as god hath prospered him a ~hare of his wcome-for good service to the lord and to the brpthren in temporal and spiritual things i cor ig 2 k a doubt aftpr the filiilennial kingdom ~hall have brought the willmi and ohrdll nt of mankind to perfection thcre will be some kmd of communi m such as we may presume obtains amongst the angp]s even then it will be a communism which will n eognize some hpad or authority for amongst the angels we arc informed there are prmcipalities and powers chprubim and seraphim anll god over all the early church full of love for the lord anti for each other is a beautiful and in many respects an ideal picture in which we can rejoice no wonder it i reeollled that they had joy gladness in tlleir hearts and in their thank ginng t gotl and that the people in general tht ir neighbors were plea ed with :hem and rejoiced in their lovmg spirit how dell htful it would be if all the lord s pcople in the world totla ceould he thus in harmony with each other and appreciatrd 1 thpir friends anrl neighbors indeed we must suppose that tl;p lold specially shielded the infant church for a ~hort pa oon unl i1 it should become somewhat established in kno llellge anti in f.iith else the great adversary would have raist tl up 0pp0 olllon and persecution more quickly than he tlld evpn as it w:is it was but a little bme until the perse-cutlon arose and inth lt the testing of those who had espouspd the cau e of ,jt sus then came the great scatterinf undl r!prsecutiojl so that thosc who had learned the way of the lor learned adlhtlonallv pa tience an.d obedipnce some of them even unto death a nd othprs bemg scattered abroad hecame preachers of the gospel of jcsus anti their newly-found hopl s in him the lord added to the church daily such as should be saved say our golden trxt or as the revlsp,1 velslon render it such as were being saved as the same apostle peter declares the salvation pronlised us is still future -we are waiting for it it is to be brought t/ntc t/s at thr revelation of our lord and savior jesus at hi second advent 1 pet i 13 but meantime there is a beginnillg of this salvation in the present life ewn now ve are as the apostle lleclare sayeii by hope nom 8 :24 the salvation is not merply of hope either but it begills to take hold upon us mentally morally and physically-the regenerating york begills tlw ne,v mind the nl w ill is the ~tart and flolll that proceed true obethence to the loni s yonl progress in knowlpdge and progrr s in grace aj ll all the progrl s of the new creature it oftcn inrlped means the sacnfice of the earthly interests of til natural man hut it mpans thp devplopmf nt of the new crrature it mean the progress of the work of salvation in the heart hich alone god rpeognizes and thr new creaturp thus making progr s is ultimately to be perfectetl in salvation by a shnrp in the first resurrection [2932]

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such as i have give i unto you acts 3 i-io jan 26 the lord is my strength and my bong j he is become my salvation exod 15:2 probably it was not long after the day of pentecost that the events of this lesson transpired our last lesson notes the fact that the believers filled with their new joy went frequently to the temple for prayer and thanksgiving this lesson shows us peter and john attending the temple service at the hour of prayer three o clock in the afternoon these two had been with the lord and with each other for now several years both had been disciples of john the baptist and previously they two had been together in the fishing business they were also specially favored amongst the twelve being with jesus on the mount of transfiguration and in the inner circle in the garden of gethsemane etc although peter was probably the eldest of the disciples and john probably the youngest and although their dispositions were quite different in many respects apparently there was a strong element of harmony between them-they both loved the lord very intensely and they were both of ardent temperament it was natural therefore that these two should be considerably in each other s company because of rpecial compatibility while it is well for the stronger brethren to pray with and company with the weaker sometimes for the assistance of the latter it is well also that kindred spuits should come together in communion with each other and with the lord as in this case as the apostles evidently went frequently to the temple and probably often by the same route through the beautiful gate it is more than likely that the lame beggar who had long been accustomed to that locality in seeking alms had seen them almost daily indeed it would not be surprising if a knowledge of the pentecostal wonders which had converted several thousand and been noised abroad had reached the poor beggar as well as many others of the religious class who assembled almost daily at the temple quite evidently therefore the beggar knew peter and john in advance of his healing if so it would to some extent account for his readiness of faith by which accepting the apostle s word and hand he was healed why the apostle peter on this particular occasion was led to bestow a blessing upon this man we may never know for it is plobable that in that time when there were no hospitals for the lame and blind etc the apostles frequently passed by others as badly crippled and distressed as this one without proffering aid it would seem however that the man was an israelite indeed from the way in which he received the lord s blessing otherwise instead of having a heart overflowing with gratitude and thankfulness he before would have been in an attitude of discontent repining at his lot and complaining of divine providence and in such a frame of mind his attitude after his healing would have been one of complacent satisfaction rather than of gratitude he would have felt that he had received no more than his due the connection therefore seem to indicate that the lord s providence directed the apostles to him specially on this account and so it is with tho~e of the lord s people today who are in a right attitude of heart they will whatever their condition find much to be thankful for and can trace the lord s providence and grace in life s affairs notwithstanding its trials and difficulties such people are the objects of god s care and have the assurance that all things are working together for their good the lord s providence may not always bring them physical health and strength but it will surely bring to such the highest blessings which it brought to the poor cripple of this lesson-a i nowledge of the lord and a share of his spintual favors at that time when there was no provision for the indigent and helpless alms-begging and alms-giving were entirely proper it is creditable to the civilization of our day and land however that the helpless are provided for at public expense-all property paying a poor tax or alms tax it strikes us as being as much wrong to encourage public begging now as it was right to respond to it at the time mentioned if the friends of the indigent cannot amply provide for them the public can and should and generally does and it would be a false pride which would ignore these ample provisions and not blush to seek others the apostle said silver and gold have i none we can scarcely suppose that he intended this statement to be taken literally for in the preceding verses we have the record that considerable property was sold and the proceeds laid at the apostles feet-put at their disposal but this evidently the apostles considered as belonging to the lord and not to themeelves-ab trust funds we assume therefore that the apostle meant silver and gold we have none to give you but we have 30mething better to give you something which god intended we should dispense and undoubtedly what the apostles gave was more valuable than money to the poor cripple so it is today we are unable to respond as liberally as we would like to the requests which sometimes come to us for financial aid the means which the lord has put into our hands we understand him to intend us to transform in the main into spiritual food and clothing and strength and help for the sin-sick and lame and for the error-blinded and accordingly we are sometimes compelled to say silver and gold wp have little to give but of the spiritual blessings we are willing to give liberally-without money and without price our lord s words were the poor ye have always with you but me ye have not always in seeking to be helpful to brethren in the church and to the unfortunate in the world it is well that all should cultivate a largeness of heart and yet it is well also to remember that in the cases of many of the lord s children adversity has evidently been of the lord s intention to bring to them blessings which they would not be prepared to receive in any other manner ve are to endeavor to be helpful to each other while seeking not to conflict with the operations of divine providence and the learning of important lessons by those whose welfare we seek we should never forget the apostle s inspired words 2 thes 3 10 it is more blessed to give than to receive undoubtedly every child of god has realized the truthfulness of this god is ever a bountiful giver and his people in proportion as they cultivate this quality generosity are therefore cultivating a ~rand god-like quality do good and lend hoping for nothrng again [no reward and ye shall be children of the highest luke 6:35 if we cannot always give much money or if we cannot give as much as we would like to give to those who are in need we may always like peter give something we cannot like him give health and strength miraculously since we are not endued with those apostolic powers but we can give 11 word of encouragement a kindly look a helping hand over difficulties and these will often be more valuable than money and sometimes more appreciated even an enemy should be fed if hungry but neither friend nor foe should be encouraged in indolence nor in wastefulness we notice how distinctly peter acknowledged the source of his power and how he was not ashamed of any feature of divine truth he boldlv rleclared his miracle to be in the name of jesus of nazareth he did not say in the name of .1c nr the greatest of all jews the highly esteemed friend of joseph of arimathea and of nicodemus one of your influential rnlers but ignoring all such human weaknesses he plainly declared that it was jesus the nazarene the despised one who ll power had healed we find some of the lord s people today far less courageous than peter inclined rather to feel ashamed of the truth and ashamed of the agencies god has used in its dissemination for fear that these would be a reflection against it we should rather follow the apostle s course and be very courageous and ready to publicly affirm whatever we find possessing divine sanction vvhatever agencies god may make use of in connection with his service we may be sure that he has some purpose some object in view and that his purposes will best be accomplished by plain candid truthful statements like peter s the description of standing leaping and walking may well represent the first efforts of one who had been born lame and who consequently had never learned how to walk however the strength was in his limbs and abundantly testified to the miracle wrought the poor man was not ashained of the agents whom god had used in his restoration lie shoutpd prni c to god and held on to his two benefactol s advertising them to the people and thus advertising also the gobpel message which they had to give which undoubtedly was the very purpose the lord intended here too is a lesson for us not to be ashamed of those whom the lord may use in connection with our spiritual healing much more valuable much more to be appreciated and acknowledged before god and men than any tpmporal blessing indeed the natural sight natural hearing natural walking and natural enjoyment of every kind are insignificant in comparison with the spiritual enlightenmf nt and hearing and strength to walk in a spiritual way as the spiritual joys are higher than the natural peter was not self-seeking he was alert to u e every opportunity every opening that might come to himself to the glory of the lord and of his cause and so when the mnltitnde guthtred together he used the miracle of healing as his text-as a demonstration of the power of the risen je jus operating through him and he straightway declared to the ppople that this was the same jesus whom their rulers had crucifipd lome two months previously he distinctly disowned that either he or john had any power of themselves to perform such a mil acle he did not say either that the healing was by a naturlll [2933 8-10

