“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:1-3.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 673.1

Who Is He?-That this Word means Christ, there is no room for doubt. “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” Verse 14. Again, John writes of the Word of life, “Which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled.” 1 John 1:1. And when the same writer saw a vision of Christ, the “Faithful and True” (see Revelation 1:5; 3:14), the “King of kings and Lord of lords,” coming to judge the world in righteousness, he saw Him as “The Word of God.” Revelation 19:11-16. The One of whom we are reading, therefore, is the One who dwelt on earth in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 673.2

“In the Beginning.”-The Word, the only begotten Son of God, was “in the beginning.” When was that?—It cannot be located. Let the mind run back to “the beginning” when God created the heavens and earth, and there we see Him. Just before His crucifixion Jesus prayed, “And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” John 17:5. If we could find the beginning of all created things, “whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers,” we should still see that “He is before all things.” Colossians 1:16, 17. Yes, He Himself is “the beginning of the creation of God.” Revelation 3:14. Finite minds can never span the space between “the beginning” when the Word was with God, and the present time; His “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting,” even “from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2, and margin. He is “from everlasting to everlasting.”PTUK October 24, 1895, page 673.3

The Word of Wisdom.-Jesus Christ is the One “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:2, 3. He is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” Verse 22. The Hebrew word here rendered “possess,” is the same as that rendered “gotten” in Genesis 4:1, where we read that Eve said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” Christ is the only begotten Son of God. In Proverbs 8:22 there is no preposition in the original, so that a more proper rendering of the verse would be, “The Lord possessed Me, the beginning of His way, before His works of old.” This is indicated in the margin of the Revised Version. Christ was not only in the beginning, but He “is the beginning,” (Colossians 1:18) even the beginning of the way of the Father. Without Him there was nothing.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 673.4

“The Word Was God.”—“Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Hebrews 1:4. The Son must inherit the name and titles and estate of the Father. Whatever titles belong to God the Father belong equally to Christ. They are His by right. By birth He is “heir of all things.” The Apostle Paul writes of the glorious appearing “of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13. The Father Himself addresses the Son as God, saying to Him, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” Hebrews 1:8.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 673.5

The Word and the Thought.-A word is not merely a sound; it is a thing. The ancient Hebrews had but one term for both “word” and “thing.” So in the Hebrew Bible the word which is rendered “word” is the same that is rendered “thing.” A word is the expression of a thought or an idea. The Word of God is the expression of the thought of God. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” John 1:18. Christ is the expression of God’s thoughts to man; and since the thoughts of God toward us are “thoughts of peace, and not of evil” (Jeremiah 19:11), Christ “came and preached peace.” Ephesians 2:17. Why is it that men do not understand God, but think of Him as stern and hard?—Simply because they do not know Christ. It is impossible for anyone to know and believe in the one true God, without knowing Jesus Christ, for “no man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.” Matthew 11:27.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 673.6

The Word Spoken.—“No prophecy ever came by the will of man; but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:21. But it was the Spirit of Christ in the prophets. 1 Peter 1:11. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable.” 2 Timothy 3:16. An inspiration is a breath. Inspiration of God means the breath of God. Scripture inspired of God, is Scripture breathed of God. Thus we read, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” Psalm 33:6.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 674.1

The Scriptures the Word of God.-Since the Scriptures are God-breathed, they are the Word of God. This is what they claim to be. To Jeremiah the Lord said, “Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth.” Jeremiah 1:9. God said, “He that hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully.” Jeremiah 23:28. To Ezekiel He said, “Thou shalt speak My words unto them.” Ezekiel 2:7. Again, “Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with My words unto them.” Ezekiel 3:4. And over and over we find this statement in the prophets, “The word of the Lord came unto me;” “The word which the Lord spake by” this or that one. David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, “The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue.” 2 Samuel 23:2. Paul thanked God that the Thessalonian brethren received the word which he spoke to them, “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13. Again he wrote, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 14:37. David said to the Lord, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Verse 11. But time and space would fail to repeat all the instances in which the Holy Scriptures are declared to be the Word of God. That is the claim that they make for themselves. Just as surely as they are true, so surely are they the Word of God.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 674.2

