October 20, 1892

“Unwise Caution” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Unwise Caution.-There is such a thing as being too cautious. This is the case when men hesitate to act upon the word of the Lord. How often it happens that people will acknowledge the clearness of the Word of God, and still will hesitate to let themselves rest upon it. “I know that the Bible says so, but I believe in being cautious. I do not believe in moving too hastily.” Such caution is sin. It is simply unbelief. How differently Mary did when the angel announced to her the birth of a son. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy Word.” And the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of Elizabeth, pronounced a blessing upon her for her ready belief. See Luke 1:45. Note also the ready belief of the shepherds when the birth of Jesus was announced to them. As soon as the angels departed, they said one to another: “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” Luke 2:15. The people who are too wise to take things hastily would have said, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see if this thing is so.” But those shepherds were just simple enough to believe the word of the Lord without any questioning. That is the kind of faith with which the Lord is pleased.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 321.1

“Seeing and Believing” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Seeing and Believing.-It is a very common saying that “seeing is believing.” But like many of the sayings among men, it is not true. The fact is, that very many things which may be clearly seen are not believed. In the things of God, believing is seeing. The things which are invisible, are clearly seen by faith. Not because the person who believes imagines that he sees them, but because they are there as real things, and his faith reveals them. Those who say that they have to see a thing before they can believe it, should learn a lesson from the case of Thomas. He would not believe that Christ had risen. He said, “Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.” A few days afterward he had the privilege of doing that very thing, and he cried out, “My Lord and my God.” Then Jesus said unto him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” He believed, but his belief brought no blessing with it. Let us not deprive ourselves of the blessing by demanding demonstration instead of simple evidence.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 321.2

“How to be Free from Want” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

How to be Free from Want.-Who would not be glad if he could be assured that he could have everything he wanted? How many people there are who are filled with unsatisfied longings! This is a world of want and woe. It is not only those who have no money who are in want. Often those who suffer the most from unsatisfied desires, are those whose money is reckoned by millions. They want more. Well, there is a sure way by which every man may have all that he wants,-may have every desire gratified. Here it is: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:3, 4. It is a sure thing. Whoever delights in the Lord will have everything he wants. “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly,” or sincerely; and those who delight in the Lord will want nothing but that which is good. Christ Himself is the surety for the fulfillment of this promise. He says: “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7. He has an unlimited supply, for the apostle assures us, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19. His riches are unsearchable. Why will men persist in being in want, when they might have abundance?PTUK October 20, 1892, page 321.3

“Sight for the Blind” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

We have learned that the miracles of Jesus are recorded that we may believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, we may have life through His name. Among the many that He did, a very common one was that of giving sight to the blind. One of the most striking instances is that recorded in Luke 18:35-49. which we quote, that all the details may be fresh in the mind of every reader:-PTUK October 20, 1892, page 321.4

“And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging; and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace; but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him; and when he was come near, He asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight; thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 321.5

This is a marvellous illustration of the power of faith. It was utterly impossible that the man should do anything for himself. But he most earnestly desired to see. Jesus had the power to make him see, and he believed in Him. This was all. Jesus said unto him, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” There was an actual work done, and faith did it.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 321.6

The man was not only blind, but he was poor. He was a beggar. His poverty would naturally result from his blindness. The restoration of his sight would be to supply all his wants, for with sight he could earn a living without any difficulty.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 321.7

Another point to be noted is that the people tried to keep him away from Jesus. They were very careful of the Saviour. They did not want Him to be troubled. Doubtless they did as too many do now, namely, judged Jesus by themselves. They thought that He would not care to be bothered by a poor, blind beggar. They did not know that He who made the worlds, and who upholds them by the word of His power, attends also to the smallest details, and is not bothered. Not only is He able to attend to the smallest details, but His delight is to help the poor and needy. Jesus came to this earth for the sole purpose of doing good, and in that He was showing forth the character of the Father.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 321.8

Note also that the blind man made no delay when word was brought to him that Jesus had called him. Mark says that “he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.” Instead of looking for a better suit of clothes in which to appear before the Saviour, he left even the garment that he had. It was doubtless ragged and worthless, anyway. Jesus was going to give him his sight, and that meant the gift of everything.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.1

There could not be any better assurance than this miracle, of the willingness and the power of Jesus to do that which He promises in the third chapter of Revelation. He first describes the people as saying, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of the thing;” and not knowing that they are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked.” This was exactly the condition of Bartimaeus, except that he was conscious of his condition. Christ calls to people to realize their condition, and when they do they are in the place that the poor blind man was who called for mercy.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.2

To such ones, Jesus says: “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and annoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see.” Revelation 3:17, 18.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.3

With what are we to buy these things? Evidently not with anything that we have, for we are poor. These things are to be sold to us “without money and without price”; we are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, “but with the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.4

Christ came into the world to give sight to the blind. In His first recorded discourse He said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken-hearted; to preach deliverance to the captive, and recovering of sight to the blind.” Luke 4:18.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.5

The blindness from which Jesus came to set us free is the blindness of sin. The apostle Peter enumerates the Christian graces as faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. These make up the complete Christian. “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” 2 Peter 1:5-9. It was from the lack of these things, therefore, that Jesus came to deliver us. That is, as He came to give sight to the blind, and those who lack these things are blind, He came to give them to us.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.6