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00-11 zion s watch tower au.llghilny pa law operated by the man s faith nor did he say that the healing was by science nor did he deny the facts and claim that the man s impotence was merely a wrong thought the correction of which had given relief he told the truth-that the man had been ill but was now made sound by the power of jesus nor did he spare his hearers but pressed home the truth of the responsibility of their nation for the crucifixion of one who not only was innocent and just but who was the sent of god the messiah the prince of life here is another lesson for us when we obtain the attention of men it is not to be frittered away either in the discussion of unprofitable topics or in personal boastfulness but is to be turned directly to the lord s glory to the preaching of the good tidings of redemption through the precious blood that it may be known that all blessing of every kind comes through the merit of that sacrifice and from our risen glorified lord our golden text surely represents the heart-sentiments of every member of the household of faith the lord is our strength we lean not upon human might-neither of our own or of other men we hold the head from whom not only come the laws which govern us but from whom come the strength the direction the protection the care which we need and which we enjoy the lord is become our salvation he has saved us from the condemnation of sin through faith in the blood he has rescued us from the love of sin he has not only revived us but strengthened us and enabled us to walk in the narrow way and to do so with joy and gladness and leaping he is our salvation already-the salvation that is to be brought unto us and thus to be complete in us in the first resurrection is already begun-for we are already passed from death unto life and have the witness of this in the holy spirit questions of general interest abraham s wife-his niece question in the tower for july 15 1901 p 233 sarah is mpntioned as abraham s niece how can this be harmonized with gen 20 12 she is my sister she is the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother 1 answer in olden times it was customary instead of speaking of grandchildren to call them children as for instance the children of israel all the souls which came out of the loins of jacob were seventy souls yet some of these were grandchildren and some great grandchildren the thought is that haran was the eldest son of terah that he had two children-lot and sarah-and that these were near enough their uncle abraham s age to be his companions under the rule above mentioned sarah if the daughter of haran would be counted the daughter of terah not by his wife but by haran s wife we would not insist that this view of the matter is beyond question however and those who think differently have full right to do so palestine as a refuge questlon what are the facts respecting palestine at the pm;ent time is it being rapidly settled by the jews in colonil s or otherwise 1 would it be a good place for those who have a knowledge of present truth to emigrate t01 would it be a good place for serving the truth or would it be a favorable place as respects escaping the coming time of financial and social trouble 1 .1nswer we could not rceommend friends of the truth to emigratl to palestine they would find almost no opportunity for sl rving the truth and as respects the time of trouble we might say that the poor of that land are continually in trouble nough and that even in the future the scriptures assure us thnt thl time of trouble will reach palestine furthermore not only would it be impossible to circumvent the lord and thnr l lpl t1 omljjg troublf but add itionally the lord encoulages hi f 1thful people to believe that he will deliver them froll thl trcuhle wh rever they may be as respects the reo s.·ttll n nt of the land it progres es very slowly first because f 1v of th .tt ws are intl rest d deeply enough to live in such a nllntr.v unclei pre lit conditions scl oncl bel aure jews havp nnt heen j1l mitted to settle thl re since the sultan s ukase prohlbitin tlleir settlement in isfl2 jews g oing thither are only pcillnttf ll to land if provided with permits which allow them to i main nhout thirty days the zionists are hoping to report sollle new and more favorable arrangement at their next congll·s their hearts with the letter and sentiment and spirit of the truth furthermore it would be quite a mistake to suppose that those who gather at these conventions are wealthy very few pf the lord s people are rich in this world s goods we never advise anyone to spend for travel money that is needed for bread or clothing but as a rule those who are in attendance find themselves abundantly rewarded for the time and money expended in our judgment the conventions are indeed great blessing and it is for this reason that we are f xtcndmg the one-day conventions in various directions the pilgrim visits are somewhat similar they cannot visit everv town but friends from nearby place tieeing mention of their coming to the vicinity can :tttend at small expense upon writmg us for any particulars necessary as to scriptural precedent we remind you that the jews hall numerous holy convocations and that our lord and hib disciples frequently attended these especially the feast of the passover the apostle paul also hasted in his journey that he might be present at the 1 assover and en route we remember that he sent on for the elders of the church at ephesus to meet him and hold a little by-convention however in matters ~f this kind where the spirit of the truth is being carried out it would not matter if we had not an exact correspondence in deed in the l arly church for instance they had neither books nor tracts nor journals nor bibles with marginal references or otherwise some of these things are blessings which accrue to us because we are living in the most favored day which the world has eyer seen as our day brings many additional trials besetments enticements and cares to choke the word so by god s grace it brings also many opportunities for assembling ourselves in little and in larger groups for all of these we aive thanks and all of them we endcllyor to use to the maste s praise and to the comfort and upbuilding of one another the father draws now the son then question in the watch tower you have pointed out that in the presei1t time only a limited mtmber are drawn and they by the father to the intent that following on they may 1ccome members of tlle church which is the bride of christ you have also pointed out as scriptural that during the millennial age the drawing will be general all men and that it will be done not by the father but by the 9hrist i recog!1i that these statements are in full aecord with the presentations of scripture but am at a loss to know in what manner the drawing of the future will differ from the drawing of the present time and this is my question a 7 9wer the drawing or influencing of all men by and by will be through the truth and the same is the drawing power now few are drawn now because darkness ignora~ce prejudice and superstition prevail the god of this world blinding the masses and keeping them deaf to the voice of righteousness and truth so that only they can now hear an!l ~p preciate the truth who have an ear to hear the majonty of tlle race are fallen and their appreciation of the principles of righteousness is too warped and twisted to permit the truth to have its proper weight and influence upon their hearts in drawing them to the lord yet this is the only class that god wishes specially to draw now and even of those who are thus amenable to the influences of righteousness now and somewhat drawn by it comparatively few are so in love with truth and righteousness that they are willing to sacrifice every other interest as respects the present life on its behalf yet only such are now sought by the heavenly father to be jointheirs with his son conventions are holy convocations question are the conventions such as the one recently h,ld in ckvi land and the one-day conventions mentioned fl 111 tim to time in the watch tower of real benefit 1 do tj liot r ach merely the rich who can afford to make the .in ll npy etc are they in harmony with scriptural precedcllts a /lsli r y cs we have every reason to believe that the j,nrd s blessing is with this department of the work as well as with the other departments of course all of the friends are nul able to attend the cc.nvcntions but this is not we think an aj g umpnt against th m all are not able to attend the regular gatherings of the church every time sometimes becl se of sirkncss and somptimes for other reasons if both hu~band and wife cannot attend a meeting it should be to the advantage of the absent one that the other does attend because of the rehearsal of truth upon his return similarly with the conventions our experience is that those who attend the conventions and return home are greatly blessed themsl lves as they endeavor to repeat to the brethren some of the precious thoughts they have gleaned and to inspire [2934]