Christ and the Written Word.-Some people imagine that to call the Scriptures the Word of God is derogatory to Christ. They think that since He is the Word of God, the Scriptures cannot be. They forget that that is the very reason why they are God’s Word. Through the Scriptures, which we can see, we become acquainted with Christ, whom we cannot see. The unity of Christ and the written word may be learned by comparing Deuteronomy 30:11-14 with Romans 10:4-8. We cannot take space to quote them in full, but you can read and compare them for yourselves. The commandment, we are told, is not hidden, nor far off. It is not in heaven, that we should say, Who will go up and bring it to us? nor is it in the deep, that we need to bring it up. The Apostle Paul uses this same scripture, only inserting Christ in the place of commandment. When Moses said that it was not necessary to go up to heaven to bring the commandment down, it was the same as though he had said that we need not go up to bring Christ down. He has come, and He is risen,—the Word of life,—and the words which He speaks are spirit and life. John 6:63. Whoever reads the words of the apostles and prophets as the Word of God, finds Christ.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 674.3

The Creative Word.—“All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” The Norwegian translation expresses the emphatic declaration of the original: “Without it [that is, the Word] is not even a single thing made.” “For in Him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16, 17, R.V. And yet there are people who deny that the Son had an existence before He was born a baby in Bethlehem! To deny that is the same as to deny His present existence.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 674.4

Creation by Wisdom.-The Father, addressing the Son, says, “Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.” Hebrews 1:10. God “made the worlds” by Him. Verse 2. We have already seen that Christ is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” Now read, “The Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting King; ... He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom.” Jeremiah 10:10-12. And then read again the words of wisdom, “When He gave to the sea its bound, that the waters should not transgress His commandment; when He marked out the foundations of the earth; then I was by Him as a Master Workman.” Proverbs 8:29, 30, R.V. The common version has it, “as one brought up with Him,” which is also the truth. “The same was in the beginning of His way.” He was “the beginning of His way.” He was the Architect, the Master Workman, without whom nothing was made.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 674.5

The Power of God to Salvation.-It is not as a matter of mere curiosity that the Scriptures set Christ before us as the power of God,—the One to whom creation owes its existence. It is that we may know His power to save us from sin. The Word of truth is the Gospel of our salvation. Ephesians 1:13. The eternal power of God is seen in the things that are made. Romans 1:20. But the cross of Christ is also the power of God to them who are saved by it. 1 Corinthians 1:18. There is the manifestation of one power by which all things were created and still exist. We have redemption, even the forgiveness of our sins, through the blood of Christ, “who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation; for in Him were all things created.” Colossians 1:14-16. Christ is Redeemer because He is Creator; the power by which He redeems is the very same power by which He creates.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 674.6

The Word of Peace.-Christ is the Word of the God of peace. So “He is our peace.” Ephesians 2:14. When He came to earth, He came speaking the words of God, who said to Moses, “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth.” Deuteronomy 18:18. So He “came preaching peace.” That was the word that He spoke when the storm was raging on the Sea of Galilee. “He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39. The winds and the waves recognised the word of the Creator. Power over the elements,—creative power,—was manifested in that word “peace.” It is the same word which by the Gospel is preached unto us; for Christ says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.” John 14:27. “These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. The “peace of God” rules in our hearts only when “the word of Christ” dwells in us richly in all wisdom. Colossians 3:15, 16. It is the word that creates, because in Him we have peace, and “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 675.1

Rest and Peace.—“Come unto Me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” says the Saviour. Matthew 11:28. Both peace and rest are found in Him, because “in Him were all things created.” The firmer our foundation, the more securely we can rest. We rest upon the word of God, and find perfect rest there, because it is the word that created all things. “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” Exodus 31:17. He rested upon His own word, which is living and active, and which continued to uphold that which was created. The seventh day, therefore—“the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,”—is the rest of God. It is the rest which Christ gives to us; for since Christ created all things it was He who at the close of the six days’ work rested on the seventh day. The seventh day is emphatically the Lord’s day,—the pledge of the rest that Jesus gives; and our acceptance of it in spirit and in truth is the sign of our accepting the rest that He offers us.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 675.2