Take notice, also, that sight comes with the forgiveness of sins. “He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” This speaks of one who has known the forgiveness of sins, but who has departed from the faith. Such an one is blind, and so is the one who has never known forgiveness of sins. But with the forgiveness of sins, all these things come, and also sight.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.7

How are these graces to be obtained? Solely by the life of Christ. It is separation from His life that constitutes blindness. Thus we read of the Gentiles, who have “the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” Ephesians 4:18. This the more evident when we remember that Christ’s life is the light of men. John 1:4.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.8

It is through the reception of the life of Christ that we get forgiveness of sins. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:14. The blood is the life, and therefore it is that the blood makes atonement for the soul. Leviticus 17:11. When Christ shed His blood He gave His life. But He gives His life to us if we accept Him, for we are crucified with Him, and raised up together with Him, that we may live in Him and He in us. His life takes the place of the old life of sin, and thus we are purged from our old sins. Thus also we receive all the Christian graces, for they are all in His life.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.9

We have thus briefly traced the natural condition of men as blind, and seen what sight is, and where it is to be found, in order that we may realize the importance of the lesson taught us in the healing of the blind Bartimaeus. Remember that these miracles are recorded in order that we may know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, we may have life through His name. So Jesus gave Bartimaeus sight, not alone for His sake, but for all our sakes also. For whatsoever was written aforetime, whether in the Old Testament or in the New, was written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.10

Jesus gave Bartimaeus the sight of his natural eyes, in order that we might know how we may get spiritual sight, namely virtue, patience, temperance, godliness, charity, etc. What gave Bartimaeus his sight? Jesus said unto him, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” In the same way are we to obtain all the excellencies of Christ.” Not by a mere sentiment, nor by feeling, but by living faith. What that is, we shall see in another article. The one lesson that we wish to learn in this is that in just the same way that the blind man got his sight, we may have the cleansing from all sin.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.11

“Coming to the Master” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

When the blind man came to Jesus to receive his sight, Jesus said to him, “Thy faith hath saved thee.” In another article we have seen that this was done to show how we may receive the forgiveness of sins. This will be seen the more clearly if we compare it with the case of the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus. The case is recorded in Luke 7:36-50. Jesus was eating in the house of a Pharisee. A woman in the city, who was a sinner, came behind Jesus as He reclined at the table, and, weeping, washed His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and anointed them with precious ointment.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.12

The Pharisee with whom Jesus was dining was indignant at this, and said to himself, “This man, if He were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him; for she is a sinner.” Jesus rebuked the Pharisee for his unkind thought both of this woman and of Him, and then said to the woman, “Thy sins are forgiven.” Then those who sat at the table began to murmur because Jesus had said that, thinking that He had no right and power to forgive sins. “And He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved Thee; go in peace.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.13

This is the same language that Jesus used to the blind man when He gave him his sight. Just as he received his sight by faith, so she received the forgiveness of sins by faith. The one case was intended as an illustration of the other. We can grasp the fact of a man being blind and receiving his sight, for that is within the range of our senses. So it is given as an object lesson, to help us to comprehend those things that are not within reach of our physical senses.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.14

Notice that in both these cases there was an effort to keep them away from the Saviour. In the case of the blind man, the more they tried to make him keep still, the more he cried out. So with the woman; she would not be driven from the side of the Saviour by the harsh looks of the Pharisee. This also was recorded for our learning.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.15

Whenever any one feels the need of the Saviour, the devil is ready with his discouragements. He will even attempt to use Scripture, to keep people away from the Lord. He will remind the sinner that God is of purer eyes than to look upon iniquity, and that evil cannot dwell with him. He whispers: “You are altogether too sinful to come to the Lord; He will not have anything to do with you.” How often the convicted one hears the whisper from the devil, and does not know that it is from him, but thinks that it is only a proper sense of his own unworthiness. He is sure that he ought to get himself better before he presents himself to the Lord, and as he cannot find any way to do it, it often happens that he is kept away altogether.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 322.16

Now let us learn a lesson from the blind man and the sinful woman. The more they were discouraged from coming to the Lord, the more they persisted in coming to Him. And in this they both found their salvation. The Pharisee thought that a sinner ought not to come near Jesus. But it was in coming nearer to the Saviour that the woman found pardon. So when the devil thinks to frighten us away from the Lord, by quoting the Scripture, and telling us that evil cannot dwell with the Lord, we will rejoice thereat, and come the more readily; for if evil cannot dwell with the Lord, and we come to Him, then the evil will be driven away, and that is just what we want. So then let every sin-sick soul come to the Lord, knowing that He is calling for him, and that He has said, “Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 323.1

“Being Justified” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1. What does this mean? What is it to be justified? Both professors and non-professors often mistake its meaning. Many of the former think that it is a sort of half-way house to perfect favour with God, while the latter think that it is a substitute for real righteousness. They think that the idea of justification by faith is that if one will only believe what the Bible says, he is to be counted as righteous when he is not. All this is a great mistake.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 323.2

Justification has to do with the law. The term means making just. Now in Romans 2:13 we are told who the just ones are: “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” The just man, therefore, is the one who does the law. To be just means to be righteous. Therefore since the just man is the one who does the law, it follows that to justify a man, that is, to make him just, is to make him a doer of the law.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 323.3