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january i 1902 zion s watch tower 12-13 but by and by when under the father s arrangement the son shall begin his reign as king of the earth he will exercise a drawing influence upon all by restraining satan from deceiving and by opening the eyes and ears of understanding and by causing the knowledge of the truth to fill the whole earth as the waters cover the great deep thus although the drawing of that millennial age will be very similar to the drawing of this present time as to kind it will be much more general reaching every class and every eondition and helping each and all who will respond out of degradation and ignorance and sin and death back to full harmony with the principles of righteousness the special drawing which the father accomplishes is in connection with what is called the election according to favor while the drawing which christ will accomplish in the next age will be the operation of free grace upon all and for the benefit of all drinking at the brook he shau drink of the brook in the way therefore shall he lift up the head psalm 110:7 our text refers directly to our lord jesus and secondlv to who shall be willing in the day of christ s power the millenall the members of the church his body each one of whom must nial age are those whom our lord represents as his sheep share his experiences-walking in his steps and drinking of in the parable of the sheep and the goats they are those who the same brook if they would in due time share with their after the son of man shall be seated on the throne of his glory lord in his exaltation to glory honor and immortality this and after his church is seated with him in his throne and exaltation being represented in our text by the expression after the judgment or trial day for the nations the world is lift up the head in ancient times as at present human ended after the knowledge of the lord has filled the earth language was full of figures and symbols water representing after it has gradually proved the savor of life unto life or truth and drinking of water representing appropriation of the dpath unto death to the world shall be found truly his peotruth namely wisdom see provo 18:4 and lifting up the ple willing nay glad to serve him when they know him and head exaltation see gen 40:13 understand his will as his sheep they will desire to follow our text is given as the reason for the glorious blessings in the way of righteousness truth and holiness as his people and honors predicted of the christ and described in the prethey will not need to be coerced further but learning the truth ceding verses of the same psalm let us notice these the first in the day of his power when the adversary is bound and when the eyes of their understandings are opened they will be wiuverse is directly applied to our lord by the apostles acts 2:34 heb 1:13 1 pet 3:22 and our lord applied the same ingly his people and all who shall not then become willingly to himself matt 22:44 a figure of speech is again emhis people will be esteemed his enemies goats angeis or ployed descriptive of our lord s relationship to the father in messengers or servants of the adversary and be destroyed glory he is not literally seated beside him at his right hand with him in the second death but he has been honored with a superior station a position in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning above all othi rs-he specially is at the right hand of divine thou hast the dew of thy youth that is to say as morning power nor does his second coming hinder or change this reafter morning comes forth fresh and vigorous as its predeceslationship at his second coming he will still be at his fathsol as the sun grows not old and feeble so with messiah and er s ri ht hand as he himself declared 1viatt.26:64 at the so also with those accepted as the members of his body they father s right hand during the millennial age the father will have perpetually the freshness and vigor of youth,through him shall subdue all things to himself-put down all glory honor immortality the divine nature-this is part of opposing authority and insubordination blessing those who the blessing that is promised and which will result our text come into heart-harmony with his kingdom of righteousness tells lis from drinking of the brook in the way and destroying from the earth all who after fair knowledge of having told us of the kingly power and authority of messiah it is appropriate that the lord through the prophet exgood as well as evil choose the evil these will be considered as followers of satan instead of followers of god and the second plains to us that messiah s priestly office is to be also of a death we are specifically told is for the devil and his messenhigher type than the earthly that his priest and kingly offices are to be blende d and united as was typified in melchisedec gel s servants matt 25 :41 the description of the millennial kingdom is continued by who was both king and priest our lord when on earth was the prophet who declares jehovah shall send the rod of thy not of the aaronic priesthood nevertheless aaron was his type strength out of or through zion primarily the church the and the sacrifices which aaron performed were typical of the bride the body of christ the rod or sceptre or author better sacrifices performed by the antitypical priest in the ity shall be exercised through the church by the lord jesus laying down of his own life and in the consecration and bacrithe head of the church under the divine commission rule fice also of all those who are his during this gospel age who thou in the midst of thine enemies this is not in any measthus fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of christ ure fulfilli d ye t jesus when in the flesh did not rule in the by and by our high prie~t will haw eompleted all that was 11midst of his enemies and the church has not thus ruled on lustrated in the aaronic type he will have finished the day of the contrary both he and his followers have been subject to the atonement sacrifice s and then the glory promised will followpowers that be and the violent have taken the kingdom by instead of a suffering priesthood there will be a royal priestforce and have rlespitefully used the head and the body memhood a reigning priesthood l pet 2 9 rev 5 10 then follow assurances that this glorious priest-king will bel s matt 11 :12 the enemies are not yet made the footstool of the lord zion has not yet been glorified and mesprosper that his reign of righteousness will be successful the siah s sceptre or authority has not yet gone forth therefrom assurance being that god will be at his right hand supporting on the contrary we are still in this present evil world we him and bringing matters to a successful issue smiting down still wait for the completion of the elect church that together kings and wounding the heads over many countries and subshe may be glorified with her lord-enter into his glory duing all things mightily the great day of trouble coming is when he the due time having come shall take unto himself very generally referred to as the day of jehovah · the day of his great power and reign then the nations will be angry his wrath although it will be under the direct supervison of etc rev 11 18 and divine wrath will come upon them and our lord jesus for the purpose of introducing and establishfollowing that day of wrath shall come the promhed hles ing his millennial dominion these foregoing descriptions of the greatness of messiah ing upon all who shall demonstrate under the good opportunities of that millennial kingdom that they love righteousness and his kingdom lead up to our text and it as before sugand hate iniquity gested is given as the reason why so great blessings honors this latter class-those who during the millennial age and dignities and authority are conferred he shall drink of during that day of his presence shall become the lord s peothe brook in the way therefore shall he lift up the headpie 1 cor 15:23 are referred to by the prophet when he [be exalted says thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power learning obedience by the things suffered the day of his power is not yet here as the poet declares as we look into the word for testimony upon the subject wrong and evil triumph now the prince of this world we find that our dear master did indeed learn certain lessons still rules and is god of this world as the apostle asserts of experience as the apostle declares he learned obedience because our lord has not yet taken to himself his great power in the things which he sulfered not that he had ever been nor begun his reign the people who shall be willing in the disobedient to ~he father s will but that his testing at the time day of his power are not therefore the saints of this gospel that he came mto the world to do the father s will was of a age these latter are only the first fruits unto god of his character and of an intensity such as never before had been creatures and are willing before the day of his power-willing brought to him nor any other creature his obedience atto hear the shepherd s voice and to follow him willing to sac tested his love to the father attested his faith in the father s rifice all and to lay down their lives in his service for the love and justice and in all these things he fully approved himbrethren self of the father he overcame every trial he drank freevidently therefore those referred to as thy people · millennial dawn vol i chap 15 [2935]

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13 1<4 zion}s watch tower allegheny pa quently of the brook of wisdom in connection with these ,lessons moreover it was expedient that he to be the great high priest of mankind should be touched with a feeling of their infirmities and therefore that he should be tempted in all points hke as his followers are tested-along the line of personality of self will along the line of worldly ambition along the line of faith and trust along all the lines of obedience to god s plan he drank deeply of the cup and rejoicingly said the cup which my father hath poured for me shall i not drink it john 18 ii and now we come to a point of special interest in our text for we perceive that if it was necessary for our glorious lord from the hravenly courts to drink of the brook of experience and gain wisdom by the things he suffered endured and thereby to demonstrate his conficlence in god it is equally necessary that all the members of his bodv should likewise drink of the brook in the way if they would hope to share with tlle lord in the kingdom blessings-glory honor and immortality the divine nature our ~lear master s time for drinking at the brook is past yet thp ipssons and encouragements therefrom are still before us in thp scripture records it is now our time to drink of the brook of experiencp to learn the les ons that are necessary to our prpparation for the kingdom it is not enough that we have tasted of the brook of expejience that we have learned something of obediencr that we have pndured some trials that on some occasions we have learned obedience through the things we have suffprrd we must continue drinking until we can gladly say-father thy will not ours be done if we drink not of the brook in the way we shall not share in the glory to follow rami of the lord s people not discerning the matter in its tnlp light are disposed to pray that they may be spared from trials and temptations whereas they ought to understand that thp trials and difficulties of the consecrated are witnesses of the spirit that they are children of god and are under his train ing and preparation for a glorious share in the kingdom to which he has called us because if we are not tried we cannot be ovprcomers if we do not suffer with him and learn to enclllre hardness as good soldiers and to estppm our trials and difficultirs from the right standpoint and to count it all joy when they come to us knowing their object and knowing thp lord s sustaining grace and strength we will not be fit for the kingdom others interpret the trials of life as evidence of divine disfavor and fail to realize that they are designed of the lord to shape and polish our characters and thus to work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory because of their misunderstanding they are profited little by many of life s experiences through which they are called to pass-they ferl the rod but not discerning the loving purpose behind it see millennial dawn vol v they fail to learn the lesson intended let us become more and more awake more and more alive to the things of god,to the facts of the case as he presents them to us in his vvord -to our call to joint-heirship