Sanctification by the Word.-The Saviour prayed, “Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth.” John 17:17. That is the word of Christ, the word by which all things were created. He Himself is the Truth (John 14:6), and He of God “is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30. Now hear what the Lord says of His people who had forsaken Him: “I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” Ezekiel 20:12. God has made Christ sanctification to us, and He has given us the Sabbath in order that we may know that He does sanctify us; therefore it follows that our highest knowledge of God in Christ is found in the Sabbath. To know that God has given the Sabbath, and then to reject it, is to reject complete sanctification.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 675.3

Perfection and Growth.-Consider this point further. At the close of each day of creation, “God saw that it was good.” Everything was perfect as He went along. But suppose He had stopped at any point of time before the Sabbath, and done no more; what would have been the result?—Evidently an imperfect, unfinished creation. The Sabbath was the crown, the mark of a perfect and complete creation. So with men. They may have come to Christ, to learn of Him. They may have made great progress in His school. It is all good. Sanctification is through obedience, through the Spirit, and if they are mindful of all that He shows them, they are as perfect through the little that they know as if they had known everything. But suppose the Sabbath, “as the truth is in Jesus,” is made known to them, and they reject it. They then stop short in their growth and are imperfect, no matter how excellent they may have been. The saints of God are the planting of the Lord, “that they might be called trees of righteousness;” but the tree that stops growing is dead.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 675.4

Knowing God.—“This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3. But we do not know God unless we know Him as Creator, and we cannot know Him at all except as we learn of Him in Christ, by whom all things were created. It is a terrible error to deny the existence of Christ before He came to this earth in the flesh; but the only evidence of His pre-existence is the fact that He created all things. To deny Him as Creator, is to deny His existence at all. To neglect to honour Him as Creator, is to “neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord.” And we cannot honour Him as Creator unless we accept without questioning the word which tells us about His creation work, and of the rest that follows. And the only way to know this indeed is to share that rest with Him, as we read again, “Hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Ezekiel 20:12. Let us then “go on unto perfection,” finding in Christ sanctification and redemption according to the measure of His power as Creator, and rejoicing in the Sabbath, the sign which He has given us of creation perfect and complete.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 675.5

“The Reason Why” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

It may be that some one who read the little tract which was reprinted in PRESENT TRUTH last week, containing statements of eminent men as to the unscripturalness of Sunday, may feel like asking this question: “How is it that you publish those testimonies, when you say that the Bible, and not the testimony of men, is the only thing to be quoted in establishing any point of truth?”PTUK October 24, 1895, page 675.6

The question is easily answered. The reader will notice that the testimony of men is not quoted in support of the Sabbath; for that there is ample positive testimony in the Scriptures. But the tract in question deals with the fact that the Bible affords not the slightest warrant for Sunday observance. Now it is evident that in such a case the Scripture cannot be quoted. We can only declare the fact that there is no Scripture evidence for Sunday. But some might question this statement as being prejudiced; so to quote from men who cannot be expected of being prejudice against Sunday, inasmuch as they keep it, we seek to induce others to keep it. While such men say that the Bible contains no authority for Sunday observance, all must know that their testimony is impartial.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 675.7

But we do not ask anybody to accept the fact even on the authority of those men. The object of citing them is simply this: To arouse people to search the Scriptures and demonstrate the question for themselves. It is an easy matter for anyone to know for himself that there is no more warrant in the Bible for Sunday than for the mass, or for observing Good Friday or Ash Wednesday. Then they can do as they please about acting on their knowledge. If they are willing to risk their salvation on tradition of men, in opposition to the Word of God, that is their privilege. We can only plead with them to listen to God rather than to men, and warn them of their danger. If man is to live only by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the living God, how can we expect to have life if we ignore them?PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.1

“One of Earth’s Dark Places” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Chronicle has had a correspondent writing up the situation in the Congo Free State. So great an interest does the State profess in the welfare of the natives that there is talk of having one State religion, in order that the native mind may not be confused by the great variety of creeds taught by the various missions. The correspondent says:—PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.2

There are almost as many missions as there are differences of religious creeds at home, and amongst these many varieties of belief the unintelligent African is apt to fall back again on the bed-rock of primitive fetishism. One almost regrets that the State does not in its arbitrary way set up some one State religion, and punish all Non-conformists with banishment from its territory. But this again will sound very absurd when read in an English atmosphere, though it is discussed with all solemnity here, and seems entirely feasible.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.3

