“Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:23, 24.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 289.3

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:18.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 289.4

God has a dwelling-place in the heavens, yet not so that anybody can locate Him in one place to the exclusion of all others; for He is everywhere; He fills all things. “Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:7-10.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 289.5

Therefore all creation is the temple of the living God. The Jews and the Samaritans quarrelled over whether God's house was in Jerusalem or in Samaria. If they had but known the Scriptures, they would have known that even the desolate wilderness is the house of God, and the gate of heaven. See Genesis 28:10-17. “Verily Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of lsrael the Saviour.” Isaiah 45:15. Yet He does not hide Himself so that He cannot be found. Whoever uses his eyes, may see God revealed in every plant and tree, in every flowing stream, and in the birds that fly in the heavens. See Romans 1:30.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 289.6

From this it follows that man also forms a part of God's great temple. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16. Read the whole of this chapter, and the two chapters following, and you will readily see that this language is addressed not to perfected saints, but to men who are living in sin. It is the Spirit's strongest appeal to men to live holy lives. God makes men His temples, in order that He may sanctify them by His presence.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 290.1

The question at once suggests itself, If all creation, even fallen nature; is the temple of God, how is it that in His temple everything says, Glory? It is not ours to question how God's Word can be true, but by believing it to see its truth. The seraphim, who stand above God's throne, beholding Him day and night, declare, that “the whole earth is full of His glory,” or, “the fulness of the whole earth is His glory.” Isaiah 6:3. We are daily witnesses of this. In spite of the curse upon the earth, the glory of God manifests itself. From the bare trees of winter, victims of the curse of death, spring forth the green leaves and bright blossoms of spring, revealing the resurrection power and glory of the Lord. Every beauteous bud, every delicately-tinted flower, every gleam of sunshine, is but the shining forth of the glory of God, which cannot be wholly veiled even by the curse. The songs of the birds are but the echo of the voice that is heard in the chorus of the angels before the throne of God.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 290.2

But there are many men who use their voices only in blasphemy of the holy name of God; how do they say, Glory? Again we must remember that belief of God's Word gives us the explanation of it. God says that everything says, Glory, and so it must be. Every man who lives and moves is a monument of God's love and power “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” Acts 17:25. Even the foul language with which debased men pollute God's temple, is an unconscious testimony to God's longsuffering and lovingkindness, and therefore a witness “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” God makes even the wrath of men to praise Him. The fact that God gives men the breath with which they deny Him, shows His glorious grace.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 290.3

God's will is sure to be done on earth even as it is done in heaven. No adversary can thwart God's will, which is that “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14. Such is His glorious power that He advances His cause even by the attempts of the enemy to thwart it. Willingly or unwillingly, every creature that God has created, must contribute to His glory and praise. How much better to have it done with our consent, than against it! Since God can do such marvellous things and show the wonders of His glory even through those who are in opposition to Him, what can He not do with those who yield themselves to Him? Therefore “yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God,” that ye may glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 290.4

“Studies from the Gospel of John. Denying the Lord. John 18:15-27” The Present Truth 15, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

John 18:15-27

Jesus had suffered Himself to be taken by the armed men which Judas had conducted, and was by them bound and led away to the mock trial. The disciples had protested that nothing could induce them to leave Him; but this was because they did not know what was coming. They were sure that they would not forsake the One who had so tenderly cared for them; and yet had showed Himself so mighty to deliver. They could not conceive of Him in any other state than as they had seen Him going about scattering blessings everywhere, except as they thought of Him taking the kingdom to Himself, driving out the Romans, correcting the abuses that had crept into the Jewish priesthood, and reigning in pomp and majesty. But now they saw Him bound and led away unresistingly; and although they had witnessed the power of the simple words “I AM” which He uttered, they could not hold out against the overwhelming shock of His capture, and “they forsook Him and fled.” Mark 14:50.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 290.5

