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    November 3, 1898

    “Waiting on the Lord” The Present Truth 14, 44.

    E. J. Waggoner

    The promise of God is “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings eagles; they shall and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” Isa. xl. 31.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 689.1

    What is it to “wait on the Lord?” Is it simply to spend a certain amount of time in prayer to God? or does it mean vastly more than this? The Scriptures themselves must tell us, and in the various places where the expression occurs we must find the answer.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 689.2

    The very word “wait” suggests continuity, and not intermission. One may tarry for another for a certain length of time; but if he at last wearies, and goes away, we say that he does not wait. The one who gets impatient does not wait. This idea of something constant is conveyed in Ps. xxv. 5: “Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me; for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day.” Of course that means not merely one day, but every day. So in verses 20, 21 of the same psalm: “O keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in Thee. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on Thee.” The preservation is a result of waiting on the Lord; one is preserved so long as he waits on the Lord, so that the waiting must be continuous, without intermission.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 689.3

    But, the word “wait” contains more than the idea of expectation; it means more than simply to tarry for another; it involves the idea of service. A waiter is one who serves. So in Ps. we read, “Unto Thee do I lift up Mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their maskers, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our until that He have mercy upon us.” Now it is true that in the Hebrew there is no verb expressed in this verse, neither look nor wait; but the thought is there, for with the eyes one looks, and one who is looking steadfastly upon another is waiting. But waiting in this sense, which is exceedingly common, does not mean standing in a state of idle expectancy; it means serving. A servant is most actively employed while waiting on his master.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 689.4

    That to wait on the Lord means to serve and obey Him, may be seen from Jer. xiv. 22: “Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? Art not Thou He, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon Thee; for Thou hast made all those things.” Here the contrast is between God and the idols of the heathen, which are emptiness and vanity, without power. They can do nothing, and are therefore not worthy of any attention. God can cause rain; therefore we will wait on or serve, Him.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 689.5

    Why is a servant called a waiter?—Because he is supposed to be always on the alert to respond to the call of the master. Even though for a season not on active duty, his time is not his own; he cannot engage in any enterprise for himself, lest his master should call him, and he be not ready to serve. So in the service of God. To wait upon Him means to be constantly devoted to Him. He who waits on the Lord recognises himself to be just what is described in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah: simply grass, “less than nothing, and vanity,” and he recognises God as what He is,-the eternal Creator and Preserver, who alone has power. One who is in that state will hold himself, soul, body, and; spirit, absolutely at the disposal of the Lord. He, with all his bodily organs, will simply be an instrument through which the Holy Spirit will manifest Himself visibly.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 690.1

    Under such circumstances it cannot be otherwise than that one's strength will be renewed; for, “if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Rom. viii. 11) the result being that we live no more after the flesh, but after the Spirit. This is the power by which God forgives all our iniquities, and heals all our diseases. Ps. ciii. 3. God's presence sanctifies every place where it is manifested; and it should be remembered that real service to God is not what we do for Him, but what we allow Him to do with us. No one can give anything to God. We serve God when our whole being is passive in His hands, for Him to do as He will with us. This is constant waiting on the Lord, and the strength that is renewed to such is the eternal power of God.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 690.2

    Therefore “wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 690.3

    “Notes on the International Sunday-School Lessons. The Assyrian Invasion. 2 Kings xix. 20-22, 28-37” The Present Truth 14, 44.

    E. J. Waggoner

    NOVEMBER 13

    It is written of Hezekiah that “he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following Him;” “so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.” Yet this unswerving devotion did not procure for him immunity from foreign invasion. The attacks made on him, however, by the empire of Assyria, were not necessarily misfortunes. It is no hardship to sustain an assault which can be easily repulsed, and since Hezekiah, in the hour of need, always sought help from the Lord, he was never left without defence. It is evident from the history that Jerusalem was more than once threatened by Assyria during Hezekiah's reign, but there is no record of its falling into the hand of the Invader, although the other fenced cities of Judah were taken.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 690.4

    THE OBJECT OF AFFLICTION

    It was necessary for the sake of Assyria that that heathen people should receive the knowledge of the true God. The promise had been given to Israel: “All people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.” Deut. xxviii. 10. The fulfilment of this promise depended upon their hearkening diligently to the voice of the Lord. The angels in heaven do this, and for that reason they excel in strength, and the commandments of the Lord are fulfilled in them. Ps. ciii. 20. The same attitude would have made Israel strong in the Lord and obedient to His voice. It would not have been necessary for them to go about calling attention to the fact that they were called by the name of the Lord. Everybody would see this for themselves. A man does not set his name to a cheque or document without being sure that he can meet the obligation that he is incurring, and in sending forth Israel under His own name the Lord had regard to what was due to the Name; He made every provision to ensure that they should live aIl to the Name, and that no one should think less highly of it because it was borne by mortal men. “This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise.” “Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.” Isa. xliii. 12, 21.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 690.5

    WITNESSING TO TRUTH

    “Hear and your soul shall live.” Isa. Iv. 3. Had Israel only hearkened to God's word to them, continually declaring His Name in His character, they would have lived the life that belonged to the Name; and Assyria, and all the other heathen; nations, though they had never seen Jehovah, would know all about Him through Israel. His people would have been His witnesses that He was God. For the lack of this witness, all the nations had made gods for themselves, and then Assyrians, having conquered all who met them in battle, concluded that their own gods were better and stronger than all others. Thus it became important to bring their false god, which was supposed to be greater than all other false gods, into conflict with the only true God; that it might be seen that there was but one true God, and that in learning this truth, the heathen might find life. “For this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God.” Since Assyria had gained pre-eminence over all other nations, an was watched by them all, the result of the conflict between the gods of Assyria and the God of Judah could not fail to become known to all the nations.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 690.6