The suggestion is not so new as may be thought; for this is what we have in most countries already, to a degree. The laws recognise the mark of one religion, the observance of Sunday, and punish those who cannot recognise the State as above the Lord in the matter.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.4

But the same correspondent gives us a picture of the manner in which the natives are treated by the Congo State, which shows how the darkness in Darkest Africa grows still deeper under Belgian rule.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.5

“The Government troops and carriers are,” he says, “unfortunate negroes pressed into the service by rifle and bayonet.” When short of carriers a raid is made on a village, and the women and children are seized. Then carriers are demanded for the return of the women and children. When the village has not sufficient men to supply the demand the villagers themselves are compelled to go raiding on a neighbouring village.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.6

“But there is a meaner way still. Captains of river steamers are given 5f. a head for every man they can bring into Leopoldville, and no questions are asked as to how or from where. The fee is euphemistically called the negro’s fare, the captain representing his man as a stowaway who tried to steal his passage for nothing. The process which these piratical gentry use is delightfully simple. They pitch upon some barbaric village on the Aruwimi or one of the out-of-the-way creeks and go ashore with a crew of armed black rascals at their heels. They raid the village of bananas, manioe and anything liftable, force a squad of likely-looking men to cut them enough cords of wood to feed the furnaces on the next stop; and then kidnap them on board, cast off moorings, and steam away. There is a white man of my acquaintance now returning home to enjoy in northern Europe a pleasant competency won from this species of industry. He is entirely open about the matter, and riots in details. ‘Keep my name out,’ says he, ‘and you can publish to your heart’s content. The State will deny everything and you cannot prove it. The tracks are hidden with cleverness. But the thing’s every bit of its true for all that.’ And so every one admits, quite as a matter of course.”PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.7

It is a glad thought that Christ is soon coming, and then these dark places, “the habitations of cruelty,” will be for ever swept away.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.8

“The Fruit of the Vine” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Speaking of the address which the Women’s Total Abstinence Union has issued, requesting the churches to use non-intoxicatingly wine in the communion, the Church Times expresses the prevalent idea in saying: “A liquor that is not fermented is not wine, and without wine the original command to ‘Do this,’ cannot be obeyed.”PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.9

That is a specimen of how loosely the Lord’s commands are read. It is no wonder that they are so loosely obeyed. Read the accounts of the Lord’s Supper, as given in Matthew 22:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, and you will find that the word “wine” is not once used. The question, therefore, whether or not liquor that is not fermented can properly be called wine, does not come in at all. We do not at all admit the assertion that wine must necessarily be fermented; what we do point out is that it is unnecessary to argue as to what kind of wine shall be used at the Lord’s Supper, when nothing is said about using any kind of wine whatever.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.10

Right here some one may wish indignantly to ask, “Do you mean to intimate that it makes no difference what liquid is used in the Lord’s Supper? that milk, or water, or tea may be used if one wishes?”—Not by any means. Neither do we wish to be considered as quibbling over the omission of the word “wine.” We wish simply to clear the subject of all speculation, and to get down to just what the Lord did say.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.11

“Well,” some one will say, “what if the record does not contain the word wine; it says that He took the cup, and that of course means wine.” Not so fast; the Lord Himself settles the question for us. Read Matthew 26:27-29:—PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.12

“And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.13

What did “the cup” contain?—Only the “fruit of the vine.” What is the fruit of the vine?—Nothing except the pure, unfermented juice that is hermetically sealed up in the grape skins. No vine on earth ever bore fermented liquor of any kind. Fermented liquor is the fruit of the vat, and not of the vine. The use of fermented liquor, no matter what name is given it, in the Lord’s Supper has no more warrant in Scripture than the use of jelly, or anything else into which grape juice might be manufactured. Fermented wine is no more the fruit of the vine than is alcohol and water. The pure unfermented grape juice is the only fruit of the vine. It may be kept indefinitely when placed in a vessel as impervious to the air as is the skin of the grape. That, and that only, may be used in the Lord’s Supper. To use fermented wine is no more a following of the Saviour’s command and example than to use brandy or ale.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.14