Being justified by faith, then, is simply being made a doer of the law by faith. “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight.” Romans 3:20. The reason for this is given in the previous verses. It is because there is none that doeth good. “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Verse 12. Not only have all sinned, but “the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7. So there is a double reason why a man cannot be justified by the law. In the first place, since he has sinned, it is impossible that any amount of subsequent obedience could make up for that sin. The fact that a man does not steal anything to-day, does not in the least do away with the fact that he stole something yesterday; nor does it lessen his guilt. The law will condemn a man for a theft committed last year, even though he may have refrained from stealing ever since. This is so obvious that it does not need any further illustration or argument.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 323.4

But further, the man has not only sinned, so that he cannot be justified by any amount of after obedience, even if he were to give it, but, as we have read, it is impossible for any man by nature to be subject to the law of God. He cannot do what the law requires. Listen to the words of the apostle Paul, as he describes the condition of the man who wants to obey the law: “For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow not; for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” Romans 7:14-18. It is therefore clear enough why a man cannot be justified by the law. The fault is not in the law, but in the man. The law is good, and that is the very reason why it will not justify a wicked man.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 323.5

But what the law cannot do, the grace of God does. It justifies a man. What kind of men does it justify?-Sinners, of course, for they are the only ones who stand in need of justification. So we read, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Romans 4. 4, 5. God justifies the ungodly. Is that not right?-Certainly it is. It does not mean that He glosses over a man’s fault, so that he is counted righteous, although he is really wicked; but it means that He makes that man a doer of the law. The moment God declares an ungodly man righteous, that instant that man is a doer of the law. Surely that is a good work, and a just work, as well as a merciful one.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 323.6

How is the man justified, or made righteous?-“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:24. Remember that to justify means to make one a doer of the law, and then read the passage again: “Being made a doer of the law freely, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The redemption that is in Christ Jesus is the worthiness or the purchasing power of Christ. He gives Himself to the sinner; His righteousness is given to the one who has sinned, and who believes. That does not mean that Christ’s righteousness which He did eighteen hundred years ago is laid up for the sinner, to be simply credited to his account, but it means that His present, active righteousness is given to that man. Christ comes to live in that man who believes, for He dwells in the heart by faith. So the man who was a sinner is transformed into a new man, having the very righteousness of God.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.1

It will be seen, therefore, that there can be no higher state than that of justification. It does everything that God can do for a man short of making him immortal, which is done only at the resurrection. But this does not mean that, being justified, there is no more danger of the man falling into sin. No; “The just shall live by faith.” Faith and submission to God must be exercised continually, in order to retain the righteousness-in order to remain a doer of the law.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.2

This enables one to see clearly the force of these words, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law.” Romans 3:31. That is, instead of breaking the law, and making it of no effect in our lives, we establish it in our hearts by faith. This is so because faith brings Christ into the heart, and the law of God is in the heart of Christ. And thus “as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” This one who obeys is the Lord Jesus Christ, and His obedience is done in the heart of everyone who believes. And as it is by His obedience alone that men are made doers of the law, so to Him shall be the glory forever and ever.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.3

“Faith as an Educator” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Faith is the foundation of all knowledge. Without the principle of faith nobody could ever learn anything. There are men who do a great deal of what is called original investigation; but all of their attainments depend on certain fundamental truths that they learned in their childhood, and which they learned in the same way that the tradesman’s clerk learned the same things. They first learned to read. To this end they had to learn the letters of the alphabet. For a knowledge of the alphabet they were dependent on the word of some other person. Their teachers pointed to certain letters and words, pronounced in the names, and the future scientist repeated them until they were fixed in their memories.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.4

The learning of the alphabet is purely a matter of faith. The child does not ask the teacher to prove to him that the letters bear the names that they are said to bear, and the teacher could not do so if he were asked. The teacher himself learned them by faith in somebody’s word. In the process of time men have always found that they were correctly taught, provided they accepted the teaching, for the letters have never failed them. There is nothing that men are more absolutely sure of than they are of their “A, B, C,” yet there is nothing which is less possible of abstract demonstration. And these open up all the treasures of human wisdom and knowledge.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.5

And there is no difference among men in the way in which they learn. The most confirmed sceptic had to learn in the same way that the Christian scholar did. Not only so, but the learning of the alphabet proves that the principle of faith is common to all men, and is the same in all. It is more difficult for some people to perceive a thing than it is for others; and it takes some people very much longer to fix a fact in their memories than it does others; but when it comes to believing, it is just as natural for one person to believe as it is for another. Since men are to be saved by faith, God has endowed all men by nature with the same principle of faith, so that one shall not have any greater disadvantage in the way of salvation than another.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.6

To show that this is so, we have only to use the illustration of learning the alphabet. It is just as easy for the child of the infidel to believe that “A” is “A” as it is for the child of the Christian. It may be more difficult for one to remember the fact than it is for the other (though the difficulty is as apt to be on the part of the believer’s child as of the child of the sceptic); but one can believe the statement as easily as the other can. So that in the matter of faith all men are by nature on a level.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.7