    A BLESSING FOR ALL PEOPLE

    It was by no means necessary, however; that the land of Judah should be invaded by the heathen, and that the knowledge at the true God should be proclaimed by means of siege and famine. There was a much better and easier way. The seed of Abraham was to be a blessing to all the families of the earth, and had they accepted the responsibility which the knowledge of a Saviour brought, to make the glad tidings known to all people, the same power which occasionally wrought marvellous deliverances for them in their own land, would have always attended their missionary labours in other lands, “to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 690.7

    AN UNCERTAIN SOUND

    God had exalted Assyria to be chief over the nations, giving into their hands all other kingdoms. In consequence of this no nation had been able to stand before them in battle. This continued success had filled them with pride, and they attributed their victories to their own strength. It became necessary therefore that they should learn their weakness, and know that all power was of God. The occasion for the lesson was furnished by Sennacherib's invasion of Judah. He demanded that the city should submit to him, and warned them that their God was not able to deliver them from his hand. For this delusion on his part, Judah was partly to blame. He knew that they were relying to some extent on the king of Egypt, and, measuring his own strength with that of their ally, he felt confident of his own superiority. Naturally, he would feel that if the God of Judah was all powerful they would not trouble themselves about earthly alliances. Hearing that the king of Egypt was coming against him, he went off to crush Tirhakah, and wrote to Hezekiah warning him to trust no god that promised deliverance from Assyria's conquering army.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 690.8

    THE STRENGTH OF ISRAEL

    Hezekiah knew what to do with the taunting message of Sennacherib, in which he boasted that he had overthrown all the nations, in spite of their gods, and said, “Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee.” He took the letter up into the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. It was a matter that concerned the Lord, for it declared that He was impotent as were the false gods. Hezekiah prayed, “Now, therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save Thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the Lord God, even Thou only.” The Lord was not slow to take up the case. He had put His name upon Israel, remembering that they were dust, and had no power in themselves to preserve its honour; for His purpose was that He and His people should be so closely identified, His strength being made perfect in their weakness, that the one Name would serve for both. Just as soon as they were willing to identify themselves with Him, so far from counting it presumption on their part, or throwing in their teeth the accusation that they only remembered Him when they got into insurmountable difficulties, He at once identifies Himself with them, and lo, they are as absolutely safe from Assyrian invaders as though they sat beside Him on the throne of universal dominion.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 691.1

    THE LORD’S DERISION

    Now they are delivered from all their fears. They are authorised to laugh in contemptuous, derision at the empty power of Sennacherib. Isaiah brought from God the message, “That which thou hast prayed I have heard.” Concerning the king of Assyria, the word was given, “The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn!” His rage was not against Judah but against God, and because he, being nothing, had presumed to exalt his voice against God, he was to be taught his weakness. “I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.” Doubtless the message was conveyed in some way to Sennacherib, and with it would go the startling intelligence that the words of Jehovah were already made good, for “it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand.” Among these would be Rabshakeh, whose insolent, over-bearing spirit had made him a instrument to bear the scornful message of his master, for we read that the angel smote, “all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land.” 2 Chron. xxxii. 31.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 691.2

    AN IMPRESSIVE LESSON

    Numerous inscriptions have been discovered in the land of Assyria, and much additional information has been gleaned therefrom concerning the life of Sennacherib, but, so far as is known at present the “shame of face” in which he returned from Jerusalem was sufficiently deep to prevent his leaving behind him any record of this particular expedition. He reigned for twenty years after his return, but did not again attempt to invade the land of Judah. It must have been known through, out his wide dominions that there was one God at least before whom “the great king” had to confess himself powerless. A last testimony to the futility of serving idols was borne by his death, for it was while engaged in worshipping in the house of his god that two of his sons slew him with the sword.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 691.3

    “THINE IS THE POWER”

    “There is no power but of God.” Rom. xiii. 1. Therefore the servant of God is not to fear any of his enemies. “Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.” Isa. viii. 13. All power in heaven and earth is given to Christ, and whoever bears His name need not fear the malice of the hosts of darkness. We may take for our encouragement God's words to Sennacherib, and laugh to scorn the efforts of Satan to destroy us, so long as we remember that we are without strength, but that God is the strength of our life, and He is mighty to save. Therefore “Rejoice always,” and “be in nothing terrified by your adversaries,” even though the temptations that assail you have a long record of past successes. The continual remembrance that God alone has power will keep us continually rejoicing over the fact that our adversaries have none. When we believe the Word of God we can laugh them all to scorn. “My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.” Ps. xxxiv. 2.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 691.4

    “The Everlasting Gospel: God's Saving Power in the Things That Are Made” The Present Truth 14, 44.