The fact that the use of fermented liquor might awaken or revive a craving for drink, is not by any means the real reason for not using it. The real reason is that it is a perversion of the sacred emblems, and does not represent “the precious blood of Christ,” which is not corruptible. He is both the Lamb of God and the True Vine. Anyone can see that for a Jew to have offered the putrid blood of a lamb upon the altar would have been sacrilege. If lamb’s blood that had been allowed to putrefy, or ferment, by exposure to the air, would not represent the blood of the Lamb of God, why should it be thought that the blood of the True Vine can any more be represented by juice that has undergone a like change?PTUK October 24, 1895, page 676.15

There is a broad and deep principle involved in this question. It is the principle that man must “live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” The perversion of the Lord’s Supper is due solely to the substitution of man’s notions and practices for the plain Word of God. It is the same way of dealing with Scripture which has led to the observance of Sunday for the Sabbath of the Lord.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 677.1

“Faith Knows No Failures” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The history of missions in modern days has many a record of those who seemingly failed, but whose apparent failure was success. The man who goes forward in the path of duty, even though he perish in it, has left a life story that still testifies the power of faith.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 677.2

When Captain Allen Gardiner died in Terre del Fuego he had no results of his mission to the savages there to encourage his last hours, but the promises of God were his then, and the results have followed since.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 677.3

It was the mission to the Yahgans of this cheerless region that drew from the naturalist Darwin an acknowledgment of the power of missions to lift up the degraded. He had seen these natives on his voyage with the Beagle, about 1880, and considered them about the lowest forms of human life. But after many years of Gospel work Darwin saw them, and was so surprised at the change that he became a subscriber to the mission.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 677.4

It was the early account of the pitiful condition of the people that led young Gardiner to organise an expedition to carry them the Gospel. The natives received them with hostile demonstrations, and after months of exposure to the pitiless climate the party actually starved to death.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 677.5

When a relief expedition went to visit them the next year, an inscription on a rock, still said to be visible, “Go to Spaniard Harbour,” directed the searchers to the place where the remains of the missionaries were found. The diary and papers left bore witness to the privations endured, and urged that the pitiless natives should not be abandoned.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 677.6

The heroism of their lives inspired friends at home to redoubled effort, and thus changes have been wrought in Tierra del Fuego which have drawn from unbelievers a confession of the power of the Gospel to lift up those who were supposed to be utterly abandoned. There is but one power that can save to the uttermost.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 677.7

“‘I Will’” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The man who was “full of leprosy” came to Jesus worshipping Him, and saying, “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.” Jesus immediately replied, “I will; be thou clean.”PTUK October 24, 1895, page 678.1

“If Thou wilt” is the same as, “If Thou art willing,” or, “If you wish to.” “I will,” is but another form of “I am willing,” or, “I wish to.” The leper said, “Lord, you can make me clean if you wish to,” and Jesus replied, “I wish to.”PTUK October 24, 1895, page 678.2

“We have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Why not?—“For that He Himself also is compassed with infirmity.” We have not to appeal to Him, and stir Him up to sympathy with us, but He has the sympathy already. We have not to labour to secure the good will of the Lord, because He wishes to help us. Christ “gave Himself for our sins, ... according to the will of God.” Galatians 1:4. He “went about doing good,” and was always looking for the opportunity. Every appeal found Him ready and willing.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 678.3

“Submitting to His Will” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Christ gave Himself for our sins, “according to the will of God.” It is “the good pleasure of His will” that we should receive the adoption of sons. Ephesians 1:5. His will is that all men should be saved. 1 Timothy 2:4. And yet men talk about submitting to the will of God, and enduring it, as though it were a grievous burden, and something contrary to us.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 678.4

The leper submitted to His will, and did not find it burdensome. On the contrary, he found it a lightening of his burden. He found delight in the will of the Lord, and so will every one who knows His will, for the earnest wish of God is to do the best for man that can be done.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 678.5

Some people misapprehend the prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. He said, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39. They imagine that He was seeking to evade the will of God. But all that He wished to be assured of was that it was the Father’s will, and He was satisfied. He said, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:8.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 678.6

We are told, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. God does not require anything arbitrarily. Since it is His will that we should in everything give thanks, it is His will that in everything we should have something to be thankful for. And so we shall, if our will but coincides with His. Nothing can be impossible when our will and the will of God are the same.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 678.7