Now to believe on Christ, and to know for a certainty all the truths of His Word, requires only the same principle of faith that is required in the teaching of the alphabet. Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. That is, He is the alphabet of God, who is the Source of all knowledge. As the alphabet forms words, so Christ is the Word of God. As from the various combinations of letters and words, all the treasures of human wisdom and knowledge are preserved, so in Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge of God. He is the wisdom of God. Sceptics may scoff at the Christian faith in Christ, and in His word, but he is as sure of his knowledge as he is of the letters of the alphabet.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.8

Faith gives knowledge only of things that are so. In fact, no one can ever know a thing that is not so, anymore than he can actually see a thing that does not exist. So a person cannot have faith in that which is not true. Faith has to do only with absolute truths. The belief that men have in that which is not a fact is superstition or speculation, but not faith. They do not really know those things, no matter how positive they may be in their assertions about them. There is always a doubt in their own minds, and often their very positiveness arises from a desire to stifle that doubt.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.9

This is also seen in the impatience of contradiction that is exhibited by those who are in error, while he who has the truth can be perfectly calm while that truth is been derided. Truth never persecutes. Persecution is the protest of error against the contradiction that tends to disturb its own self-confidence. Truth, resting on the eternal rock, and conscious that no contradiction or arguments can ever shake her, is perfectly calm in the midst of opposition. It’s only feeling in the midst of persecution is one of sorrow and pity for those who are in their madness beating themselves against the rock.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.10

The Word of God tells us that the worlds were framed by the word of God; that they were spoken into existence in the beginning. Where there was nothing but empty space, there by the word of God were the worlds. It also tells us that the earth was created in created with everything useful and beautiful in six days. The Word of God is the truth, and as we accept the statements concerning creation we know them to be facts. The child who reads the Bible with reverent faith has a much more positive knowledge of the way and time in which the earth was created than the sceptical philosopher has.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.11

But why was the account of creation recorded? Was it merely that we might have our curiosity gratified? Note; “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.” Romans 15:4. Let us see if we can learn the lesson of hope that the story of creation has for us.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 324.12

“The Creative Word” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The power of the word of God is best appreciated when we consider the work of creation. In Psalm 33:6-9 we read: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap; He layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.1

From this it is plain to be seen that the entire material of the earth and all that is in it, sprung from the word of God. We cannot comprehend the power of Divinity, but we can see from what is plainly declared, that the word of the Lord is not empty air, but that it is real substance. It is as though the world existed in the word, before it became in the shape in which it now is. When God’s word was uttered, then there was the earth and the heavens.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.2

When the word of God names a thing, then that thing named is formed. Whatever is described by the word, exists in that word. Thus it is impossible for God to lie, for His word makes the thing so. So we read in Romans 4:17 that God “calleth those things that be not as though they were.” That is something that can be done by God alone. It is true that men sometimes undertake it, but their word does not make the thing so. When a man speaks of a thing that is not as though it were, there is only one word that can be used to describe his action. It is a lie. But God cannot lie, yet He speaks of those things that be not as though they were. For instance, God speaks of a thing that has no existence. He calls it by name, as though it were well known. The instant that His word goes forth, that instant a thing exists.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.3

Consider well the statement of the Psalmist. “He spake and it was.” Not that He spake, and after that it was performed, as a superficial reading of the texts might lead one to think. That idea would not be gained if the translators had not inserted the word “done,” in italics. It is true that it was done then, but it was the word of the Lord that did it. The idea would be better conveyed by rendering the passage literally, as we have, “He spake, and it was.” As soon as He spake, there everything stood. Whatever God’s word says, is, because His word conveys the thing.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.4

This is why in prophecy things are often spoken of as already done. He speaks of those things that be not as though they were already done, not, as is sometimes said, because in His purpose they exist, but because they exist in His word. They are as freely in existence as they can ever be, although they do not yet appear to human sight.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.5

It is for this reason that the word of the Lord is strength and comfort to those who believe in it; for the word which is written in the Bible is the word of God, the same as that which created the heavens and the earth. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” That is, it is, “God breathed.” Now remember that “by the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” The breath of God, which has creative energy in it, is that which gives us the precepts and promises of the Bible.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.6

That creative word is the power of the Gospel. For the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believeth; and the power of God is revealed in the things that are made. See Romans 1:16, 20. The power of redemption is the power of creation, for redemption is creation. Thus, the Psalmist prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Psalm 51:10. The apostle Paul says that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.7

What is this new creation that is wrought in the Gospel? It is righteousness, for the same apostle exhorted us to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:24. Righteousness means good works, and therefore the apostle says that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained (or prepared) that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.8

The word of the Lord is right. He speaks righteousness. So just as He spoke to emptiness and there the earth was, so He speaks to the soul that is destitute of righteousness, and if that word is received, the righteousness of that word is upon that man. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed, through the forbearance of God.” Romans 3:23-25. To declare is to speak; and so when God declares His righteousness in Christ for the remission of sins, righteousness is spoken into and upon that man, to take the place of his sins, which are taken away. And it is not simply a passive righteousness that is thus declared upon the man, but a real, active righteousness, for the word of the Lord is alive, and God’s righteousness is real and active.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.9