    E. J. Waggoner

    THE ANIMAL CREATION

    Gen. i. 21, 24, 25: “And God created great whales (literally, “sea-monsters”), and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl, after his kind; and God saw that it was good.” “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind; and God saw that it was good.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.1

    Rom. i. 20: “The invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, oven His everlasting power and Divinity.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.2

    Job xii. 7-10: “Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee; or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.3

    Ps. l. 10, 11: “Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains; and the wild beasts of the field are in My mind.” R.V., margin.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.4

    Ps. civ. 21, 22, 27, 28: “The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their most from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together and lay them down in their dens.” “These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That Thou givest them they gather: Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled (satisfied) with good.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.5

    Ps. cxiv. 15, 16: “The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.6

    Matt. x. 29-31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.7

    Luke xii. 6, 7: “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.8

    Prov. vi. 6-8: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise; which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.9

    Job xxxix. 26, 27: “Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south? Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.10

    Job xxix. 13-17: “Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacoocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them ... Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath He imparted to her understanding.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.11

    Isa. i. 2, 3: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.12

    Jer. viii. 7-9: “Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but My people know not the judgment of the Lord. How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made He it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken in, they have rejected the Word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.13

    Prov. ii. 6: “For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His month cometh knowledge and understanding.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.14

    Job xxxv. 10, 11: “None saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night; who teacheth as more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh as wiser than the fowls of heaven?”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.15

    Job xxxvi. 22: “Behold, God exalteth by His power; who teacheth like Him?”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.16

    The everlasting power and Divinity of God are seen in the things that are made. God has made the animal creation as well as the plants; therefore in animals we may see His presence and power displayed?PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.17

    Remember that the worker is not the thing worked. There is an infinite difference between the Creator and the thing created. The power that is seen in anything must not be confounded with the thing itself. Neither men nor any of the lower orders of creation are God, but His everlasting power and Divinity are seen in everything from highest to lowest. Nothing but sin cherished hinders its perfect manifestation.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.18

    From the beasts, the birds, and the fishes we are to learn lessons about God. From them we learn not only God's power, but His tender care and love of all the fowls of the mountains, and all the beasts of the field, not one is out of His mind. They receive their food directly from Him, and He never forgets to feed them.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.19

    Two sparrows were sold for a farthing in the days of the Saviour, and if the purchaser would take two farthings’ worth, one bird would be given, and no account would be made of it. But although man made no account of it, God did not forget it. Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without His permission. We are of more value than many sparrows; how safe, then, we are in His care. Satan cannot come near one of God's children, to do him the slightest injury, without direct permission from God (see Job i. 8-12); and when this is allowed, God's power to sustain is so much more wonderfully manifested, that the sufferer can rejoice in the midst of it. 2 Cor. xii. 7-10; James i. 2-4.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.20

    Man does not “make his own living” any more than the birds and beasts do. They gather what God gives them, and man can do no more. Man sows seed in the earth, and God makes it grow, and man gathers it. The seed which is sown is itself given to man. The birds and bees work much more diligently to procure food for themselves and their young than men do; yet the latter boast of how they make their own living, and regard the former as being entirely supported by others. But all are alike supported from the same source. No man can “make a living,” and therefore God has not given it to any man to do. God is the Author of life, and He alone gives it. God would have men without care, the same as the birds; not reckless, but trustful as they are. Our business is to glorify God, to allow Him to glorify Himself in us, by working His righteousness in us, and He will attend to our living.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 692.21

    Man gets wisdom from the very same source that the beasts and the birds do. In himself he has no more wisdom than they have; and when he rejects God, the source of all knowledge, he knows even less than do the dumb brutes. The most stupid beasts of burden have more real knowledge than does the man who rebels against God. But God designed man to be inconceivably higher than any other creature, and will give the wisdom that will place him in this position, if he will but acknowledge Him as the Giver of everything.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.1

    “Great Lessons by Humble Masters” The Present Truth 14, 44.

    E. J. Waggoner

    “Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee; or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.” Job. xii. 7, 8.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.2

    What is it that these creatures can teach us? They can teach us the one thing that it is necessary for thee to know, namely, that the power of God is manifested in everything that exists. “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.” Jer. ix. 23, 24.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.3

    Most valuable lessons are given to everybody every day; and are ignored. Men are constantly mourning their lack of advantages for education, when if they would improve the opportunities freely provided, they might obtain knowledge that cannot be found in any school on earth, that is conducted by man. The most valuable things are to be had free. It is only for second-rate things that we have to pay money. “Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.” “It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it; and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of corals or pearls; for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.” Job. xxviii. 12, 13, 15-19.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.4

    Since wisdom cannot be obtained for gold, and no jewels of earth are equal to it in value, it follows that whoever gets it must get it freely. It comes from God without money and without price. “If any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James i. 5. The wisdom which He gives to man is greater than that which He gives to the beasts of the field and He “maketh us wiser than the fowls of the heaven,” provided we but accept His Word, and do not imagine ourselves to be any wiser, in ourselves, than the beasts and the birds are.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.5

    Out of the almost infinite number of facts that might be cited, we will instance only a few, from authentic books of natural history, as well as from personal observation, which show what marvellous wisdom God has given to creatures with the tiniest bodies and brains. Let us first take a look atPTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.6

    THE CALIFORNIAN WOOD-PECKER

    This bird nourishes himself upon ants and other insects, but at the same time that he is hunting these, he is engaged in storing up acorns for future use. Whether he eats these acorns, or only the worms that may breed in them, is a question among naturalists, but that is immaterial to our present study. What concerns us at present is the manner in which he stores them up. He chooses a tree, and hollows out in its trunk a cavity just large enough to receive a single acorn. Then he brings an acorn, and inserts it into the hole, so that it cannot fall out, nor can any other bird or animal get it out. In this way he stores up a vast number. I have seen a fir tree so filled from the bottom to the top of its trunk with the acorns which this industrious little worker had gathered, that from a little distance it looked as though it had been shot full of rifle bullets. It is said that a wood-pecker will carry an acorn thirty miles to store it in its larder.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.7