It is true that “evil shall slay the wicked.” They will suffer “indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish,” but only because they reject the will of God. His will is that all men should be saved; if men reject His will, they choose destruction; and in their destruction they cannot bring any complaint against God, since even in that He allows them to have their own way, yielding His will to theirs. “As for God, His way is perfect.” And the best thing that any man can do is to inquire the will of God, that He may do it.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 678.8

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

-Australia has over a fifth of the total number of sheep in the world.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.1

-Human sacrifices are still made in Coomassie, the Ashanti capital.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.2

-There is a prospect of a little war with Ashanti, which refuses to receive a British resident.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.3

-There is trouble in the Korean capital. One faction has raided the palace and killed the queen.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.4

-The income of the industrial population of Great Britain has grown in fifty years three times faster than the population itself.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.5

-Excitement prevails in Syria owing to the conflicts between the Mutualis, Mohammedans, and the Druses. Altogether discontent and unrest is manifesting itself in all Turkey.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.6

-The evidence of the unsettled state of affairs is seen in the fact that during Lord Salisbury’s short term of office in this administration he has issued three ultimatums, to China, Turkey, and to Ashanti.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.7

-Owing, it is said, to the poor quality of the crops on which the dairy farmer relies for feed for his cows, the yield of milk, butter, and cheese this year is nearly eight million pounds sterling less than last year.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.8

-A scientific journal prints a photograph and description of a potato grown in Colorado, which weighed over eighty-six pounds. The field in which the giant tuber was grown produced 430 bushels of potatoes on one acre.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.9

-Along the line of the Siberian railway are many scattered settlements without churches, and the Russian church authorities have fitted out five churches on railway trucks, the cars having two priests each. The cars visit about twenty settlements weekly.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.10

-It is curious to see what the price of bread has been even within the present century. In 1800 the quartern loaf was 17?d., and for a few weeks as much as 22?d.; in 1805, 12?d.; 1810, 15?d.; 1812, 21?d.; 1814, 12?d.; 1820, 11d.; 1880, 10?d.; 1840, 9d.; 1854, 11d.; 1867, 10?d.; 1870, 7d.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.11

-The Turkish crisis seems to have been temporarily averted by the publication of a scheme of general reform for all Turkish subjects. The demands of the British Government have been greatly modified owing to the fact that Russia refused to join Great Britain in the use of force. Little is expected of the reform scheme, and the whole question is only postponed for a little while.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.12

-The discussion of the slave question reveals the fact that the very ships of the East African squadron which patrol the seas for slave ships are coaled by slave labour in Zanzibar. A correspondent states also that the cathedral in Zanzibar was built by slave labour. The society organised for the abolition of slavery in all British protectorates is pressing for the prompt freeing of these slaves.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 686.13

“Back Page” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

A Portuguese translation of that helpful little work, “Steps to Christ,” has just been brought out.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.1

The French papers already talk of a Catholic prince as tributary ruler of Madagascar, and Protestant Mission efforts are to be held in “abeyance.”PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.2

A journal devoted to Spiritualism prints a portrait of the Pope as frontispiece of the current number. It is a hint of the time when Rome and Spiritualism together will unite in those miracle-working deceptions which precede the coming of the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 2:8, 9.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.3

The Catholic Times gives prominence to a report of an address on “Church and State,” in which it is stated:—PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.4

The Church has the right of enforcing obedience from its children, and that chastising rebellious subjects by spiritual or bodily penalties, either for their own amendment or for the example and preservation of others.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.5

This is a frank avowal of the methods of the Inquisition, which is just as much alive as it ever was. It is only slumbering. The Church of Christ can only urge obedience to God, and can never enforce obedience. Enforced obedience is no obedience, but only hollow mockery.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.6

We often see statements of how many verses the Bible contains, how many words, and even how many letters. The same curiosity hunters also tell us what is the middle word in the Bible. Such “research” may possibly be better for the one who amuses himself at it than for him to be doing nothing; but when such things are classed as “Biblical knowledge” they have a pernicious effect, because they give an utterly false idea of what Bible study is. Such things have no more relation to Bible study than walking from London to Liverpool along the railway, and counting the ties, would have to studying the history of England.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.7