to the kingdom and incidentally to the drinking of the brook of experience and wisdom in the way that will fit and prepare us for the glories to follow drinking of the brook does not however imply that we sorrow and are disconsolate above others on the contrary those who drink of the brook properly are full of joy as the apostle declares they are enabled in every thing to give thanks unto god in life s difficulties as well as in its pleasureseven as he again says count it all joy when ye fall into diven difficulties knowing that under divine providence they will work out for you a greater blessing james 1 :2 it is the world which must also share its part of life s difficulties that sorrows as those who have no hope or who have false hopes the apostle points out side by side the world s condition and the church s condition under the trials and difficulties of this present evil world saying the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain until now waiting for the manifestation of the sons of god then he explains the position of god s people begotten of his spirit who are walking in the lord r footsteps and drinking of the brook in the way saying we ourr lvcs also groan within our iyes waiting for the adoption towit the deliverance of the body the body of christ the church this hope which we have gives a changed coloring and silver lining to every dark and troubled subject which comes to us in common with mankind so that inspired by draughts from the brook we can sing in the house of our pilgrimage even though as yet we must also groan because we are in this imperfect tabernacle this unsatisfactory mortal body we want to ask the lord our master and head that he will bless us more and more as with fresh zeal we shall endeavor faithfully and rejoicingly to drink of the brook of hfe s experiences and gain wisdom therefrom that will fit and prepare us for his service by and by and which will the bett t fit and prepare us for his service also in the present time and enable us by his grace to show forth his praises in all the trying circumstances and vicissitudes of hfe so as to glorify lum in our bodies and spirits which are his let us a we drink of the brook take a lesson from the little birds which when drinking repeatedly lift the head as though giving thanks to god let us continually give thanks to our lord for every taste of life s experience for every lesson for every trialappropriating them all to our spiritual development the time for lifting up our heads in glory is nearing too and already the master directs that seeing with the eye of faith the evidences of their approach we may lift up our heads and rejoice knowing that our redemption draweth nigh luke 21 :28 interesting letters from friends dear brother russell:pray do not think that i write in a captious spirit but the extracts from the jew are statements so grossly overdrawn if not abrolutcly and entirely untrue that if you were to cause such accusations to be verified here before im,erting thpm in the toll cr where absolute truth alone should appear they ccrtainlv wonld not appear therein except so far as true thpre is and has been of late a great influx of jews infidels turks and offscouring of e,urope into england london parti iiiarly ancl it is not surprising that their ignorance of the languagp and generally their elannish hprding together their filthiness and their habits and manner q a well as their injury to thp pmployment of others should be resented almost exclusivply by a poor and uneducated people whom they displa e or orne into unpleasant contapt with and particularly at this time pre isely the same feeling is manifested toward chinamen in ran francis o and on the papific coast etc the difference being that in the united rtates thpre is legislation against them but here jpws and any nationality have absolute freedom and assured and certain protpction and even-handed justice ruch artieles as that from the jele are calculated to produ e hatred because they manifest a spirit of gross ingratitwlp and wilful lying there is no othcr word for it whpn the jew question is considered broadly and not from perhaps some isolated case as to the political parties being pledged to anti-spmitism or any othpr charge against them as a people or pven against their capitalists except it may be one or two german jew south african firms these are on a par with the rest of it and not worthy of notice the fact is that newly found freedom with some cause them from ignorance to be a~gressively a~d offensively assertivp and presume upon the hberty of action and speech etc according them-and so they assist largely in bringing about that of which they complain i write out of warmest personal regard and respect and sincere christian love i am dear brother yours truly in christ b c hughes engllmul [nothing was farther from our intention than to intimate that the masses of the british are jew-baiters nor that those who do the baiting are without provocation we merely mentioned it as news and as evidence that the .jew will yet as the bible declares be persecuted in every nation and thus be driven back to palestine when zionism shall succeed in opening that door editor dear brother russell:greetings from the church of los angeles according to 1 cor 16 :2 we have endeavorpd to follow paul s advice and have provided a treasury from which is drawn the expenses of the church the expenses for volunteer service also the expenses of any in need and from this treasury we now send the tract society a little thank-offenng ve as a body unite in the desire to express our appreciation of the pnvjlege of ohhining this literaturp for ohmtc r work and of the opportunity to serve it while it is yet called day our earnest desire is to help the bride to make herself ready our earnest prayer is for the establishment of the kingdom we desire to thank you and the tower office assistants [2936]

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january 1 1902 zion s watch tower 14-15 for your labor of love to the church especially for all efforts expended in our behalf above all we thank our heavenly father who is the giver of every good and perfect gift and we know of no better way to express our gratitude than to send to the fund the enclosed $50.00 which has been raised for this purpose together with the surplus in our treasury we cannot hope to pay for the thousands of pages we have distributed but we trust you will accept this as an expression of our gratitude we ask your prayers that each of our number may be more zealous more faithful more fervent in spirit to serve our god and lay down our lives for the brethren loving his approval above all else vith christian love alld prayers for your steadfastness we remain your fellow-servants in christ church of los angeles my dearly beloved bro russell:my poor heart overflows with gratitude to our dear lord for the beneficial and sweet moments we have so richly enjoyed with you during this the first christian convention that i have ever seen in the city of richmond dear brother rest assured that your labor is not in vain here for the 12th and 13th of october 1901 will long be a pleasure to think of the feast of good things continued with some of us the next day while god s dear children before leaving the city have been telling of the joy and benefits received no jars no objections no schism or worldly contention but praise and thanks to god from every quarter that we attended the convention and all received such a blessing truly our prayers for this season of refreshing were answered ve thought that we loved you very dearly before and esteemed you very highly for your works sake but these sessions with vou have kindled our love so much that we almost feel impatient for the beginning of eternity when in god s kingdom we part no more 0 brother the lord knows that i fpcl these scntiments and i believe that the other dear ones also do this season with you has built us up in the most holy faith and we pray that it may long yea very long last us the dear brethren leaving for their homes were saying how clcar this point was made and how rich was that thought and how long i have wanted to see dear brother russell the channel through which our god has sent us the blessed truth and my longings have been realized ye do hope that it may meet with your approval to still further encourage us by reporting our convention in the next tower vith this hope i give as nearly as i could count them the number present i e believers i made the count one hundred and twenty-eight possibly a few over or under fourteen symbolized their consecration by wate r baptism five states and district of columbia were represented pray for us here dear brother that we may continue faithful and let our light shine through love and humility as well as otherwise may our father s richest blessings be with you to the end your brother in the love and service of our dear lord m l staples virg1nw [this report is late crowded out of our previous issues ed dear brother russell:how i long to see you i have had a big fight and gamed a glorious victory i send you my article prepared for the conference i had a hard time to get a hearing as my name was called before i reached the seat of conference had i been there then i could have had the floor but after that it was difficult after pressing the matter they allowed me five minutes to speak and i read rapidly until i reached the sentence thy kingdom come two-thirds through and there the bishop called me to order he said i had used up six minutes and i asked for an extension of time but could not get it they had e nough so i asked our own city editor if he would like to publish it and he consented there was a great surprise i assure you at syracuse conference when i withdrew from it and gave my re asons even partially i commenced giving out tracts-until all were gone when i gave one i said read that carefully when you are all alone i have a good many old friends in the conference and church nominal but thanks be to god i am the lord s fre e man some have asked me what church i am going to unite with and my answer is the church of the first born whose name s are written in heaven yours in love b f weatherwax neiv york dea r brother russell;i wrote you a short time since for some samples of your puhlications to which you kindly replied by forwarding me several copies of the watch tower and some tracts all of which i have carefully read i am more than ever convinced of the correctness of your views of scriptural truth i try to make the word of god the counsellor and guide of my life and i rejoice in every development of light and truth have you a church organization if so what is it called and what is the form of your church government what is required of persons desiring to unite with the church have you a regular mmistry and how are they appointed and employed an answer to the foregoing questions and all information you may be able to furnish will be much a ppreciated that you may not be in ignorance as to whom you address i will say that i am a minister in the congregational church and if you desire can give you satisfactory references since writing you vol 1 the plan of the ages has been recovered and though much mutilated is still readahlc i herewith enclose you 25c in stamps for which please send me vol ii the time is at hand the other volumes i will order later on or after carefully reading this there is great unrest and dissatisfaction among professing christians and it seems to me they desire as they