    The acorns which are thus gathered are long and slender, very much like a modern rifle bullet. Of course they vary in size, just as any other nuts; but the remarkable thing is that in no case is the hole made a particle too large for the acorn which is designed for it. Each acorn fits its cavity as perfectly as if it were a piece of iron that had been driven in with a hammer. So, as already stated, no animal can get one of them out. Only the wood-pecker with its strong beak, can pierce the hard, polished extremity of the acorn. Man can dig them out with a knife, but in no other way. It is worthy of note that the holes are never wade too shallow, so that the ends of the acorns project beyond the bark of the tree. In every case they are exactly even with the surface. How long would a man have to practise before he would be able to do such perfect mortising?PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.8

    THE TAILOR BIRD

    This bird is not only a tailor, but a spinner and weaver, as well. “They place their nests in a large leaf, which they prepare to this end. With their beaks they pierce two rows of holes along the two edges of the leaf; they then pass a stout thread from one side to the other alternately. With this leaf, at first flat, they form a horn in which they weave their nest with cotton or hair. These labours of weaving and sewing are preceded by the spinning of the thread. The bird makes it itself by twisting in its beak spiders’ webs, bits of cotton, and little ends of wool. Sykes found that the threads used for sewing were knotted at the ends. It is impossible not to admire animals who have skilfully triumphed over all the obstacles met with in the course of these complicated operations.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.9

    Yes; and one may well any, It is impossible not to admire the God who teaches these creatures to do such perfect work.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.10

    NOT BLIND INSTINCT

    But some one will say, “Yes, it is very interesting and amusing; but the bird is born with that instinct, and cannot really do any other way.” Even if this were true, it would not in the least diminish the honour due to God for thus providing it with that sense; but it is not true. “Certain birds change the form of their dwelling according to the climate, or according to the season in which they inhabit it. For example, the Crossbill does not build its nest according to the same rules in Sweden as in France. It builds in every season. The winter shelter is spherical, constructed with dry lichens, and is very large. A very narrow opening, just sufficient for the passage of the owner, prevents the external cold from penetrating within. The summer nests are much smaller, in consequence of a reduction of the thickness in the walls. There is no teaching her pups to fight, longer need to fear that the cold will come them to secure their food through them, and the animal gives itself no superfluous trouble.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 693.11

    “Again, the Baltimore Oriole, which inhabits both the Northern and the Southern States of North America, knows very well how to adapt his manner of work to the external circumstances in which he lives. Thus, in the Southern States the nest is woven of delicate materials united in a rather loose fashion, so that the air can circulate freely and keep the interior fresh; it is lined with no warm substance, and the entrance is turned to the west, so that the sun only sends into it the oblique evening rays. In the North, on the contrary, the nest is oriented to the south, to profit by all the warm sunshine; the walls are thick, without interstices, and the dwelling is carpeted in the warmest and softest manner. Even in the same region there is the greatest diversity in the style, neatness, and finish of the nests, as well as in the materials used.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 694.1

    It is a common idea that birds and animals never improve their methods of labour, but that the young one knows of itself how to go to work, and that it does as well the first time as ever afterwards. This is a mistake, as is already shown. Other instances which may be cited, will show that the brains of these labourers are actively engaged in planning and inventing.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 694.2

    The Popular Science Monthly gives the missionary Moffat as authority for the statement that when lions were yet numerous in South Africa, they were often seen instructing one another in leaping to catch prey, using a bush in their practice, instead of an animal. In one case a lion, which had missed a zebra, through miscalculating the distance, repeated the jump several times, for his own instruction. While he was engaged in this exercise, two other lions came along, and he led them round the rock, to explain the case to them, and then, turning to the starting point, completed the lesson by making a final leap. The animals kept roaring during the whole of the curious scene, “talking together,” as a native who watched them said.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 694.3

    By the aid of individual training of this kind birds become clever with age, old birds building more artistic nests than young ones. In Constantinople, whore the life of the street dogs depends upon their ability to protect the morsel that they have secured, against all intruders, the writer has been amused by watching an old dog teaching her pups to fight, and training them to secure their food.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 694.4

    BEES IN THEIR DWELLINGS

    In a hive full of active bees the temperature rises considerably and the air becomes vitiated. Accordingly, means are adopted to secure ventilation. “Bees ranged in files one above the other in the interior agitate their wings with a feverish movement; this movement causes a current of air which can be felt by holding the hand before the opening of the hive. When the workers of the corps are fatigued, comrades who have been resting come to take their place. These acts are not the result of a stupid instinct which the hymenoptera obey without understanding. If we place a swarm, as Huber did, in a roomy position where there is plenty of air, they do not devote themselves to an aimless exercise.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 694.5