This, in brief, is what the story of creation means to those who believe it. Satan would fain have men think that it is only a poem (as though a poem could not be true), or only a fiction gotten up to amuse people. This is the means which he has taken in these days to undermine the Gospel. If man once looks lightly upon creation, the force of the Gospel is weakened for them. Satan is even content that men should call redemption a greater work than that of creation, for thereby they are not in the least exalting the work of redemption, but depreciating it. Redemption and creation are the same work, and redemption is exalted only as creation is greatly appreciated. It will occur to some that since this is the case, that which commemorates redemption must also commemorate creation. This is true, but of that we shall speak at another time.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.10

“The Conversion of the World” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The prophecies plainly set forth the fact that in the last days the world is to be terribly corrupt, and that at the same time it is to be very religious. The Bible gives no ground for the idea that all the inhabitants of the world are ever going to be converted, so that there will be an entire world waiting to receive the Lord when He comes. It does indeed present for our contemplation a time when there will be no sin on the earth, and when the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waves cover the sea; but that is after the Lord has come to deliver His people, and has punished the wicked with everlasting destruction.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.11

Yet the Bible as plainly teaches us that not withstanding the growing wickedness of the world, the majority of the people on earth when the Lord comes will think that the millennium of peace has come. Sudden destruction will come upon men while they are saying “Peace and safety.” Just at the time when they are congratulating themselves that the whole world has been Christianized, and that there will never be any more war, and that Christ has indeed begun His reign of peace over the earth, the plagues of God’s wrath will fall upon the heads of the wicked.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.12

It is not an error of small consequence to think that the Bible teaches that the world must be converted before the coming of the Lord. The most disastrous results come from it. This is the way it works: Men find that in spite of the preaching of the Gospel, the world as a whole is not growing better. Every year there are more heathen born than are converted. And even in so-called Christian countries, the number of Christians is deplorably in the minority. This is not said to the disparagement of the preaching of the Gospel, but as a simple fact. But the people are possessed of the idea that the world must be converted; all must be within the church; and the work goes too slowly by the simple preaching of the Gospel. When the Gospel is preached, men are converted, but only as individuals, here one and there one, while it is necessary that they should be converted in mass, a nation at a time, if the whole world is to be converted. Consequently those who have that idea are driven by it to resort to other means of converting the world, than the plain, simple preaching of the Gospel. But nothing but the preaching of Jesus Christ as the Saviour of individual sinners can ever really convert men, and the result of these wholesale methods of converting the world is that the world is nominally converted but actually corrupt.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 325.13

In nothing is this tendency shown more clearly than in the effort to enforce the observance of Sunday by law. The keeping of that day is more and more coming to be thought almost the sum of religion. At any rate, the very general indifference to the day, except as a holiday, is considered as the great obstacle in the way of the progress of the Gospel. Therefore it is that so many of the churches are imploring the civil authorities in various countries to enact rigid Sunday laws, or more rigidly to enforce those that are already in existence. It is thought that the State ought to co-operate with the church in its work of instructing the people in religion. In short, the idea is that the church ought to control all affairs.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.1

A recent occurrence in Chicago well illustrates what the result of such ideas will be when they are put into effect. In Englewood, one of the recent additions to the city, there is a theatre which had not been opened on Sunday until about two months ago. A performance was advertised for August 21. Near the theatre there is a Baptist Church, and of course there was a protest by its members against the proposed Sunday opening of the theatre. It was not because the performance at the theatre interrupted the church service, for it did not. At the close of the Sunday evening service, three of the members of the church were asked if they had heard the theatre orchestra, and they replied that they had not. Yet it had been playing at the time of the service. But the church members did not want the theatre open on Sunday, and they determined to stop it.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.2

It is not necessary to go into the details, some of which are given in the next article, but suffice it to say that a meeting was held, in which various churches were united, at which the following resolution among others, was passed:-PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.3

“Resolved, That a committee of five, of which Alderman E. J. Noble shall be chairman, be appointed by the chairman to employ counsel and whatever measures may be necessary to prevent such exhibitions on the Sabbath day.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.4

The theatre managers were visited by a sub-committee from this committee, and a satisfactory settlement was effected.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.5

The church people seemed very reluctant to tell the reporters what the terms of settlement were. One of the commiteemen said, “I was not one of the sub-committee, and am not at liberty to tell you the facts about the agreement. Indeed, there are certain parts which are confidential between the committee and Mr. Miller of the theatre. I may say, however, that there will be no evening performance after next Sunday.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.6

The attorney for the theatre proprietor was not quite so reticent, and in reply to the question as to what the terms of settlement were, he said, “There are just two points. In the first place there are to be no more Sunday performances after September 4; and secondly, the church people, except those who have a fixed and unalterable aversion to theatre-going, are to give their moral and financial support to the Marlowe Theatre.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.7

That is the result. It is true that the church has not directly gone into the theatre business, but it plays the part of a silent partner. It furnishes support to the theatre in return for the theatre giving the church a clear field on Sunday nights.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.8

It is a shameful compromise, and yet it is the natural result of the idea that the church must control everything, and that when the church controls a thing that makes it Christian. In this country we find the proposition made by a man of high position in the church, and the proposition seriously entertained, that the church should undertake the management of the public houses. How much farther this thing will be carried, it is not for us to say. The thoughtful will keep on the watch, and will discern the signs of the times. But enough progress has already been made to show that the conversion of the world will be in reality nothing but the conversion, or rather the perversion of the church.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.9