Even Peter who had been most zealous in his protestation of loyalty to the Master and who had been valiant enough with the sword, could not keep his courage in the face of the Master's apparent defeat, and he fled with the rest; but when he found that the mob was content with Jesus, that it was the Shepherd and not the sheep they were after, he turned round and “followed afar off.” Luke 22:54.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 290.6

We may be sure that it was not mere curiosity that prompted Peter to follow. He had intense love for Jesus, even as had the other disciples. True, they had not yet attained to that perfect love that casteth out all fear, but they loved Him nevertheless, even though they fled in terror.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.1

John was an acquaintance of the high priest, and so found ready access to the palace. Peter was stopped at the door, but through the influence of John was admitted. As he passed in, the girl that kept the door recognised him, or thought she did, and said, “Art thou not one of this man's disciples?” Peter said, “I am not.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.2

Peter's love for the Master caused him to desire to be as near Him as possible, for he was anxious to see what the outcome would be. Yet it was a perilous time, and he would not endanger himself by seeming to be very much interested in the affair. So he joined the group of servants and officers who stood round the fire, warming themselves, “and Peter stood with them warming himself.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.3

It is not difficult to picture to ourselves the state of Peter's mind. Intensely fearful for his own safety, yet anxious about Jesus, compelled by fear to seem to be one of the indifferent crowd about the fire, listening to their rough jokes and loose gossip, which he could not have joined in even if his mind had not been distracted by anxious thought for the Master, and under the necessity of seeming to share in the conversation in which he had no interest and took no part, at the same time straining his ears to hear what passed between Jesus and His merciless persecutors. It was no pleasant position in which he found himself. It is never an easy thing to act a double part, and the circumstances in this case made it doubly trying. Besides, Peter was not hypocritical by nature, but blunt and outspoken. It was his fear that was swaying him now.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.4

But Peter could not succeed in concealing his identity. Indeed, it is most likely that his very efforts to do so made it the more difficult. He was not one of the unfeeling crowd, and could not make himself appear so. He was ill at ease. He could not conceal the deep feeling that he had, and this uneasiness could not but draw the attention of the others to him as he “stood and warmed himself.” “They said therefore unto him, Art thou not also one of His disciples? He denied it and said, I am not.” Verse 25. This was the second positive denial of Christ that evening.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.5

This, however, was not the end. The very words in which Pete, denied the Lord, served to mark him as one of His disciples. Jesus was known as the prophet from Galilee, and His disciples were also Galileans, who spoke with an accent noticeably different from that of the dwellers in Judea and Jerusalem. So “they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them, for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.” But the more he denied, the more was attention fastened upon him. And “one of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with Him?” John 18:26.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.6

This was bringing Peter into close quarters. He was not only in danger because of his connection with Jesus, but he was likely to suffer because of his rash zeal in the garden. The relative of the wounded man might be inclined to take revenge, if the act were settled upon Peter. And so doubly frightened Peter began to curse and to swear, saying, “I know not the man of whom you speak.” Mark 14:71. Alas, what a change was this from the loyal Peter in the upper chamber in loving communion with Jesus a few hours before.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.7

All this is recorded for our learning; but unfortunately we too often miss the lesson. It is easier to censure Peter's cowardice than to avoid it. Peter is not the only disciple who has denied his Lord. In fact, the flight of the eleven when Jesus was bound, was in itself a tacit denial of Him. Peter's denial was more marked than that of the rest, but this was but the natural recoil from his boastful profession of faithfulness: “Though all men should be caused to stumble because of Thee, yet will I never be caused to stumble.” Matthew 26:33. (See margin of revision.)PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.8

Moreover Peter's use of the sword tended to his discomfiture. If he had not used violence, he would have had no special cause for fear. Men are often applauded for bravery which they show in defending the right, or what they conceive to be right, with weapons of war. But that sort of defence, however zealously conducted, may be in reality only a manifestation of cowardice. It requires much more bravery quietly to suffer than fiercely to repel assault. Quiet endurance of injury is a far better expression of real zeal for Christ than are loud professions and vigorous blows.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.9