truly need instruction concerning the truth as it is in jesus how shall this be furnished it may be you have tracts for free disb ibution if so and you feel like entrusting me with a small 1ip ply i will endeavor to place them where they will do the most good pardon my long letter and if you find time amidst your arduous labors i would be glad to receive a reply yours in christ l f way texus [we sent the brother a copy of zion s watch toy er can· taining an article on hwh is thp true church i with our answer and hope to hear from him further and still more enthusiastically after he has read more editor dear brother russell:the brethren have done excellently in distributing the tracts sent us they had an amusing though joyful experil nce in distrihuting at the last meeting of the christian church convention they began distributing to the few stragglers that carne out before the close of the meeting among these was a minister who upbraided them and told them that he should warn the people against them this he did announcing from the pulpit that there was literature being distributed at the door that should not be read and everyone should refuse to accept it the result was that the people crowded around the brethlen with outstretched hands eager to get them the clerical gpntleman probably never served god better in his life than he did whpn he forbade the people reading the tracts everyone was surely read in seareh of forbidden fruit we have already had an illustration of the truth of your prediction in the last tower last sunday a local preacher in talking of the people who had jumped the track after defining christian science and the dowieites said therc is another class of people who claim to hear the call corne out of her who separate thpmselves and put a weird interpretation to the scriptures what are these religious anarchists nothing more nothing less surely this is an indication of what we may expect in the near future may the dear lord strengthen us that we may be prepared to stand fast in the faith when that evil day shah come yours in the blessed hope mrs j m wiiite lowa dear brother russell:i want you to rest assured dear broth pi of my increasing love for you and appreciation of your work in the lord as paul was to timothy so in a great measurp at least have you been to me a father in christ aud ijj the lord s own good time and way i hope to testify more fully to you my appreciation of all you have done and are doing it porn forts me to tell you that in every prayer-sepf·t-i hear you to the throne of favor realizing that as the lord has appomtpd you to be so prominent a teacher you receive a eorrpspondingly severer trial or testing thank god we know his graee is sufficient for all your needs and that having be~un he can finish his good work in you 1 1ay your faith fall not i did not intend so long a ll·tter realizing how fully your time is occupied remember me in love to the household with you in the bonds of christian fellowship v e page w1sronsjn [2937]

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vol xxiii allegheny pa january 15 1902 no.2 views from the watch tower america ill forcing a revolution on europe as certainly as god reigns how by taking the bread out of european mouths by sending men women and children to bed supperless by forcing european millions to live upon two meals a day and those two scant ones in reality not more than one and one-half american genius american machinery american push american capital is doing that and each revolution of american engines brings the inevitable day of doom for europe nearer how long has it been since the american manufacturer began to realize his power ten years perha p yha t has he accomplished toward the inevitable end in that time he has closl d european factories he has cut european profits on mandactured goods to the minimum he has thrown european workmen out of employment he has forced europe a long step ahead toward the day of revolution but the end is not yet scarely have we seen the beginning wait until a heavier over-production than we have yet witner~ed cuts prices on manufactured articll s still lower who can best stand such a cut the american vhy because he has not already been forced to the last notch he does not know the meaning of small profits vhen he begins to sell on a small margin of profit the european manufacturer will go out of business and the revolution will be on of all the nations of europe england blood-stained england is least able to stand the dark days that are to come our people have drank more liberally of the liquor of prosperity and financial freedom than have those of other nations we have cultivated a taste for the luxuries of life that is hardly known among the peasant classes of the continent it will be hard to renounce these and i fear they will not be renounced without a struggle that will be the dearest and darkest in the history of the english empire american prosperity means european bankruptcy and bankruptcy means anarchy w t stead this is a gloomy picturc not only for europe but for the entire world for the world today is bound together as never before if europe suffers america will just as surely suffer the poor world the groaning creation has our sympathy as it opens its eyes to the grand result of its highest civilization under its inexorable law of selfishness would that we could point out to thi brilliant editor and to all men the glorious prospect we see in the word of god-the silver lining of the cloud which they see not the dawning of the longpromised j iillennial day but a clear insight into the lengths and brpfhlths and helght anrl depths of the diyine love and plan ir intended only for the little flock yet none of the wlckerl shall understand but the wise shall understand dan 12:10 those who were readers of zion s watch tower twenty years ago will remember how astonished they and others were at its presentation from the scriptures of the very conditions which all men now perceive to be fast hastening toward us;anarehy in the midst of the greate~t prosperity the world has evpr known those who have newly come into the truth and who never saw the earlier issues of our journal are often amazed at the statements they find in the mtuennial daten volume i when they notice that it was published in 1886 our master who gives us in his word the inside information tells us to note the fulfillments and adds vhen ye see these things begin to come to pass then know that the kingdom of god is nigh at hand look up lift up your hl ads and rejoice for your deliverance draweth nigh luke 21 :25-31 anti-semitic move renewed in russia vienna dispatck again the jews in russia are being harassed presumably this is by order of the government since the oppressive measures are not confined to anyone place the ministry of the interior has appointed a special commission under the presidency of m dournovo to revise the laws and regulations governing the jews heretofore jewish matters have been discussed and reported upon by the clerical department intervention by the mini~try of the interior acting on its own discretion is likely to lead to a more stringent policy than ever jews of all classes are now prevented from moving freely about russia in pursuit of their professions for example the law allows certain classes of jews to reside in st petersburg or moscow but it does not expressly say that a jew merchant has the right to trad in those cities therefore if a moscow jew merchant wishes he may go to st petersburg and he may even live there but he may not trade there if he dies his wife and children are immediately cleaned out this is the phrase used they are compelled to go to the jewish pale or the place from which they originally went to st petersburg or moscow in every form of activity known in russia today the jew is in some way represented and as he has no friends except those of his own religious persuasion he is a convenient anvil for every official hammer the russians hate the jews because they fear them even more than they fear the germans or the poles now that the ministry of the interior has taken a hand in the persecution there will be no refuge the officials will treat them with les mercy even than the clencal department which formerly had them under supervision there are instances where the clerical authorities have shown some mercy toward jews but there is none where the purely political officials have treated him as anything better than convenient scape-goat chicago record-herald the zionist congress as per announcement the zionist congress opened december 26th at basil switzerland it was attended by about one thousand delegates twenty-five of them from the united states dr herzl of vienna the founder presided but had nothing definite to report from the sultan of turkey respecting palestine he reported however that in his audience with him in may last the sultan had expressed hi ~ympa thy with zionism s ambitions declared himself the frlenrl of the jews and that he considered them de~irable as colonh,ts failure to receive something more tangible was a source of disappointment to the congrers but it ir not dircouragpd it has thus far accumulated about $1,000,000.00 toward its bject nearly all from the poor jews of the world the decay of belief president cyrus northrop of the j finnesota state univer the religions of the world-a purely human device like consity rcc ently delivered an addrers before the chieago baptist fucianism or mohammedanism of no more authority than social union in it he made the following reference to the these and to be preferred to these only as its teachings are present religious conditionr iii said in part:more reasonable and uplifting there is a world of dlfferenee it seems to me that in looking at the religiom condition between saying this thing is true because god said it and god of the country-i do not mean the statistics of the churches said this because it is true the former carries with it the nor the amount of gifts to missions and philanthropy nor certainty of thus saith the lord the latter is of no the g pneral condition of the church as an organization-but i validity because many things may be true which god never do mean the state of thought in the church itself in reference said and if god never said anything to men inspiration to its own faith it seems to me that we are confronted by becomes so attenuated that it is hardly discoverable under four marked changes which have grown into prominence in the more or less theory which grants inspiration of some dethe la lt few years if i am wrong i shall be glad to know gree to everyone who voiees a noble truth and grants no it and if i am right i shall be grateful as i am sure you all higher inspiration though perhaps a greater degree of inwill be to any biblical scholar who will show us the truth spiration to anyone else under this arrangement a man these changes stated briefly are first-a decay of belief in must first get his idea of god and then determine whether the supernatural second-what i may call the disintegra anything is the product of divine inspiration according as it tion of the bible third-new views respecting inspiration meets or does not meet that idea there is in tllis no possifourth-loss of the sense of accountability bility of revelation in the usual sense the order is inverted these four changes are essentlllly one they are at lcast -god doer not reveal truth to men the truth on the conshoot from a common root-and that root is donhi as to trary reveals god now this mayor may not be satisfactory whpther god i ver har han any communication with men to some but it is to say the least very unsettling to human undpr thir doubt christianity ceases to be the religion which faith and very deprp lsint to the ordinary christian who does god intended for men to cherish and becomes simply one of not know enough about god s style to determine whether lw 19-20 [2938]