The church cannot convert the world by worldly methods. It cannot win people away from the world by adopting the practices of the world. We once new a man who thought to keep his sons from frequenting public houses by opening a saloon in his own house; but the result was that he only furnished more men for the public houses. Men cannot be kept away from gambling houses by the providing of amusements by the church. As well think to wean the heathen from idolatry by setting up images in the churches, and inviting them to come and bow down to them. Idolatry in the professed Christian church is as bad as in a heathen temple. No form of wickedness is made any better by being carried on by the church. On the contrary, the church is thereby corrupted, and loses its power to protest against the wickedness that is carried on outside of the cover of Christianity.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.10

We would not be misunderstood as decrying effort on the part of the church to carry the Gospel to all nations. The work of the church of Christ is to evangelize all people, but that is a different thing from Christianizing them. In the Gospel commission it is plainly intimated that all will not believe. Ministers of the Word are to declare it whether the people will hear or whether they will forebear. The command is, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:15, 16. But the Gospel has nothing in common with the world, and it knows nothing of any power but that of God.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 326.11

“A Great Wrestling Contest” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

A Great Wrestling Contest.-“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. Who can hope to win in such a contest? Surely no one by himself, for every man is at a terrible disadvantage when he cannot see his foe, and when that foe has superior power, and when it is a legion to one. So the apostle continues, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” But only God can use the armour of God. Therefore the apostle James says: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. So our part is to submit to God, and let Him protect us from the evil one. How forcible, therefore, in connection with these texts, is the prayer uttered by the Psalmist: “Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.” Psalm 36:11. It is with the hands and feet that men wrestle, but God will protect us from the foot of pride and the hand of evil. “The foot of pride” is very appropriate, because it is pride that makes men fall. He who humbly submits to God, is sure to win; for, as Bunyan says,-PTUK October 20, 1892, page 327.1

“He that is down needs fear no fall;
He that is low no pride;
He that is a humble ever shall
Have God to be his guide.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 327.2

“A Universal Church” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

A Universal Church. -“The Brotherhood of Christian Unity” is an association recently organized in the United States, with a view especially to promote cordial co-operation between all classes of Christian people. Among its supporters are such prominent men as Bishop Vincent; President Harper, of Chicago; Dr. George Dana Boardman, of Philadelphia; Dr. C. H. Parkhurst, of New York; Dr. Edward Everett Hale, of Boston; Dr. Lyman Abbott, of the Christian Union, and others equally noted. A part of the membership pledge is as follows:-PTUK October 20, 1892, page 327.3

“I hereby agree to accept the creed promulgated by the Founder of Christianity-love to God and love to man-as the rule of my life. I also agree to recognize as a fellow-Christians and members of the Brotherhood of Christianity all who accept this creed, and Jesus Christ as their leader.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 327.4

Inasmuch as there are no professed Christians, of whatever denomination, who do not profess this creed, it is evident that this Brotherhood is virtually the establishment of outward Christian unity. But there is more than this in the movement. Even Spiritualists and Deists profess to be guided by that creed. They acknowledge God, and say that love to man is their rule. Spiritualists also say that the life of Christ was a perfect life, and one worthy to be followed. According to the pledge, all who do that are to be regarded as fellow-Christians. The fact is, therefore, that in this movement we have the foundation for the universal church. In time past those who have predicted a union of Church and State in the United States, have been met with the statement that such a thing was impossible, because it could never be that any one denomination could be recognized to the exclusion of others. This shows, what was before proved, that such a thing is not necessary to a union of Church and State. Let it once be officially declared, as it already has been, that Christianity is a part of the common law, and that it is in reality the foundation of the State, and the union is already effected.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 327.5

In this new Brotherhood there are men who really know what Christianity is, and we hope they will see whither they are tending before they become hopelessly entangled.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 327.6

“Separate Spheres of Influence” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

Separate Spheres of Influence.-The trouble that has arisen in Uganda, between Catholic and “Protestant” missions, has naturally called forth a good deal of comment. Here is one way that is proposed for obviating such difficulties in the future:-PTUK October 20, 1892, page 327.7

“To establish concord between Catholics and Protestants, there is one obvious principle which ought to be adopted everywhere. Let every church have its own ‘sphere of influence,’ just as the several European Governments have; and let it be the rule that when once a Protestant or a Catholic mission has established itself in any region, to be clearly defined, no members of another creed shall enter on that field.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 327.8

The suggestion will not be followed, for Catholics are too consistent in their practice for anything of that kind. One thing is certain, and that is that both Catholicism and Protestantism cannot be right. They are irreconcilable. That being the case, they ought not to make any such agreement. If they should, the one that is the truth will be disloyal to the truth, by voluntarily agreeing that error should have undisputed sway. But if it be urged that all creeds are in reality Christian, then there would be no need of any such agreement, because Christians can get along together in the same field without quarreling. Not only so, but Christians do not quarrel with those who are in error. True Christianity can never make any compromise with error, but that does not mean that it has to proceed to exterminate it by force. A true Christian would not make any disturbance if Pagans, Mohammedans, and the representatives of every form of error were to start missions in the field which he was working. He would quietly but earnestly preach the truth, and let it do the work.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 327.9