There is a truth here that needs special emphasis at this time. Would that every Christian gathering might have this lesson strongly set before them. There is scarcely a meeting without resolutions denouncing this or that evil. Religious leaders become almost frenzied in their passionate denunciation of men and measures which they think, and which may really be, opposed to Christ and Christianity. They vie with one another in strong expressions of loyalty to Christianity, and hatred of evil doing; yet when the test comes to them personally to suffer alone and unknown for the truth's sake, too often they are ready to compromise. It is well to speak boldly for truth, but it is better to hold to the truth and say nothing, than to use strong language for it and not live it.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.10

In Titus 1:16, we read of some “who profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him.” This is done every time a professed follower of Christ does that which is inconsistent with the character of Christ. “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.” Galatians 3:27. Whether one has had the reality of this experience or not, the act of baptism indicates that one surrenders himself to Christ; yea, more than this, that he lays down his own life, and takes the life of Christ, so that it is no longer he, but Christ who lives and walks about among men. The old man is declared to be dead, and the new man who takes his place is the Man Christ Jesus. So he calls himself by the name of Christ-a Christian. Now so long as he professes to be a Christian, he says by everything which he does, “This is the way Christ does; this is Christ's character.” But if he does those things which are inconsistent with the character of Jesus of Nazareth, then he is denying Him as surely as Peter did, and his guilt may be even greater than was Peter’s.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 291.11

One may deny Christ by his association with others, even though he utter not a word. Peter's mingling with the rude, unfeeling crowd in the court room was in itself a denial of Christ. Not that it was wrong to associate with sinners; this Jesus Himself did; He went in with publicans and sinners and ate with them. But it must be remembered that when Jesus associated with sinners, He did not try to make it appear that He was one of them. He associated with them to win them by His kindness and His example to a better life. And although His demeanour was such that they could associate with Him familiarly, yet when He most appeared to be one with them, there was always apparent the fact that He was far different from them. To stand in the crowd, or sit in the assembly where the rude jest and the coarse talk, and possibly the reviling of that which is good and pure, show that they are the enemies of Christ, is to deny Him, even though one say not a word. Unless one's very presence is a rebuke to sin, it is a countenancing of it: and that is a denial of Christ. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.1

It was the offence of the cross that caused the disciples to flee, and Peter to deny his Lord. It was not that they loved Christ any the less, but because they were unexpectedly brought face to face with a condition which they had not calculated upon. They had not taken the shame of the cross into consideration when they followed Christ. Jesus had told them of it repeatedly, in order that they might be prepared for this very time, but they had not comprehended His words. They had not counted the cost. They had been willing to accept Jesus as King, even though He was in poverty, and was hated and rejected by the priests and elders, because His power was visibly manifested before them. But they had not learned that God chooses things that are not to bring to naught things that are. So when Jesus seemed to have no power at all in the hands of the mob and on the cross, they failed.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.2

If we would not make the same failure, we must make provision for the cross in our lives. We must not repeat that since to be a Christian is to have a name greater than that of the kings of the earth, we shall therefore always be held in high esteem because of our profession. We must remember that the world is in deadly opposition to Christ, and that the world never becomes converted. “Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4. There can, therefore, be no more positive denial of Christ, than to be like the world, or to seem to be like the world. “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2. Know that that which is highly esteemed by the world is an abomination to the Lord; and that “the base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen.” 1 Corinthians 1:28. The cross of Christ, which the world looks upon with scorn, is the power of God. Therefore “think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings.” 1 Peter 4:12. Confession of Christ means nonconformity to the world; and those who confess Him in His humiliation will be acknowledged by Him when He comes in His glory. Therefore let our sincere prayer be, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.3

“The Gospel of Isaiah. The Sure Foundation. Isaiah 28:14-18” The Present Truth 15, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

(ISAIAH 28:14-18, LOWTH'S TRANSLATION.)