“Ritualism Spreading” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Ritualism Spreading.—“The excitement once caused by Ritualistic developments in the Church of England is now so long past,” says the Echo, “that it is almost forgotten. But the movement does not seem to have died out. On the contrary, it has increased even within the last year or two to a considerable extent. A statement was made at a recent meeting of an advanced High Church organisation showing that whereas in 1892 mass vestments were used in only 810 churches in England, they were in use in 960 churches in 1894. Altar lights were used in 1,846 churches in 1892, and in 1894 the number had increased to 2,282. Incense appears to be a development of more tardy growth, but it is augmenting. In 1892 incense was burnt in 146 churches, and in 1894 in 193.”PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.8

“‘Accounted Mad’” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

“Accounted Mad.”-The New York Sentinel reports the case of a Sabbath-keeper who was called to court on the charge that he was incompetent to have the care of his children. The prosecution showed that the man had actually resigned a position in the New York Post Office at ?6 per week, in order that he might keep the Sabbath, and was now earning but ?3. The action failed, we surmise from the report, but doubtless the man’s prosecutors are still unable to believe in the sanity of a man who will serve the Lord when it costs something. “Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil is accounted mad.” Isaiah 59:15, margin.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.9

“The Eastern Question” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Sultan’s “submission” to Lord Salisbury’s demand for reforms in Armenia has not been as complete as was desired. In fact, the impression seems to be that the real point at issue has been evaded. And there are no guarantees for what has been promised. The comments that are made upon it in the press show how complicated the situation is, and how fearful of each other are the powers between which “friendly relations” are supposed to exist. The Chronicle’s commissioner in Turkey says:—PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.10

Probably the British Ambassador has done the best that was possible without causing a serious breach between England and Russia. After all this deadly vacillation better terms could not have been obtained without the appearance of the British Fleet in the Dardanelles, which would have involved the instant destruction of the triple intents and probably the occupation of Armenia by Russia. At the same time, the terms fall far short of what Lord Salisbury demanded some time ago.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.11

To this the Westminster Gazette adds:—PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.12

In other words, what is now obtained is the utmost that could be got with the consent of Russia. Nothing more could be obtained without an act of war on our part alone against the veiled if not active hostility of Russia. The moment the British fleet appears in the Dardanelles, the Armenian Question vanishes and the Eastern Question appears. While nominally putting pressure on the Sultan for the sake of the Armenians, the Powers would from that moment be engaged in a struggle among themselves for the dismembered corpse of Turkey. Where this would end, or if it could end short of a general war, it is impossible to predict. Whoever wishes the ends wishes the means. No one, it seems to us, is entitled to blame the Government for not going further than it can go with the consent of Russia unless he is willing to face these consequences.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.13

All the correspondents agreed that the situation is still “most critical.” It is easy to see that the peace of Europe, and of the world, hangs upon a very slender and brittle thread.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.14

“Sunday Laws and Lynchings” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Sunday Laws and Lynchings.-It is sometimes stated that the existence of Sunday laws upon the statute books, and earnestness in their enforcement, are evidence of a strong Christian sentiment. Not at all; for Sunday laws are anti-Christian, purely. And it is worth just a paragraph to call attention to the fact that those parts of America where Sunday laws have been most zealously used against Sabbath-keepers are the various sections from which the greater part of the news of lynchings and other like atrocities has come. The sentiment behind the Sunday law is lawlessness; for the Sunday is the mark of the power of that lawless one who has exalted himself above God and His law. Not all who favour Sunday laws know this, and therefore it is the work of the Gospel to let them know it.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.15

“The Lourdes Shrine” The Present Truth 11, 43.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Lourdes Shrine.-Catholic papers have advertised the cures alleged to have been effected at Lourdes this season more than ever before. Now, however, a French literary man, a devout Catholic, who has investigated the working of this profitable clerical scheme, has learned so much of its fraudulent character that he is bent on exposing it for the good of his church. He expects the Pope to put an end to the use made of the superstition, just as Luther expected at first to find the Pope anxious to stop the scandals which first opened the eyes of the German Reformer. The Frenchman will of course be disappointed, and, let us hope, disillusioned.PTUK October 24, 1895, page 688.16

October 17, 1895

October 31, 1895