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january 15 1902 zion s watch tower 21-2,2 naid a thing or not and who is not sufficiently familiar with the internal signs of inspiration to determine whether an;r particular writing reveals god truly or not and this condition of things is the darkest part of the outlook at the opening of the twentieth century a preach the word restore the bible to its rightful place as the word of god divinely inspired and supremely authoritative u e the old testament scriptures as our lord used them freely and without apology he never explained them away you need not to discredit your text book is to discredit your message eliminate the ifs and perhapses and proclaim the word in the power and demonstration of the spirit b remember your calling it is not to exploit shifting philosophies and passing fads sociology evolution or even higher criticism but to declare the gospel of the grace of god the former never edified a church or saved a sinner or comforted a human heart the latter is the wisdom of god and the power of god unto salvation the prophet that hath a dream let him tell a dream and he that hath my word let him speak my word faithfully c if the bible doctrine is true that the one sufficient remedy for man s sin is the sacrificial death of the divine substitute-not his teaching or his example-then the popular teaching of salvation by character is manifestly un· scriptural and unwarranted he suffered for us the just for the unjust that he might bring us to god · we must understand this to mean the substitute which god furnished otherwise it would be out of accord with the scripture testi· mony and the meaning of the word ransom a corresponding price some suggested :remedies for the pulpit d the fatherhood of god and the brotherhood of man as so often indiscriminately and universally applied to aint and sinner alike is equally unscriptural and misleading there is no spiritual fatherhood without spiritual birth that which is born of the flesh is flesh ye must be born again for the pew a take heed what ye hear let no man deceive you with vain words to the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith be ye ready at all times to give ···· an answer for the hope that is in you b be not conformed to this world but be ye trans· formed by the renewing of your mind be ye blameless and harmless the sons of god in the midst of a crooked and per· verse generation among whom ye shine as lights in the world holding forth the word of life c live and walk habitually in the light of titus 2:11-14 a pastor s testdmony joseph parker of london on the 40th anniversary of his pastorate of the city temple said looking back upon all the chequered way i have to say that the only preaching that has done me good is the preaching of a savior who bore my sins in his own body on the tree and the only preaching hy which god has enabled me to do good to others is the preac hing in which i have held up my savior not as a sublime ex· ample but as the lamb of god that taketh away the sin of the world the first persecution acts 4:1-12 feb 2 there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be srwed the commotion caused by the healing of the cripple by james and john and the gathering of the crowd of worshipers to whom they preached brought upon the apostles a new difficultv the priests whose ministries were more or less in· terrupt~d by the disturbance felt a grievance against those who thus attracted attention away from themselves and their services and the officers of the temple whose duty it was to preserv order were also disturbed these coming upon the preaching apostle and the interested multitude arrested the three who were the cause of such a commotion that the mat· ter might be enquired into it was toward evening and there· fore too late to gather the members of the sanhedrin cou!t the three who had been witnessing for god and for ch~lst were put in ward in the priron not as fe~ons but for trial it would have been possible for the imprisoned me to have viewed their situation from the standpoint of unbelie.f and to have said to themselves and each o~her god did not approve our work and hence has permitted us to be thus arrested and imprisoned and now we know not what the result will be on the morrow for those who crucified our lord may crucify us also or they might in unbelief have reasoned still otherwise and have said to each other after all what right have we to think that god has anything to do with these matters we are like other men and have merely found some new way in which natural law operates in the healing of the sick god evidently is not concerned in this work for if he were surely he would not have permitted us to come into these straits while we were seeking to serve him and to declare the good tidings but ~e may safely assume ~hat the tho~ghts and words of t he prisoners took a totally different direction full of faith they no doubt said to themselves we know not in what way the lord may intend to u e this which seems to be a disadvantage to ~r and ~n ~nterruption to his work doub less however he will use it i some ma~ner to forward his cause and to reach more of ius people with the truth as a matter of fact the lord evidently intended throucth this seeming calamity to bring to th aportles a still grand~r opportunity of testifying to the truth on the next day-of preaching to a class whic they might never again have opportunity to reach-the priestly class the ruling class repre sented in the sanhedrin and those who would gather at its sessions when the sanhedrin court opened the next morn· ing amongst its seventy members representatives of the most influential classes in jerusalem were annas the high priest and caiaphas hi son both of whom had about two months prf vious]v prpsiof d in the t~ial of the master ~imself never· theless the apostles were evidently not at all dismayed by the dignity of the court-the lord evidently fulfilling to them his promise ye shall be brought before kings and governors for my sake for a testimony against them and the gentiles but when they deliver you up take no thought how or what ye shall speak for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak matt 10 18·20 that peter as spokesman for the three was supernaturally assisted is implied in the nar· rative he was filled with the holy spirit it is not amiss here to notice that the jewish party which most particularly persecuted our lord was the seet of the pharisees the holiness reople of that time basing tht ir opposition upon our lord s public declarations of their hypocrisies the sadducees taking le~s interest in the persecution but on the contrary in the acts of the apostles the pcrse· cutions of the church seem to have been largely at the hands of the sadducees the sadducees should scarcely be consid· ered a religious party for they denied the resurrection of the dead and denied also the existence of spirit beings and hence believed principally in a religion for the present life merely the sadducees were the policy-men of that time they favored harmony with the roman empire and might indeed be termed the politicians of the jewish nation history says that the high priest and his family and those principally iii influence were sadducees it is evident therefore that the preaching of the resurrection of jesus and of some spiritual power by which he could work through the apostles to the healing of the man born lame would be an aggravation to these sadducees because it was directly in conflict with their belief and teachings indeed it is worthy of notice here and in subsequent lessons that one of the main features of the gospel which the apostles preached was the doctrine of the resurrection-that christ had risen from the dead and that throu

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22-24 zion s watch tower ai,ughj ny pa spoken as he did to this court or if he had been filled with the spirit of egotism and boastfulness he would have spoken differently lle would have spoken unwisely rashly no doubt but filled as he was with the holy spirit the spirit of meekness patience gentleness long-suffering brotherly kindness and guided in his words by this spirit he made an address which is heautiful both for its simplicity its directness and its meek-boldness his opening sentence had in it possibly a gentle irony respecting a trial for a good deed but as on previous occasions he immerliately proceeded to disclaim for himself and his associate john any power any authority in connection with the matter and declares that the miracle was pprformpd in the name hy the authority by the power of ,t·,u of nazarpth onl p agum he is not ashamed to own that the one he acknowledgcs was contemptuously called the 1 az~lr il tlor to ~av tll lt he is a follower of the one who was crucified as a malefactor vhile telling the plain truth that tills very sanhrdrin had caused the death of jesus he 8tates the matter without ijltternpss or acrimony peter allowed the fact that cod raised up jesus from the apad to ~tand ag the proof that they had erred in their condemnabon of him and without parleying the question he ptoepeded to assure ius hearers that tins one jesus whom they de~pi~ed ancl rejppted had nevertheless been owned of goii as the chief corner stone of the great temple which god purposes to huild he thus rderrpd their minds directly to a j le ianic psalm 1ir:22 familiar to them pointing out its fulfilment in christ and declares neither is the salvation in any other this expression the salvation to hig hearers would have the sense of the salvatioil for which we .tl ws as a nation haye been waiting and longing a natiunal salvation and an individual salvation in the kingdom uf uod let us mark well also the inspired utterance of the apostle thne is none other name under heaven given among men whrr/·hy we must be saved this would be a diffieult il s~on for his hearers to reeeive it would mean a total revolutlun ot their theorirs hopcs aims plans and projects it would ml an that thpy had been wrong utterly wrong in all thl ir expectations for some time it would mean that they h td as teaehers bcl n mi representing the divine plan and llli,lpading the people the apostle s course however was plain it w s propl r that he s,hould state t~lc matter clearly without peradventure that his hearers might have a full te~timony respecting the truth the ap0 3t1e s words are a hard saying today also in the nominal church false doctrines have made it appear an iinrrasonahle r:tatement in the minds of christian people ,senrrally they say this cannot be so because if true it woul,l mean that the heathen are lost if true it would mran that our friends and neighbors and relatives who have never believed in the name of jesus who have never accepted him as their savior are lost and by lost they would mean onl into rtrrnal torment thus does false doctrine be lr~ji anll contradict the truth but how beautifully and how simply might the apostle s words be received just as they are if all could but realize that the whole world was already lost already condemned by one man s disobedience already under sentence of