14. Hear ye the word of JEHOVAH, ye scoffers;
Ye of this people in Jerusalem, who utter
sententious speeches:PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.4

15. Who say, we have entered into a covenant
with death;
And with the grave we have made a treaty:
The overflowing plague, when it passeth
through shall not reach us:
For we have made falsehood our refuge;
And under deceit we have hidden ourselves.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.5

16. Wherefore thus said the Lord JEHOVAH:
Behold, I lay in Sion for a foundation a stone,
an approved stone;
A corner-stone, precious, immovably fixed:
He, that trusteth in Him, shall not be con-
founded.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.6

17. And I will mete out judgment by the rule;
And the strict justice by the plummet:
And the hall shall sweep away the refuge of falsehood;
And the hiding-place the waters shall over-
whelm.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.7

18. And your covenant with death shall be broken;
And your treaty with the grave shall not
stand:
When the overflowing plague passeth through,
By it shall ye be beaten down.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.8

Let the student read carefully again the first portion of this chapter, together with the twenty-second verse, and remember that the instruction and warnings given are for us no less than for the people in Isaiah's time. The word of the Lord is living, and is addressed to us just as directly as though we heard the tones of the prophet's voice.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.9

The word of the Lord is here to those who are proud in their own conceit; who know so much in their own estimation that they are not willing to be taught. Scorning to be thought so ignorant as to need the simple precepts of the Scriptures, “precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little,” they fail to learn anything. The case of those of whom the Apostle Paul speaks in Romans 1:22 is not peculiar to them. Whenever men profess themselves to be wise, they become fools; therefore, “if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” 1 Corinthians 3:18, 19.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 292.10

The foolishness of those who profess themselves to be wise is seen from what they put their trust in for safety. They say, “We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.” Isaiah 28:15. They have thought to anticipate God, and to head off punishment that He would bring. They have bribed death to protect them; but death and hell are poor protectors. Falsehood and lies cannot save. The only place of protection that death has is the grave. To be at agreement with hell, is deliberately to go to perdition. It is the kid fleeing to the tiger for protection from the bear.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 293.1

“No lie is of the truth.” Whoever, therefore, rejects truth chooses falsehood. There are many people who pride themselves upon their honesty, that are nevertheless hiding themselves under falsehood. They might not themselves tell deliberate lies, but truth is a unit, and whoever deliberately rejects any truth that comes to him, thereby rejects all truth. That portion of truth which he elects to retain, he changes into a lie. Romans 1:25. Satan works “with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10. And all who receive not the love of the truth will certainly perish, because it alone is a shield and buckler. See Psalm 91:4.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 293.2

Truth cannot be built up by a falsehood. Truth and falsehood have no connection. Truth is that which is, therefore truth is life. This is seen in the words of Christ, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6. And since truth is life, falsehood is death. So to make lies one's refuge, hoping by them to escape death, is like a man cutting his own throat to save his neck from the halter. Those who err from the truth, trusting in death to save them, have said, “When the overflowing scourge shall pass through it shall not come unto us.” “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make haste: judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place.” “And your covenant with death shall be disannulled and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 293.3

This sure foundation is truth, for Christ is the truth. John 14:6. And He is the only foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11) that will stand. Whatever is not in harmony with that will be swept away, for even death itself shall be destroyed.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 293.4

A foundation is that upon which one builds. In the Hebrew the word “to believe” is from a root which also has a specification, to build, to establish. In 2 Chronicles 20:20, “Believe in the Lord, so shall ye be established,” the words “believe” and “be established” are from the same Hebrew word, and the sentence might be rendered, “Build upon the Lord your God, so shall ye be built up.” Abraham built upon God when he believed in God.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 293.5