    The stores of bees often suffer from the raids of a large moth called the “Death's Head Moth.” “Protected by the long and fluffy hairs which cover him, he has little to fear from stings, and gorges himself with the greatest freedom on the stores of the swarm. Huber, in his admirable investigations, narrates that one year in Switzerland numbers of hives were emptied, and contained no more honey in summer than in the spring. During that year Death's Head Moths were very numerous. The illustrious naturalist soon became certain that this moth was guilty of the thefts in question. While he was reflecting as to what should be done, the bees, who were more directly interested, had invented several modes of procedure. Some closed the entrance with wax, leaving only a narrow opening through which the great robber could not penetrate.” Others built up before the opening a series of parallel walls, leaving between them a zigzag corridor through which the bees themselves were able to enter; but which would not admit the long body of the moth. In the same way man constructs a turnstile, which will allow him to pass, but which excludes the long body of a cow. The bees set up the barricades only in the years when the Death's Head Moth is numerous. In years when it is rare, they let in their doors wide open, for their own greater convenience.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 694.6

    GARDENING ARTS

    Whole numbers of this paper could be filled with authentic stories of the wisdom of this little insect, but we must be content with one or two facts. The Leafcutting ants of tropical America are often referred to by travellers on account of their ravages on vegetation. “They climb a tree, station themselves on the edge of a leaf, and make a circular incision with their scissor-like jaws; the piece of leaf, about the size of a sixpence, held vertically between the jaws, is then borne off to their house.” It is said that they are capable of destroying whole plantations of orange, mango, and lemon trees. But the ants do not eat these leaves. If they did, their performance would not be so wonderful. These ants are in reality mushroom growers and eaters, for “the real use of the leaves is as manure on which to grow a minute species of fungus.” Great care is taken that the nest should be neither too dry nor; too damp. If a sudden shower comes on, the leaves are left near the entrance, and carried down only when nearly dry. During very hot weather, on the other hand, when the leaves would be parched in a very short time the ants work only in the cool of the day, and during the night. “Occasionally, inexperienced ante carry in grass and unsuitable leaves; these are invariably brought out again, and thrown away.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 694.7

    HARVESTING ANTS

    In spite of Solomon (Prov. vi. 6-8), naturalists for a long time asserted that ants do not store up food in barns for the winter; but it is now admitted that they spoke from too meagre data. Nearly all ants may therefore be called harvesters, but there is one species which specially deserves this name. They procure various kinds of grain towards the end of autumn, collecting them from the ground, or even climbing the stalks and gathering them. But they have not completed their task when they have the grain safely in their storehouses. The conditions of heat and moisture in the interior of the ant-hill are such that the grain, if left to itself, would soon begin to grow. But this the ants do not desire, at least not until it suits their convenience. How they prevent the grain from germinating is a secret not known to man; but it is certain that they do it, for as long as the ants have access to the grain it does not germinate, but if from any cause they are denied access to one of the chambers where the grain is stored, it immediately begins to grow.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 694.8

    But although they thus hinder germination in the grain, they do not render it impossible, and when the time has come for utilising the accumulated stores, they allow the grain to follow the natural course. The radicle and stalk of the plant soon come to light. But the ants do not allow the development of the plant to go too far. As soon as the starch in the grain has been, in the process of growth, converted into sugar for the use of the growing plant, the young stalk is cut off before it has an opportunity to consume the food thus prepared for it. Then the ants bring out their stores to the sun, dry them, take them back to their barns, and thus through the winter have a supply of sweet flour. Here we have the manifestation of wisdom that is not merely wonderful as exhibited in ants, but which is beyond the understanding of man.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.1

    TOPOGRAPHICAL KNOWLEDGE

    “Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming.” When the season comes for these birds to migrate, they go; but they do not go at the same time every season. If warm summer weather continues till late in autumn, the birds remain; and what is more remarkable, they do not, except in single instances, anticipate the return of warm weather in the spring, even though its coming be delayed beyond the usual time. How do they know the right time?PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.2

    But there is something even yet more remarkable connected with the migration of birds. It is the fact that they will cross the ocean and come back to the very spot from which they started, building their nests year after year in the very same tree or house.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.3

    When we stand on the deck of a steamship in mid-ocean, with a trackless waste of waters on every side, we wonder at the human skill which guides the great vessel across the waters, and brings it straight to its destination, even though the place be one to which the master has never before sailed. But he could not do it at first. It took years of study to enable him to accomplish the feat, and when he undertakes the task he has charts and maps of the entire route, and the most delicate instruments, besides his Compass, to enable him to mark his course. But the bird will make the same trip without compass or chart. If this be attributed to “instinct,” then the question arises, Isn't instinct better than reason? Wouldn't it be a good thing for man if he had instinct?PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.4

    THE SOURCE OF WISDOM

    Where do the birds get this knowledge? The answer is indicated by the Lord in His question to Job: “Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom?” and by His statement concerning the ostrich, that “God had deprived her of wisdom, neither bath He imparted to her understanding.” Now God “teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven.” Why then do not men invariably know more than these creatures do? Here is the answer: “The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the Word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?” Jer. viii. 9.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.5

    Some one will ask: “Do you mean to say that if men were wholly controlled by the Word of the Lord, they would be able to cross the ocean without chart or compass?” To that we have no answer to make; but we are to learn from the birds and beasts not merely to do the same things that they do, but that dependence on God which will make us proportionately wiser than they are, in the things which are necessary for us to do. One thing is certain, and that is, if men were wholly yielded to the Word and Spirit of God, they would make no mistakes in whatever they undertook. See Ps. i. 1-3. The degree of knowledge that a man would possess if he were wholly guided by the Lord, is incalculable. That in the world to come man will be able to go to all parts of the Lord's dominions; and not get lost, there is not the slightest doubt. Every Sabbath day, and every new moon, all flesh will appear in the temple of God to worship. From every quarter of the globe they will make the journey, and each one will by the most direct route come to the Holy City. Who dare say that even in this present world a man wholly led by the Spirit of God could not do the same thing, if it were necessary in the service of God. When God's ways are in a man's heart, God will direct his paths.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.6