dcath and passing into it peter s declaration is that only those who have accepted jesus have yet come under the terms of the only salvation god has provided and sinec .jesug tasted death for every man it follows that in god s due time every man must come to an opportunity of hearing of the only name and of accepting the one salvation this opportuillty according to the hcriptures will be during j ies~iah s reign in the millennial age when the knowledge of the lord will fill the whole earth anll all the families of the earth shall be blessed by the glorified christ and his glorified church uniterlly the spiritual seed of abraham cai 3 16 29 jer 31 34 blindrd by the inconsistencies of doctrincs receive!l from the dark ages many of the lord s profegsed prople are today grappling with this question of who shall be sayed many or few and fail to sre that the greater part of god s plan of salvation is to come after the calling and perfel,ting of the elect the church thinking that the pre,ent life ends all trial for every creature many arc convillcing tllpmselves that the apostle erred and that instead of one name only being glyeh for salvation there are many names-including those of heathen divinities and teaehers they fail to see the ransom and its importance as paving the way for teaching of any value or assistance hcnce they vainly hope that the ministries of confucius and othrrs will somehow or othrr save them srparate and apart from christ whom the nptures declare to be god s appointed savior for the holl 0i1d.and of whom peter under the plenary inspiration of the holy spijit declares that his is the only name whprl hy lhatlou must be obtained if obtained at all these false hopl tllrn the eyrs of many away so tlmt they ce:lse to look for the god-ordained sun of righteousne~s who,e beams we are promi ed shall shortly enlighten and bless aii i lai 4 2 very evidently the testing fur the saints in tid l thi of the age is coming along this very line-belief or unlh lid in the testimony which god has given us through hl 3 son and through his chusen apostles the twelve those who are faithful to the yonl of the lord will come off conqupror those who yield to human theory miscallrd wisdom will fail will stumble will be separated from the true wheat the entire remnant of whieh must shortly be gathered into the garner ve thank god that this stumbling and unbelief will not mean the seeond death to all who stumble becau 3e very few today evidently have that sufficiency of light and opportunity essential to a sentenee to the sreond death very few obtain their full trial ve are to judge ourselves closely however and build no falge hopes for ourselves if we are among the favored few who have tasted the good word of god and been made partakers of the holy spirit ye are to remember the apostle s caution that such as have enjoyed these favors if they should fall away would be doing despite to god s grace and would afterward find no place for repentance iieb 10:29 with him-called and chosen and faithful because considerable intrrest is being manifested by our readers on the subject of the gospel age call and the prospects of those who have consecrated themselves to the lord since lrsi we take this occasion to present some thoughts supplrmental to what we have already presented in our issue of nov i 1l01 and in dawn vol iii pages 212-216 the terms of the gospel are necessarily those of a call or invitation leaving the matter of acceptance open and optional with the invited ones hence we read many are called but few chosen and note that the invited are advised not commanded to make their calling and their election sure by compliance with the turns of their call matt 20:14 2 pet i 10 commands to accept an invitation to joint-heirship with christ and penalties for not accepting that invitation would be as incongruous s to have given a call or invitation to keep the law covenant or in the millennium to invite the keeping of the laws then to be promulgated we cannot even suppose that the holy angels are merely invited to obey the divine m:mdates ye mu~t suppose that they are under a law commanding their obedience we must assume that they have murh of the spirit expressed by our dear master who is represented as saying i delight to do thy will 0 my gorl thy law is written in my heart if this were not thrir attiturle they would surely not be holy angels the reasonableness of a creator through his representative giving his just and good commands rather than invitations becomes so apparent upon a little reflection that we want to scrutinize all the more closely this question why did god during this age apparently depart from so reasonable a rule and instead to allure us with a high-calling inviting us to become joint-heirs with his son in the kingdom why does he send word to us saying ye are not under the law but under grace favor the reason is that divine law can demand no more than even-handf d jl1stice and the lord s purpose during this gospel age is to select a little flock along lines of self-denial sacrifice beyond what .justice could demand hence of necessity this must be accomplished by a call-an invitation with exceeding great and precious promises attached as incentives that by these we might [be encouraged to faithfulness and 80 become partakers of the divine nature in the kingdom -2 pet 1:4 god foreknew us we were elect according to the foreknowledge of god the father and whom he did foreknow he al~o did predestinate must be conformed to the image of his son iie determined in advance that as the son must pass through severe tests before being accepted to the divine nature so also all who would be acceptable to joint-heirship with him must exhibit and demonstrate that they have his pirit that they are copies of him the very image of him in thrir heartg and the object of this gospel age is to call and find and test this predetermined class i pet 1:2 rom 8:29 the promises made to the seed of abraham though appro[2940]

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january is 1902 zion s watch tower the predestined number of the elect 24-25 priated by the twelve tribes of israel without divine disapproval belonged really to antitypical israel-spiritual israel the natural seed as natural branches in the olivetree representing divine favor were allowed to grow for a time and be tested but on failure they were broken off;new branches coming forward continually until our lord s first advent the branches then in place were specially favored with the offer of the highest spiritual favor-not under the law but under grace but few a remnant were in the heart-condition to appreciate and accept this great favor the majority clung to attempts at self-justification and like their fathers were broken off then the message was broadened the invitation went to the gentiles wild olive branches to fill up the places of the broken off natural branches to complete the foreordained number of the elect the total number of branches in the tree is 144,000 springing from twelve main limbs or tribes keeping up the scriptural figure we may say that as we who were by nature gentiles are grafted into the abrahamic covenant we are reckoned as members of the original twelve tribes sealed spiritual israelites-until the predestined number 144,000 shall have been completed the methods by which the lord has proceeded to call these elect are worthy of careful notice 1 our lord declares that he called sinners in israel to repentance this call was no part of our high calling to a share with christ in the heavenly kingdom but it was a preparatory step guilty sinners are not invited to nor desired in the kingdom the call to faith and repentance if heartily accepted by the sinner brings him justification from sm-release from divme condemnation-reconciliation with the father 2 being justified by faith [after repentancel we have peace with god [realizing that our sins and imperfections are covered through the sacrifice of our lord jesus christ by whom also [additionally we have access into this grace wherein we stand [viz rejoicing in the hope of the glory of gorl the hope of sharing the kingdom glories of our lord jesus how did we gain access into this grace after justification by another call or another part of the one call-god mlled us to glory and virtue [excellence 2 pet 1 3 rom 5:1 2 in a general way all repentant believers justified are called or invited to consecrate themselves to the lord becau~e as each starts out desirous of doing right with no thought of self-sacrifice he goes but a short distance until he hllds grpat opposition to right-doing and even to rightthinking he finds his opposition coming not only from the woil<1 and the devil as he might have expected but also from his own flesh and from nominal christians these four opponents harass the newly justified will-whiles in anger whiles in pity and sympathy-declaring that the right way is an impossible one and that an attempt even to follow it will mean the ruin of every earthly prospect the effectual calling this is a testing time will the justified one heed the voices of the world the flesh and the devil and choose a downward or at least a compromise path or will he heed the voice of god inviting him to walk in the footsteps of jesus in the narrow way which leads to glory honor and immortality if he obeys god s invitation he is one of the effectually called his acceptance means a full consecration to god a renouncing of all earthly hopes and prospects to obey god rather than self or others and to have the blesslllgs god has provided for his faithful though at this stage he cannot clearly discern the reward this is self-sacrifice god s acceptance of the sacrifice the consecration is guarantepd by the terms of the general call further it is attested by recpipt of ·the spirit of holiness the spirit of the truth additionally by an ability to discern spiritual things and to comprehend with all saints the heights and depths and lengths and hreadths of the love of god ejlh 3 18 sllice our standing is the result of our acceptance of god s graciour call and since the father seeketh only such as worship and serve him in spirit and in truth it follows that 111 the exercise of our free wills we may if we choose renounce our con~ecration withdraw our sacrifice and thenceforth walk after the f1csh and not after the spirit but whoever does so of course loses the spirit of god the spirit of his begetting to the new nature he is no longer to be classed among those begotten of god he is of those who draw back unto perdition destruction second death nonentity he who is in the bcgotten condition sinneth not [willingly designedly or preferably because his seed [the holy spint remaineth 111 him while it remains he cannot love or willingly serve sm heb 10:39 1 john 3:9 iv-13 the more our knowledge and experience expand our judgments the smaller is apt to be ou.r estimate of the number who ever reach the point of making such a consecration or self-sacrifice as we have above delineated and on the other hand growing experience is apt to convince us that comparatively few of these who have consecrated themselves fully and intelligently ever draw back in the sense of vj1,llmgly and heartily renouncing the lord and their covenant obligations the large numbers who profess conversion during revivals etc and soon fall away are not to be reckoned as of this class they merely heard a call to repentance and reformation a call which any and all are authorized to make at any time the majority never progressed