Christ is the sure foundation. He is also the Word, the living Word. He is the truth, and His word is truth. Whoever, therefore, builds upon His word, builds upon the rock, and when the rains descend, and the floods come, and the winds blow and beat upon that house, it does not fall. Matthew 7:25, 26. But whoever does not build upon His words,-that is to say, whoever does not let those words control him, and manifest themselves in his life,-builds upon the sand; and when the tide rises, and the rain descends, and the winds blow and beat upon that house, it will fall, and its destruction will be great. The rock will stand, because it is “the Rock of Ages.” “In the Lord Jehovah is the Rock of Ages.” Isaiah 26:4. Whoever builds upon God shall not be ashamed (Romans 9:33) nor confounded. 1 Peter 2:6. As the text says, “He shall not make haste.” He will not need to run when the storm comes, because he is already in a place of safety. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge, my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 293.6

This stone which God lays in Zion for a foundation is a “tried stone.” “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” God placed His character in Christ. He had pledged Himself to the redemption of the world, and sent Christ to do the work. He made a promise to Abraham, and to his seed, and confirmed it with an oath, that we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus. Hebrews 6:13-20. Thus we learn that God swore by Himself that He would forgive the sins of all who sought forgiveness through Christ. Jesus Christ is the manifestation of God. If Christ had failed or become discouraged because of the difficulties of His task, God's oath would have been broken; but if God's oath would have been broken, God's own life would have been forfeited; and since He is the Creator and upholder of all things, everything would have ceased to be. Now we can see how well tried is the foundation upon which we are asked to build. God placed Himself and the weight of the entire universe upon it, and it stood the test. Therefore, we can rest upon it in confidence. It is a precious stone to those who believe.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 293.7

The Word will be the only standard in the Judgment. The Word is righteousness, and righteousness will be the plumb line. The whole building must square with this foundation. Nothing must project over the edge; that is, nothing must go beyond the Word. Whatever is outside of the Word of God, will be swept away with the overflowing scourge. The hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies. Read Job 38:22, 23; Revelation 16:21.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 293.8

This tried stone which is laid for a foundation is a living stone. 1 Peter 2:4. Whoever comes in contact with it is made alive. Living things grow, and so in Christ “All the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.” We read, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith.” Colossians 2:6, 7. Thus we see that the house built upon Christ and His Word, is not like an ordinary house built by men, which simply stands upon its foundation, but it is a living house, built upon a living foundation, of which it becomes a part, so that the house and the foundation are as firmly joined together, and as much a part of each other; as the tree and its roots. Therefore, there is no danger that the house will be swept off from the foundation, and the foundation be left standing. Every one who stands on God's Word and lives by it, will stand as long as God lives, and will be as immovable as He.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 293.9

From the last lesson, in the first part of this chapter, we learn that those to whom the Lord is speaking, reject the simple instruction of His Word, and therefore they stumble and fall. They profess themselves to be wise, yet they stumble at that which is revealed to babes. Even so it is in their relation to this sure foundation, which the Lord lays, and upon which men are to build and be safe. While it is a foundation and a sanctuary, it is also a “stone of stumbling.” Isaiah 8:14. “As it is written, Behold I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.” Romans 9:33. Here the two passages of Isaiah are brought together, and we learn that the same Lord who is the foundation which builds up those who build upon it, and makes them a sanctuary, is at the same time a stumbling stone. If men will not place their feet upon that which is made for them to stand upon, then they stumble over it. So the very thing which is salvation to those that believe, is destruction to those who do not believe. See 1 Peter 2:6-8. This being the case, there is no possible chance left for anybody to accuse God of injustice. When that which causes some people's destruction is nothing other than the salvation which God provides for all men, God is surely clear when He judges.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 294.1

There are now fifteen Protestant churches in the city of Rome. In 1870 there were none.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 294.2

“Little Folks. God's Water-Carriers” The Present Truth 15, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

Nothing can live without water. Everything needs it,-the fishes live in it, the beasts drink it and bathe in it; the birds many of them, ducks, swans, and others, swim in it. And see how the little song-birds enjoy their morning bath, splashing the cool, refreshing drops all over their tiny bodies. The flowers, the trees, and all living things, need the water just as much as we do ourselves, and how could we possibly get an without it?PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.1