“Interesting Items” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

-The new docks at Avonmouth, Bristol, are to cost a million of money.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.1

-One London firm annually exports to the Continent £40,000 worth of tripe.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.2

-Official statistics declare that Brazil raises nearly 500,000 tons of coffee a year.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.3

-The export of coal from Cape Colony during last month amounted to £1,901,000.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.4

-Professor Barnard, of the Lick Observatory, has discovered a fifth satellite of the planet Jupiter.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.5

-A tribe in a district of Russia has sacrificed a peasant to appease the gods and avert another famine.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.6

-The basement of the Royal Courts of Justice is becoming overrun with mice, who feed on the musty documents.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.7

-The British Museum, started in 1753, has now 25 miles of books, and the largest collection of curiosities in the world.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.8

-London magistrates last year dealt with 3,500 women charged with drunkenness-an increase of 500 over the year 1889.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.9

-Statistics show that there has been a falling off in the rainfall all over the United Kingdom during the past nine years.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.10

-The new General of the Jesuits, Pere Martin was elected at Montmartre, the place where the order was founded by Loyola.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.11

-Automatic hot-water fountains are being erected all over Paris. A half penny in the slot will secure half a gallon of hot water.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.12

-Nearly eighty-four tons of ostrich feathers have already been disposed of this year at market auction sales in the United Kingdom.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.13

-The Empress of China has a wardrobe of 3,000 dresses. How she must envy ordinary women, who do not have so much to bother them.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.14

-Wednesday, Oct. 12, the poet Tennyson was buried in Westminster Abbey, by the side of Browning. There is room in the “Poet’s Corner” for only three more.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.15

-The Russian output of oil in 1891 was 34,000,000 barrels, the bulk of which was obtained from an area of about seven square miles of the oil-fields near Baku.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.16

-The largest university in the world is at Cairo. It has 11,000 students. They come from every part of the Mohammedan world, and they study Musselman law, history, and theology.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.17

-In India there are now hospitals treating about 12,000,000 patients. Thirty years ago the number of such institutions in the whole of India was but 181, while the patients numbered but 111,000.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.18

-The revolution in Venezuela has come to an end by the triumph of the revolutionists under General Crespo. Crespo has been appointed provisional President, to hold office until regularly elected.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.19

-In London, 2,441 births and 1,344 deaths were registered the first week in this month. The births were 190, and the deaths 79, below the average numbers in the corresponding weeks of the last ten years.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.20

-One day recently, from half-past seven o’clock in the morning until closing time at midnight, 4,250 men, 2,442 women, 1,001 have 29 children, 369 babies, or a total of 8,190 persons, passed through the doors of a large public-house in the vicinity of the Old Kent Road.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.21

-The Excise authorities last year received duty from 30,744,209 gallons of British spirits. 8,896,775 gallons of foreign wines, and 31,607,295 barrels of beer.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.22

-There were shipped from Liverpool for abroad last month no less than 38,999 tons of salt. Large as this quantity was, it was over 6,000 tons less than the quantity exported in September of the previous year.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.23

-There are 1,074 church livings with an annual value of less than £100; 1,817 of a value from £100 to £150; 2,274 between £100 to £200; 4,355 between £200 and £300; and 4,105 over £300 in value.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.24

-It is stated in the papers that a London magistrate has told an interviewer that it is impossible to effect the cure of habitual drunkards under the present system of fines and imprisonment. It did not need the authority of a magistrate to assure us of that.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.25

-A very strong contingent of mission workers for Eastern and Equatorial Africa, about to be sent out by the Church Missionary Society, includes more women than men. The number of ladies going this autumn to teach Christianity to the heathen is probably unprecedented.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.26

-Last week a party of 127 girls from Dr. Barnardo’s home were sent to Canada, to homes provided for them. It is said that the applications from Canada for children from Dr. Barnardo’s homes, are five times as numerous as can be satisfied. This is an excellent testimonial.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.27

-The recently-issued report of the South London Wesleyan Mission states that all the ink in the printer’s establishment could not depict in sufficiently black characters the horrors of the drink curse. A few yards from the Mission centre it is possible to stand and count eight public-houses.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.28

-The ride from Berlin to Vienna, and from Vienna to Berlin, which was performed by German and Austrian officers, respectively, is quite generally, and justly, denounced as a senseless piece of cruelty. Several horses were killed on the journey, and all were injured. The only thing demonstrated is that a long distance can be covered in a comparatively short time, by riding horses to death.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.29

-Considerable interest has been aroused over the fact that a New York Herald reporter in Hamburg has undergone inoculation for cholera. The result has seemingly been successful, as he has since drank freely of Elbe River water with impunity. That may be interesting as a scientific experiment, but it will do more harm than good. Better far remove the filth, or teach people to live cleanly, than to lead them to think that they can wallow in filth.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.30

-An eminent Russian engineer has completed plans for the building of a railway to connect the White Sea ports with the Finnish railway now being constructed from Viborg to the town of Joinsun, and the North of Finland. The total distance is only 250 English miles, and as there are no great physical difficulties in the way, and the region is rich in copper, iron, and timber, the line will doubtless soon be built. This will place Russia in connection with a port having a free communication to the ocean.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.31

-Dr. Assmann warns the readers of Das Wetter that it is dangerous to conclude that people struck down by lightning are necessarily dead. The intensity of the flash is subject to considerable variation. Not long ago an officer and a bugler holding his horse were both struck. The officer, however, recovered in time to attend to the bugler, who seemed dead. But by at once adopting the method of artificial respiration as applied to the apparently drowned, the man was gradually brought back to life. Dr. Assmann is convinced that were this treatment applied as soon after the stroke is possible, and continued for at least a quarter of an hour, many of those apparently killed might be restored to life.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 334.32

“Back Page” The Present Truth 8, 21.