    When we study the life of Christ we can see what wonderful wisdom can be attained by one who takes counsel of God alone. Remember that Chat was here on earth in man's place, so that “in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren” (Heb ii. 17), so that He had access to no wisdom that is not open to mankind. He never went to the schools, which taught the wisdom of the day, but He had wisdom even as a child, that caused the wisest doctors of the law to marvel. Here is the secret of His wisdom: “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I should know how to sustain with words him that is weary; He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear as they that are taught. The Lord God hath opened Mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward.” Isa. l. 4, 5.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.7

    STRENGTH IN HELPLESSNESS: WISDOM IN SIMPLICITY

    In this connection let us learn another lesson from the ant. In “Glimpses of Nature,” in the Strand Magazine, Grant Allen has the following in a little treatise on ants:—PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.8

    (Continued on p. 697.)

    “It takes the insects three or four weeks, in the pupa form, to develop into full-grown ants and even when they have finished, they are as helpless as babies, and could not escape from the cocoon but for the kind offices of the worker attendants. ‘It is pretty to see the older ants helping them to extricate themselves, carefully unfolding the legs and smoothing out the wings of the males and females, with truly feminine tenderness and delicacy.’ This utter helplessness of the young ant is very interesting for comparison with the case of man; for it is now known that nothing conduces to the final intellectual and moral supremacy of a race so much as the need for tending and carefully guarding the young; the more complete the dependence of the offspring upon their elders, the finer and higher the ultimate development.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.9

    Make special note of the words we have placed in italics. They let us into the secret of wisdom and strength, although the naturalists who note the fact, do not carry it out to the proper conclusion. We are the offspring of God. Acts xvii. 28. God deals with us as with children, it we do not get so wise in our conceits that we imagine we can get along without instruction from Him. No other animal that is born into the world is so ignorant and helpless as the human infant. And no matter how long we live, we are always little children-babes-in the eyes of God. He says: “Hearken unto to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by Me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: and even to your old age am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you; I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” Isa. xlvi. 3, 4. “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.10

    Jesus Christ was born a helpless infant, and was wrapped in swaddling clothes, in which even a man would be helpless, and laid in a manger. He was a perfect picture of human helplessness and foolishness. But He was cast upon God from the womb (Ps. xxii. 9, 10), and so in Him we have the full demonstration of the fact that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1 Cor. i. 25. In Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. ii. 3), and He is made unto us wisdom. God's strength is made perfect in weakness.” Let no man deceive himself. If any among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” 1 Cor. iii. 18. “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God; which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is.” Ps. cxlvi. 5, 6.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 695.11

    “For the Children. Animal Life” The Present Truth 14, 44.

    E. J. Waggoner

    We have been learning for some weeks about the plants, the flowers, fruits, and seeds, which spring out of the earth in obedience to the Word of God, “Let the earth bring forth grass.” This week we will learn about some other kinds of plants, some of which swim in the sea, some fly in the air, and some move about over the face of the earth.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 698.1

    “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind.” “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind; and it was so.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 698.2

    “But,” you will perhaps say, “surely these are not plants!” Well, let us see what the Word of God says about this. In the fifteenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians we read, that “all flesh is not the same flesh; for there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.” But in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah we are told that “all flesh is grass.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 698.3

    And then if you will think for a little while you will see that the animals all come from the ground, the same as the plants do that remain rooted in the soil. For just as God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass,” so He said also, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature, cattle, and creeping thing.” So the plants and the animals were all brought forth by the earth, and all came from exactly the same seed,-the Word of God,-and they all share one life, the life of God, for He is the Life, and there is no other.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 698.4

    And then again we have been learning how the plants which spring from the earth draw their food from it, and live by the nourishment that their roots suck up out of the ground. But we shall see that these moving plants also get all their food from the ground, for “God causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man; that he may bring forth food out of the earth.” All the living beings in this earth are dependent on the earth from which they come to supply them with food to sustain their lives.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 698.5

    We have seen that in all the beauty, fragrance and usefulness of the plants, and in all the glory of the sun, moon and stars, God is revealing Himself to no. But this is true of all the things that He has made. So learn all that you can about the animals, the birds, the fishes, and creeping things, for each one, even the tiniest, holds some wonderful secret of God's love and power which He has put there for you, and if you ask Him; His Holy Spirit will teach you what it is.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 698.6

    In another part of this paper you will find some facts about the animals, the bees, the ants, and the birds, which will show you how wonderful are the wisdom and skill which are seen in their actions. It is God's own life in them which gives them such wisdom. It is His life in the bird which teaches it how and where to build its nest; His life in the bee which teaches it where and how to gather honey and store it in the wonderful comb of wax which it makes; His life in the spider which teaches it how to weave its silken: web and fasten it securely; His life in the ant which gives it such wisdom that the wisest man who lived tells us to “consider her ways, and be wise.” Solomon himself learned wisdom from studying these works of God, and “he spake of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 698.7

    Try to find out what the Word of God tells you about the different animals with which you are familiar. Read the 39th and 40th chapters of Job, and see how many animals are mentioned there, and how much we are told about them. And all these works of His bands God man dominion; but how differently often treat the animals from what Himself does, for “the Lord is over gave men God to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” We see cruel men, and sometimes thoughtless little children, ill-treating God's creatures whom He has given them to love and protect.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 698.8

    But the time is soon coming when all the suffering and sorrow that has come upon the animals through man's sin will be over; and “they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain saith the Lord.” In the new earth which God will make, men will no longer hurt and destroy the animals, nor hunt them and use them for food; and the animals will not hurt nor destroy each other or man, but “the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”PTUK November 3, 1898, page 699.1

    “Jottings” The Present Truth 14, 44.