But there is only one way to get it, and that is from the clouds. “Oh, no;” perhaps you will say, “we have a ‘constant supply,’ and can get all the water we want just by turning on the tap.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.2

But where does this “constant supply” come from, and how does it happen that there is any water in the taps? It comes from the river; but where does the river get it? From the springs and mountain streams, which get it from the rain and snow that all falls from the clouds.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.3

Yes; all the water in our springs and fountains everywhere, the broad rivers rushing to the seas and oceans, once floated over our heads in the clouds. Think, then, of how much importance are these “waters above the firmament,” and how thankful we should be to see the clouds, even if they do sometimes shut out some of the bright sunshine from us.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.4

Read the eighteenth chapter of the first Book of Kings, and see how eagerly Elijah the prophet waited for the first sign of a cloud when one had not been seen for more than three years, and perhaps you will watch them with greater interest and thankfulness. For if we had all sunshine, and no clouds, everything would soon become parched and baked, and barren and dead; the earth would be a desert place where nothing could live.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.5

But God works through the sun itself to form the clouds. We read of Him that “He covereth Himself with light as with a garment, and stretcheth out the heavens like a curtain.” The powerful sunlight, God's glory streaming over the earth, itself creates this cloud curtain, which shelters the earth, and refreshes it with cool showers, and prevents it from being burned up and destroyed by its brightness.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.6

“I gaze o'erhead,
Where Thy hand hath spread,
For the waters of heaven their crystal bed,
And stored the dew
In its depths of blue
Which the fires of the sun come tempered
through.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.7

Here we see again what we have noticed so often, how “all things work together for good.” This will remind you of what we learned about the frost itself forming a protection from the cold, making a warm snow blanket for the earth, and an icy sheet to cover the waters. Also of how the sun, by painting the flowers and other things with deep colours makes them better able to endure its own heat. How gentle is our God in His greatness, and how fearless we may he in His presence.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.8

But now let us see how the clouds are formed by the sun, and how God works through it to draw up the waters into the air in the form of vapours. You have seen the steam rising from a pan of water on the stove, or from the copper when it was full of boiling water. This is because when water gets to a certain heat, it changes its form, and passes into the air as vapour or steam.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.9

The sunlight falling on the surface of the oceans, seas, rivers, and lakes all over the world, warms the water so that is evaporates, or turns into vapour. But why does this vapour rise upwards to the heavens, and float therein the way we talked of last week?PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.10

This, dear children, “the balancings of the clouds,” is “the wondrous work of Him who is perfect in knowledge.” When He made the firmament by His wisdom, and “stretched out the heavens by His discretion,” we are told that God “made a weight for the winds,” (the air) and “weighed the waters by measure.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.11

He “measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,” and weighed the air, and made them both exactly the right weight so that the watery vapours, being lighter, should rise and float in. the air, just as a cork does in the water because it is lighter than the water. (Some time we hope to tell you more about the weight and wonders of the air.)PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.12

And these watery vapours form the beautiful cloud curtain that we see in the firmament above our heads. They are God's water-carriers. They take up water from the places where there is abundance; then, borne up by the air, guided by the hand of God, and carried upon the wings of the wind, they carry the water to the places where it is needed, and pour it out upon the thirsty land.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.13

We must wait until next week to tell you more about the clouds and the rain, and God's beautiful bow that He has set in the clouds as the token of His love and faithfulness. Find in your Bibles all the verses you can that speak of these things. You will be surprised to find how many there are, and how much God tells us about His wonderful work of making the rain, and sending it upon the earth.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.14

“The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 298.15

“Jottings” The Present Truth 15, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

-Sheep are used as besets of burden in India and Persia.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.1

-The Russian Government has just placed a contract for the construction of a large warship and several large transport ships with a Danish shipbuilding firm.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.2