beyond repentance even to the extent of justtfication j-the chaffy confused presentations of most of revivalists and so-called teachers being quite insufficient knowledge to lead even to justifying faithmuch less to sanctifying faith accepting the word caued as applying only to those who come under the conditions of justification and subsequent full sanctification through a behef of the truth and admitting th.at these in all have been very few at any period-truly a httle f1ock can we suppose the number so small as 144,000 from pentecost until now examining our own day and the views of consecration now prevalent and the general scarcity of that quality;remembering that love for the truth and the hrethren is among the tests of devotion to god remembering too that a knowledge of present truth is to be an indication of those now close to the lord in favor we are inclined to look into the past with far less optimism than in years past vith a clearer eye than formerly for what constitutes a saint and a martyr beheaded for the witne~s of jesus we incline to think that but few of the millions of martyrs were really saints from the scriptural standpoint for instance st bartholomew s day-and its slaughter of french huguenots have we any sound reason for supposing that the hapless victims were any more saintly or more sinful than the galileans who suffered death at the hands of pilate or than the eighteen upon whom the tower of siloam feu and slew them or than a like number sluin today in paris or london or berlin or vienna or rome or st petersburg or washington today when religious questions have been largely removed from the arena of party striff it is somewhat difficult for us to realize that in olden time all politics turned chiefly on religious questions suppose that the boers were catholics and the british protestants or the filipinos prote~tant8 and the amcn uns atlloll ull tlh jl imagine how partizan historians could write up both si

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26-27 zion s watch tower allegheny pa the glories of the reward not shunning to declare the whole counsel of god yes it was afterward-after the apostles fell asleep-that the mixed and misrepresenting preaching drew and droye multitudes into an apostate system tares to choke the wheat and even though the apostles through faithful preaching of the truth kept out the tares in their day we find that the congregations which they e ltablished were not by any means all saints st paul s epistles generally indicate this for he ~ometimes addre lses them to the saints and faithful brethrcn and to those called to be saints in these epistles too he intimates that many are called compared to the number who will make their calling and election sure lie urgt thelll to take ht ed lest any should seem to come short of the re luirt ments but to so run as to obtain the prize ht ih we could not count all of the household of faith then any more than now in the number of the final overcomers,144.000 1 f wt kcep in memory the apostle s statement that god s bpecial fayors light etc have come upon the ends of the ages 1 cor 10 11 and note its correctness that special light and favor came at the first end and now al lo at the lattl r end of this go~pp age it will be helpful in this study we might almo t he jlj tificd in expecting that the first and la t h.tlf-centllrie of this age haye not only enjoyed special light and fa or ljut possibly may supply a full half of the eled tillmljer the great company whose number no man knows also that education being much more general no,w a more extensive and intensive harvest work is possible now than in the jewish harvest on the whole we cannot think that these figures can be considered immoderate the wise shall understand dan 12:10 but another matt r i l to be considered the 144,000 are the called and eho len and faithful the overcomers whereas the real converts the true saints in the apostle l day alhl sinee include not only the overcomers who make their l allill an,l elpction surt ijut also those [probably few who draw hack and become ubjeetr of the recond ueath reb 0 6 1{j :1 and also those who-while not rejecting the lord nor tnrnin to love sin-still fail to fulfi their sacrifiee wilh zeal and becoming overeharged with the cares of this life ean only be raved so as by fire and must come up ont of great tribulation and wash their robes and make them willtp in the blool of the lamb and take a lower place than that to which they were called rev 7 :9-14 would it be safe to estimate that this great company who-e number is known to no man because unlike the little flock it was not predestmated and consists of such only as fail to reach the standard required would be twice as numerous as the little flock if so it would mean that the total numbcr of the truly sanctified and spirit-begotten during this gospel agp has been 432,000 but we are not to forget that no more than the 144,000 could be under invitation at one time because it is not reasonable to suppose that god would ever invite anyone for whom there would be no place if he proved faithful a comparative estimate of the election this brings us to another point we believe that the lord meant us to understand that one evidence of faithfulness today would be a knowledge of present truth this seems to be the only possible dedurtion from the parable of the ten virgins from the apostle s words in 1 thes 5 4 etc and is it not as reasonable to suppose that the elect will a learn of our lord s second presence as that every israelite indeed was informed of our lord s first advent in that separating of wheat from chaff we are to remember however that some of those who at first were in such darkness that they persecuted the faithful were subsequently rescued from their blindness and became zealous brethren and servants of the truth so here our thought is that none could now be esteemed overcomers victors while ignorant of our lord s parousw etc but we believe that many if not the majority of the above mentioned 31,500 still in darkness may yet prove amenable to their consecration and come into the light of present truth as is genera y understood we believe the prophetic scrip tures to teach that the general ca or invitation ceased in issi and on the foregoing calculation this wou~d imp~y tllat the conjectured 31,500 conscerated were wlliten 111 the lamb s book of life at that date as fu y sanctified persons who had presented their a to the lord in living saerifice to walk in the footsteps of jesus our hypothesis being correct these 31,500 have been on trial for now over twenty years and meantime the only chance for others to come into this elect clolss has been as the trial time of some of these may have lapsed without the making their eallmg and election sure thelr names being blotted out of the lamb s book of life and their claims upon crowns of life being forfeited as our lord forewarned rev 2 10 3 11 they being numbered either among god s enemies heb 10:26 27 or among those whom the son will deliver so as by fire in the great company of revelation 7 :9 13 if we are correct in supposing that a knowledge and confession of present truth are essential to overcommg now we may give a fall guess at the number thus far faithful from the watch tower lists and our general knowledge of the friends a liberal estimate would be 10,000 walkmg in the light of present truth and sanctified thereby this would leav 21,500 yet in darkness and probably most of them in babylon of the 10,000 whom we will assume that we know our estimate would be that nearly or quite one half of them were not consecrated in 18s1 not amongst the 31,500 accepting this as a basis of estimate it would teach us what the wise virgins going in to the wedding suppose for instance that 45.000 made fu consecration during the remainder of the first century and that one out of three gained the victor s crown that would represent 15,000 of the elect the result say of 6r years labor of the apostles garnering the ripe wheat of the jewish uation ann starting the work among such gentiles as were feeling after god if haply thpy might find him if for every period of 6s ypars from the year 100 to the year issi a d we estimate the results to have been one fourth what they were under the vpry favorable apostolic ministration it would probably be very hheral viz 3,750 we are not to forget that in israel as the master said the field were already white for harnsting in those fiplds the apostles needed not to do sowing bnt merely to gatllt r in the fruitage of the law dispensation after the erpam of the gentiles had also been gathered in the work would surely go more slowly calculating on this reasonable and liberal basis the year a d is81 would see 112,500 who had already finished their course with joy as overcomers and a remainder of 31,500 yet needed to complete the predestinated number or if the perfect fruitage of the apostolic period were estimated at 12,000 and the remainder on the same basis the total number garnered up to iss 1 would have been 90,000 leaving a balance of 54,000 to be perfected since issi a d up to say 1910 for our estimates let 11 1 take the former figures as being very conservative viz 31.500 to be developed during say 30 years this would be considcrably above the ratio estimated for the apostolic period but we are not to forget on the other hand that this is the harvest time for christendom -many timt s mol e numt rous than was fleshly israel ve are not to forget either that not only present-day inventions convpn1pi cps etc pprmit pach lahorpr to do more work but it would teach us that since 1881 about 5,000 had gone on falthfu y and been granted the light of present truth and have good hopes if they stand fast that they will finish their course with joy-m death it implies that the 5,000 who hllve consecrated lmrl rf ceived the light of pre lent truth since 15hl took tile places of 5,000 whose period of probation ended without proving them so far ovel comer a to be worthy of the light thus 10,000 of the 31,500 are already disposed of now of the 21,500 yet to be dealt with what may we expect i that one third or possibly one half the number wiii yet prove them~elves overcomers rev 15:2-4 20:4 and 2 that the remamder-l0,000 to 14,000 -would lepre lent the numbers of those whom we might expect yet to come into divine favor by a full consecration to take the places vacated and prospective crowns forfeited by the oyp charged and more than th is we mn ~t i eckon that of those consecrating now even in the light of pre~ent truth there must be a te lting a sifting and that if one half of the smallcr e~tlmate fail it would mean 5,000 more to make consecration and stand testing and if one half of th ~p filii it would mean 2,500 more and so on ye should not forget however that those entering the race now have many advantages i ve may a~sume in harmony with reason and our observation i that a considerable number who have con lecrate d since 18sl haye been under the lord s care and instruction along tit line of dis iplllle and eholl ucter-bui1<1i!l with a vicw to their helllg aceeptl d to fill the places of those fail1l1g to make the.r ealling and election mre to joint-heirrhip in the kingdom 2 we may assume that since ow general call ha5 rea le,l none of these would be instructed in the deep things of go l except as tlle y are pt rmitted to take their places in the race 3 we may exppd thnt those conf,t rated iii 18rl must dose th ir proh l [2942]

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