    E. J. Waggoner

    -The king of Greece speaks twelve languages.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.1

    -In the human body there are some 2,000,000 perspiration glands.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.2

    -The average life of a tradesman is about two-thirds that of a farmer.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.3

    -It is stated on good authority that France will retire from Fashoda if England will promise to consider the matter of compensation.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.4

    -Recent investigations have shown that the people of Great Britain swallow over 5,500,000 pills daily, or one pill a week for every person in the population.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.5

    -As a consequence of the recent frontier war the Khyber pass has been taken out of the hands of the Afridis, and will in future be controlled by the Indian Government.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.6

    -In France the oxen that work in the fields are regularly sung to as an encouragement to exertion, and no peasant has the slightest doubt but that the animals listen to him with pleasure.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.7

    -The evacuation of Crete by the Turkish troops is continuing regularly, but it appears that, after all, one or two small Turkish detachments will be left in Crete, as a visible token of Turkish sovereignty.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.8

    -The French Cabinet has resigned in consequence of a vote of No Confidence passed in the Chamber. The overthrow is due to the attitude taken by the Cabinet in favour of revision of the Dreyfus trial. Rioting has taken place in Paris and order is preserved by the troops.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.9

    -A very large falcon has been shot in a field at the back of Hampstead Heath. The bird is a native of the Polar regions, and seldom found south of Norway. Its migration so far to the south is a very singular occurence, and it is said to be the sure precursor of a very severe winter. The falcon's wings measured 4ft. across from tip to tip.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.10

    -The plague has appeared in Vienna. A drunken assistant in a bacteriological laboratory contracted the disease from some animals, which had been inoculated with virus, and died very quickly. The doctor and two nurses who attended the man were also infected and the doctor is dead. One of the nurses is not expected to recover. The animals have been cremated and the laboratory closed. The doctor who perished was the first authority in Vienna on the subject of the plague.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.11

    -Fighting is reported from the Transvaal between the Boers and the Kaffirs under Magato. It is said that 20,000 natives, fully armed, are in the field, but their first attack has been repulsed.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.12

    -All the establishments of Devonport Dockyard have been for months past working under severe pressure. In every department the men are working extra hours, and additional workmen are continually being entered.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.13

    -At Ostend it has been decided to impose an annual tax of ?20,000 sterling, with an additional fee of ?1 per member, on all of gambling establishments within the city. Some idea of the enormous gains of these institutions may be gathered from the fact that this tax is not expected to press heavily on the fashionable saloons now existing.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.14

    -Great havoc has been wrought in Macedonia by a terrific tempest of hail and rain. Several large iron railway bridges, as well as tunnels and viaducts, were destroyed. The rivers overflowed their banks, and a caravan, composed of forty-seven men, women and children, and 100 horses, was drowned.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.15

    -The heaviest catch of fish for many seasons was delivered by the Scottish North Sea herring fleet at Yarmouth on Tuesday. Two thousand lasts-about 26 1/2 millions-of herrings were landed, the whole available accommodation in the harbour and on the quays and markets being blocked with them.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.16

    -At the Central Criminal Court the Grand Jury made the following presentment: “The grand jury deem it their duty to express their opinion that more strenuous effort should be made to regulate the trade in drink, a large number of the cases which have come before us-some of which were of the gravest character-being directly due to its baneful influence.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.17

    -An order has been sent from Constantinople that no real estate in Palestine shall pass into the hands of Jews, even if they are Turkish subjects. The Sultan is supposed to want to raise the price of his consent to the nationalising schemes of Zionists. He is also prohibiting Jews from preceding to Jaffa or Jerusalem unless a guarantee is given that they will leave again in thirty days.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.18

    -In 1897 exports of British goods were valued at ?7,000,000 sterline less than in 1882, whilst the expenditure on beer, at an average of 1s. 8d. per gallon, was ?23,000,000 sterling more. Last year the beer consumed represented an expenditure sufficient to give employment to 500,000 additional workers at ?2 per week each besides providing pensions of 10s. per week each for every man and woman in the United Kingdom over sixty-five years of age.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.19

    -The capital of the railway companies of the United Kingdom is returned at ?1,090,000,000. Of this sum ?957,000,000 represents paid-up capital, and the balance of ?152,000,000 nominal capital due to conversions, consolidation, etc. The companies’ revenue last year was ?93,700,000, an increase over 1896 of 4 per cent. The total number of passengers, 1,030,420,000. 374,000,000 tons of merchandise were carried. This traffic realised ?47,857,000.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.20

    -Considerable importance is attached to the reception at Constantinople by the Kaiser of the Papal delegate before the foreign ministers. It is regarded as having been intended to mark the termination of the coolness in the relations between Germany and the Vatican. The reception appears all the more significant in view of the fact that Mgr. Bonetti possess no diplomatic status and no official position. When, some time ago, it was proposed to appoint a diplomatic representative of the Holy See to Constantinople, the idea was believed to have been suggested by Germany.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 702.21

    “Back Page” The Present Truth 14, 44.