-The Treasury Department estimates that the Spanish-American War and its present struggle in the Philippines has cost the United States 300 million dollars up to May 1.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.3

-Another interesting fact has come out in the experiments with wireless telegraphy. It has been found that intervening cliffs do not in any way interfere with the passage or reception of the messages.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.4

-An Orkney mail steamer ran into a whale last week. A violent shock was felt and immediately afterwards a large whale rose under her quarter with a fearful gash in its body, and throwing up blood and water from its blowhole to a height of 15ft.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.5

-The exports of manufactured goods from the United States during March were greater by twenty-five per cent, than those of any previous month in the country's history. They were, also greater by fifty per cent. than the exports of February. The bulk of the goods were sent direct to Europe.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.6

-Russia continues to gain ground in Peria, and is planning for the extension of a railway along the Persian-Turkish frontier. A Russian Mining society has leased from the Shah nearly the whole of northern Persia for purpose of exploitation.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.7

-A terrible disaster has occurred in a Russian gold mine. A shaft in which ninety-nine men were working collapsed, owing to an inrush of water, and sixty-two of the miners were killed The remainder were saved with difficulty, most of them being seriously injured.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.8

-An agreement has been come to between England and Russia by which England has agreed not to undertake or encourage any railways by English persons or others north of the Great Wall, and Russia has made a similar promise with respect to the basin of the Yangsee.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.9

-A Baptist clergyman of Georgia who has been preaching earnestly against lynching has incurred the anger of the mob, who wreaked the interior of his church, one of the finest in the Southern States, afterwards flooding it. The clergyman declared that he will continue to denounce the evil.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.10

-Cardinal Vaughan has had several audiences with the Pope, and each time the question discussed was ritualism and the best means of exploiting the Anglican crisis for the benefit of Roman Catholicism in England. The Pope has approved a project for the organisation in England of a great pilgrimage to Rome, and will utilise the occasion for a further appeal to the ritualists to enter the Roman Church.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.11

-A peculiar victory for temperance Is reported from Pennsylvania where the Catholic Abstinence Society has succeeded in closing a brewery carried on by the Benedictine monks. The produce of the brewery was famous throughout the States and was advertised as the only beer sanctioned by the Pope. It brought a big revenue to the Roman Catholic church. The strangest thing about it is that the beer will still be made for the monks and their friends.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.12

-The Brooklyn clergyman who has taken to preaching sermons from popular authors instead of from the Bible, has now gone a step further. He commenced a prayer with the first two verses of Tennyson's “In Memoriam,” and closed it with the last two lines of “Crossing the Bar.” The congregation seemed delighted with the innovation. Still, if a man does not preach the word faithfully, it makes little difference what else be preaches, for it will be all alike unprofitable.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.13

-In a recent prosecution for obtaining money under false pretences, a chemist gave evidence that a patent medicine which cost 2 1/2nd. per bottle was sold for two shillings and ninepence. It was claimed to be a cure for varicose veins, but the chemist said that it might be sold just as well for a hair-wash. It had little or no medical value. He went on to say, “Many patent medicines are absolute frauds. They depend for their success not so much on their intrinsic merits as on extensive advertising.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.14

-Mr. Goschen, speaking in jest, said some true things about the navy at the Royal Academy banquet. He referred to the “long, low, evil-looking hulls” of the torpedo-boat destroyers, the “wickedest things afloat,” and other “diabolical craft.” But if they are diabolical, they are of the devil, and this vainglorious parade of England's power for destruction, is but the evidence that the Board of Admiralty, and the nation whom they represent, are following submissively in the path to perdition of the fallen angels. Satan is a murderer, and those who multiply contrivances to accomplish more effectively the deeds of their father, are manifestly his children.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.15

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 19.