EJW

E. J. Waggoner

The Supreme Sanitary Board of Hungary was prohibited the wearing of trailing dresses by women in the street, being of the opinion that it is “a method of scavenging imperiling the public health.” If we must have paternalism in government, it surely could not be manifested in a better way than that.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.1

The American papers are congratulating the country on the fact that rigid quarantine turned back the cholera epidemic so that there were only a few cases in New York. But England had practically no quarantine, and had no cholera at all. So it is really an open question whether the quarantine was of any real value.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.2

The growing tendency to repudiate the Reformation, by acts if not by words, is apparent to many. Dr. J. M. Buckley, editor of the New York Christian Advocate, says:-PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.3

“The energy of Protestantism has somewhat diminished; not a few Protestant ministers and editors are coquetting with Rome; and unless the great body are vigilant, the fable of the spider and the fly will be re-enacted.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.4

“General” Booth is reported as saying: “I think we have gone too largely on the notion that people must come down to our platform, and understand our amens and hallelujahs and drums and cross-bearing, and if they don’t we can have nothing to do with them.” Perhaps this indicates something of a change in the conduct of the Salvation Army.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.5

Mr. J. S. Washburn writes from Bath that the interest in his meetings in Assembly Hall still continues. On Sunday, the 23rd, he is to begin the study of the book of Daniel, the following subjects, among others, being those to be specially considered in the course of the book: Second Coming of Christ; End of the World; Universal Empires; The Fiery Furnace; The Den of Lions; The Anti-Christ; 1260 Years of Persecution; Changing Times and Laws, etc. We are sure that the study of this book will be interesting, and it cannot fail to be profitable.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.6

The secretary of the Sunday Concert Society wrote to Mr. Gladstone to ascertain his views on the question of Sunday amusements, and received the following reply from Mr. Gladstone’s secretary: “I am desired by Mr. Gladstone to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 23rd ult., and, with regard to your inquiry as to how far he is in sympathy with the object of the Sunday Concert Society-namely, the providing of refined pleasure for the people on Sundays-he wishes me to say that he has never entered into any scheme of the kind, but has no severe censure for those who do.”PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.7

A revolution in the art of photographing will be effected by the recent invention of a lens by which objects at a long distance can be photographed. Hitherto an object could not be successfully photographed at a distance of more than a very few feet. With the new lens cattle have been photographed at a distance of 300 yards with the greatest distinctness, and Swiss mountain peaks photographed at a distance of ten miles, show greater accuracy of detail than previously at a distance of a few hundred yards.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.8

It may not be generally known that a company of translators are at work translating the Bible into modern English, and that considerable advancement has been made. The work is a revision rather than a new translation. The Greek text of Westcott and Hort is the one generally followed. After the Revising Committee has done its work, the English Committee, some of whom are ignorant of the Greek, go through the text solely with a view of giving the correct English idiom. It is expected that the first five books of the New Testament will be published in the summer or autumn of 1893.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.9

The Interior, a Presbyterian paper of Chicago, referring to the all-absorbing question of the closing of the Colombian Exposition, says: “In spite of the overwhelming sentiment in both houses of Congress in favour of Sunday closing, a few of the directors promise to have this condition removed. Let them not be deceived. They may defy God,-for a while,-but they may not defy the American people one instant. The people are watching them.” Does this show the relationship between “the American people” and “that man of sin,” “the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself to be God”? That is just what this agitation for compulsory Sunday legislation leads to. One thing is certain, and that is if Sunday observance is ever generally enforced, it must be done by the people alone, for God has never commanded the day to be observed, and if He had, He would not compel men to keep it.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.10

Another American minister is now reported to be about ready to take the field in a crusade against gambling and other vices. This time it is a Chicago man, and, like Dr. Parkhurst, he has “done” the slums, visiting the gambling houses and the houses of ill-fame. Evil, and only evil, can come from the work of such preachers. They may denounce vice; but a preacher’s example preaches a good deal louder than his words do; and people will follow his example rather than his precept. Surely if a preacher cannot be content with taking the words of the Bible, but must needs investigate all manner of sin for himself, he need not be surprised if his hearers prefer to see for themselves, instead of taking his word. It is safe to say that Dr. Parkhurst’s “shunning” expeditions have done more against the cause of Christ than he can undo by the preaching of alifetime.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.11

Such expedients arise from a misconception of the Gospel, and of the work of a minister. He is to “preach the word,” and nothing else. He is to preach righteousness, and not to tell how much wickedness he has been able to ferret out. He is to be like his Master, performing a ministry of salvation and not one of condemnation. He is not to seek how he may denounce men before the law, but how He may reconcile them to God.PTUK October 20, 1892, page 336.12