    E. J. Waggoner

    The Supreme Court of Appeal in France has ordered a revision of the Dreyfus trial. It is four years since Captain Dreyfus was condemned to lifelong imprisonment for selling military secrets to a foreign power. Since then one circumstance after another has come to light, showing that his condemnation was secured by perjury and forged documents, and now there is an almost universal feeling that he is an innocent victim of military envy, and race hatred. Dreyfus is of Jewish descent.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 704.1

    To a great extent, France, in the lives of its people, has refused to recognise God. Like the other countries of Eastern Europe, it heard the Gospel at the time of the Reformation and, for a time, it seemed that France would welcome the light. But truth was rejected, and the Massacre of St. Bartholomew expressed the attitude of the nation toward the Word of God. From that time to this, France has presented to the world the spectacle of a people, equal to ethers in natural qualities torn and convulsed by every species of tumult and violence.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 704.2

    The terrible oppression of the lower classes by the aristocracy paved the way for a relentless revenge in the Reign of Terror, Following this came the Napoleonic wars which exhausted the strength of France in a vain effort to subdue the rest of Europe. Since that time Empire and Republic have succeeded one another in rapid succession. The Franco-German war of 1870, which found France unprepared, and inflicted on her overwhelming disaster, marked the last change in the form of government, which has been Republican since that time. But during the twenty-eight years, no less than thirty-six different ministries have fallen. How long the next one will endure, or whether some military dictator will seize power by a sudden coup, no one can venture to predict.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 704.3

    The present agitation over the Dreyfus trial, and the striking manner in which the secret things have been brought to light, is a demonstration, in such a way as to compel attention, that, “God taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” 1 Cor, iii. 19. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” If France will close her ears to the things which belong to her peace, and refuse to hear the Word of God, she, and all others who do likewise, will have the same things brought to their notice in bitter lessons, the significance of which cannot be denied.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 704.4

    “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.” Jer. xvii. 5. “Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” Ps. xxxix. 5. It will save all men unwelcome lessons of the folly of putting their trust in men, if they will receive in meekness the truth of God's message that all flesh, without exception, is grass, and that the only power is the Word of God. The spirit of war is abroad in the earth, and men are confiding more and more in their own strength, in their numbers and wealth, and glorying in the exploits of their armies, but all these are Satan's temptations to lure the mind away from the one source of strength, and thus prepare the way for a defeat which will mean infinitely more to them personally than the loss of earthly empire.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 704.5

    Although God is ignored in the counsels of the nations, He is as closely concerned in their doings as He was in the history of Israel or Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar thought that since God had not been recognised as the object of his worship, He had no right to interfere in the affairs of Babylon, but by suffering and humiliation, he learned “that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.” “He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth.” “Those that walk in pride He is able to abase.” Dan. iv. Satan is engaged in bitter opposition to the King of the universe, and has enlisted in his ranks the wisdom and power of this world. Its great men largely owe their promotion to his help, and serve his interests, being joined with him, unwittingly, against the God of heaven and earth. “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” Ps. ii. 2, 3. By schemes of conquest and military glory the rulers of earth seek to connect with themselves in Satan's service the people whom they rule, but God warns all to trust not in princes, in whom there is no help, but in Him alone. That all the people may see the force of His counsel, “He bringeth the princes to nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity;” that, as in France at the present time, it may be seen how much of honour and glory there really is in those departments of human affairs which claim to abound, far above all others, in these virtues.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 704.6

    Dr. Creighton gave some practical advice at the Exeter Hall demonstration in favour of the Czar's peace proposals. He said, “The first step towards peace is that we should each one of us try to acquire a pacific temper.” It is always easy to blame some other person, or some body of men, for not being inclined to peace, but a persistent effort to preserve one's own temper in patient calmness will soon convince one that peace is not easily attainable. If every one else were peaceably disposed, it might be possible, but when confronted with deceit, envy, and hatred, it takes real peace to give peace. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, and he who looks for it in carnal hearts and worldly minds will look in vain. There is only one way to acquire “a pacific temper,” and that is to receive the Holy Spirit.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 704.7

    Major Marghand has left Fashoda to report in person to the French Government. He has left one of his officers in charge. The decision of Lord Salisbury's Cabinet is said to be that Major Marchand will he treated as an explorer only, and no political significance will be allowed to his Mission.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 704.8

    A great demonstration, organised by Mr. John Kensit, was held at Exeter Hall on the 38th October. A letter was read from the Bishop of London, appealing to the “Christian charity” of the meeting against the proposal to interfere on November 6 with every Ritualistic service in England, as far as possible. Dr. Kensit announced that in deference to this appeal, no active steps would be taken on the day mentioned. The “demonstration” afforded all present an excellent opportunity of studying the effects on opponents of violent tactics directed at the reform of abuses. A large minority were present who evidently had no sympathy with Mr. Kensit's aims, but their efforts to interrupt the proceedings seemed only to kindle a strong desire to “throw them out,” an impulse which was promptly acted on in every instance. Finally, order was restored by the police. Violence will not promote real reform under any circumstances. If Satan be employed to cast out Satan, Satan is as much in possession as ever.PTUK November 3, 1898, page 704.9

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