E. J. Waggoner

“The kingdom of God is ... righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Romans 14:17. This kingdom is within men. Luke 18:21.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.16

It is through much tribulation that we enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22. This does not mean merely that one must pass through much trouble before entering heaven, but that one attains to righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost only through tribulation. “Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope.” Romans 5:3, 4.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.17

Let no one therefore think that the best man is the one who is free from temptations. Far from it. If you see a man whose peace flows as a river, you may know that he has passed through the most terrible temptations, and that he maintains his peace only by waging a constant and desperate warfare with the tempter. True, there will be little seasons when the devil will leave him, but only that he may renew the attack.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.18

This is seen in the case of the One perfect Man, Jesus Christ. He “suffered, being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18. He is the “tried Stone,” and therefore He is the sure Foundation. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin, and therefore He is able to succour them that are tempted. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice. lnasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings.” 1 Peter 4:12, 13. “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-4.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.19

Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” John 14:33. The greatest tribulations that any man can suffer are the temptations that Satan brings to him through his flesh. Even persecutions are temptations of the devil, to cause men to abandon the faith. But Jesus gives this comfort for our tribulation: “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” His victory is always at hand. “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.20

This is the comfort which the Lord gives us in tribulation,-the comfort of victory assured, and that the temptation makes us partakers of the joy and peace of Christ's kingdom. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the suffering of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.21

Are you fiercely tried and tempted? Then know that God has something for you to do. If you have been used by the Lord to do some good work, then is the time that Satan will take to seek to overthrow you, to prevent your being so used again. Are you engaged in some special work to which the Lord has called you? then expect that Satan will tempt you sorely, hoping thereby to hinder or stop the work. Do not make the mistake of envying some saint his “easy life,” and do not become discouraged, and think that you are reprobate because you are subject to the fiercest temptations; but know that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.22

“There are so many different doctrines, so many theories, all claiming to be the truth, that I cannot tell what to believe. How can l know which is the truth?”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.23

The answer is easy. The Saviour has given a sure guide in these words: “My teaching is not Mine, but His that sent Me. If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” John 7:16, 17, R.V.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.24

Do not make a mistake in reading this. It does not say that if any man wishes to argue, he shall know of the teaching. Not if any man wishes to be able to make a display of learning, or be able to silence an opponent, or to be regarded as a leader; none of these things; but, if any man wishes to do the will of God.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.25

Truth is for use, and God gives every man all that he will use. No man can have more, for that which is not used flits away. Truth is life, and life is activity, motion. Water that stands, loses its life. No man has any life except that which animates him; even so no man can have any truth except that which manifests itself in his life.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.26

Whoever has the truth of God will necessarily use it for the benefit of others, for no man can receive the blessing of God without being a blessing; we are to be “good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” But in the search for truth we are to lose sight of everything but that, and the desire that it may have its proper place in our lives. Seek the truth for yourself alone, that is, that you yourself may do the will of God, and you will be certain to find it, whether you dwell in the crowded city or alone in the desert. And when you have it as your own life, it will flow out in streams of blessing to others, as surely as the rain falls from heaven.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.27

Nothing in nature is selfish. The clouds gather up the moisture from the sea, carry it to dry places, and dispense it upon the earth. The earth does not keep it, but it is taken up by the herb and vine, and these in turn yield it up to man and beast. So we see that in nature every thing is giving and receiving. This is simply revealing the nature of God, and in all this working is saying, “Freely ye have received, freely give.”PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.28

It is a physical law, well recognised, that a healthy body depends upon activity; that exercise, useful employment, will keep the system free from impurities, while inactivity results in an accumulation of waste in the system that generates disease and ends in death. The same is true of the church. A church whose members are actively engaged in ministering to the necessities of others, constantly watching for opportunities to do good, keeps out of difficulties. Church trials are unknown. On the other hand, an inactive church soon becomes sickly and dead, in spite of any amount of labour that may be bestowed upon it by a minister. The life of any church, as of every person, is activity.PTUK May 11, 1899, page 304.29

May 4, 1899

May 18, 1899