George F. Viett, of Norfolk, Va., has made public a startling letter he received from M. Cremedas, a young Greek who left Norfolk a year ago with a party of his countrymen to fight against the Turks. Cremedas, in his letter, says that Dr. Valois Damien, a physician from Paris, who served in a semi-official capacity with the Greek forces at Janina during the military operations about the city, performed some remarkable surgical experiments.
According to Cremedas, Dr. Damien brought from Paris ninety wealthy patients suffering with diseased kidneys and other organs, and established an invalid camp at Philates, a small town fifteen miles from Janina.
Dr. Damien made several unsuccessful attempts to obtain an audience with the king, but was finally successful when a sum of money was contributed by one of the invalids to equip a battery for the army.
Commanders of the divisions at the front were given orders to send Dr. Damien all recently killed soldiers that he needed. The experiments then commenced.
Upon the receipt of a dead body the doctor and his assistants proceeded to transfer the healthy and still living organs desired from the corpse to the body of one of his patients. Old men on the verge of the grave from Bright's disease had the source of their trouble removed, and the healthy organs of some strong man put in their place. These transfers are said to have included no less than three of the vital bodily organs and numerous smaller operations, in which forty were a complete success, while there was a loss of only ten out of the ninety. New York Herald.
That the churches of all denominations are rapidly losing ground in England was the recent admission of the Rev. Frederick Brotherton, secretary and former president of the National Federation of Free Churches, an organization representative of nearly all the non-conformist denominations.
The Rev. Mr. Meyer, who has just celebrated his sixty-sixth birthday, is England's most eloquent and scholarly Baptist churchman, and his position enables him to speak with authority on the alleged decadence of Christianity in John Bull's island.
He recently joined with the bishop of London in asking the "London News and Leader" to desist from the project of taking a religious census of London, and both the Baptist and Anglican leaders admitted to a fear that such a counting of noses might show discouraging figures. The Rev. Mr. Meyer has found a constant decrease in church going in London, while the population of the city is steadily increasing.
The spirit of worldliness, he declares, affects all classes. Sports, motoring and week-end parties largely occupy the attention of the wealthy, while the growth of Socialism is alienating the poor. Exchange
The University Congregational Church of Chicago has been experimenting with moving pictures as a means of teaching children of the Sunday School. The experiment has proved successful.
All eyes appear to be directed toward the PhotoDrama of Creation, which will be produced throughout the world shortly by means of moving pictures. These pictures, said to be the finest of their kind, are expected to create a sensation and a religious awakening such as the world has never known.
This article can be found in its entirety in the Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "Great Pyramid God's Witness."
In Germany it is said that the three greatest organizations in the world are the Kaiser's army, the Standard Oil Co. and the Catholic Church.
In burning his vestments and prayer-book Rev. Charles Steel Davidson, rector of an Episcopal Church at Fincastle, Va., said: "Here, too, I proclaim the Bible as the sufficient rule of faith and order-as the sufficient guide-book and prayer-book for everyone that is begotten of the Holy Spirit.
"Here I renounce and repudiate the ministry of the Episcopal Church, but I retain the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, and which the church never gave and cannot take away."
No mistake is greater than the mistake of the minister who conceives it to be his duty to preach politics from the pulpit. To an audience who have read the daily papers all the week and the Sunday paper that very morning, nothing is more superfluous than a political discourse in church. A prominent clergyman, during a whole Presidential campaign, preached Sunday after Sunday against one of the candidates, to a constantly decreasing audience. On the night when the returns came in, the object of his attacks was apparently successful, and he cried out in despair, "What can be done now?" He was effectively answered by one of the ungodly who happened to be present: "I don't see that there is anything left for you now, doctor, except to preach the Gospel."
In time of battle to advance the colors and bring the troops up to them is a thrilling sight and a matter of supreme moment. If the colors have been shot down some one must seize and plant them again; if the color bearer has fallen and the flag has gone down with him some comrade, at all risks, must dash forward and throw the standard again to the breeze, if the army is to win the day.
Where are the colors of the militant host of Methodism today? Have they not gone down or are we not trailing them in the dust? On them is written holiness unto the Lord. Time was when this was the battle cry of our then increasing and advancing phalanxes. It gleamed everywhere on our banners; it was shouted in all our camps. In other words, time was when regeneration and holiness were preached in all our churches and taught in all our homes and proclaimed by every itinerant that pressed his way into scattered settlements or wrought in villages and cities, till multitudes everywhere with broken hearts and streaming eyes sought and found Christ a personal Savior and went forth to bring other souls to repentance and holy living.
Here and there among us are some who have the fullness of spiritual life and power, but they are too few. The general spiritual decadence of Methodism is the most alarming fact that confronts our Church today. The tide of our spiritual power is turning back like a refluent wave. Our numerical strength is virtually at a standstill as a result. Restore to our people the doctrine and experience of the "full salvation" of other years, not with the old terminology but in that of the living present, and the wonders that would follow would amaze the world. The "Call to the Colors" by Dr. James Mudge in the current number of the Methodist Review has the sound of a trumpet. Will the church heed it? O, for a new unfurling of our colors and a mighty rallying to them! Northern Christian Advocate
This article was republished in Reprints R1832-R1835, July 1, 1895, entitled, "The Peace of God."
This article was republished in Pastor Russell's Sermons, Pages 184-191, entitled, "God Preparing for the Harvest."
While seeking to follow the various specific commands of Scripture, let us seek more and more to understand and come in sympathy with the principles which underlie the Divine Law. These will enable us to judge of the right and the wrong of such of our words, thoughts and acts as may not be particularly specified in the Lord's Word. Indeed, as we come to understand and sympathize with the principles of Divine Law, to that extent we are getting the spirit of the Divine Word. Note the testimony of the Psalmist on this point. "O how love I thy lawl it is my meditation all the day. Thou, through thy commandments, hast made me wiser than mine enemies, for they are ever with me I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I knight keep thy Word. I have not departed from thy judgments, for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."-Psa. 119:97-105
Shun a contentious and fault-finding disposition as contrary to the spirit, or disposition of Christ-contrary to love. A certain amount of combative courage is demanded in overcoming the world, the flesh and the Devil and their various snares. This fighting disposition may become a valuable aid to ourselves and to the Master's cause if rightly and wisely directed against sin, first in ourselves and secondly in others; if used for the Lord and his people and against Satan and all his powers of darkness and superstition. This, in the Scriptures, is called fighting the good f fight, and we all should be gallant soldiers in the battle for Right and Truth, lovingly defending our Captain's honor and his people's liberties.
If conscience were a sufficient guide you would have no need of the Scriptures.
The majority of people have as good as no conscience; for they are blind to the principles and laws of God given to guide conscience; and still worse off then these are those mentioned in 1 Tim. 4:2. Hence the imperative necessity for carefully heeding the Lord's Word, and walking circumspectly according to its light.
We are not to faint in our minds nor become discouraged, feeling that so much has been said against us that we must give up the race. On the contrary, we are to feel assured like our Lord, that nothing can befall us except with the knowledge of the Father, who is working all things for our good. It was thus our Lord was prepared for His exaltation. So we, if we are rightly exercised by our various experiences and follow as closely as possible the commands laid down for our guidance, will find that even refilling, slanders, oppositions to righteousness, will work out blessings for us, as they did for our Lord.
A little machine invented in Paris will, it is said, do away with all stenographers and typewriters. The author of a letter simply talks at a machine, the machine makes a record of the words through a thin cloth, which is mailed to the proper person, who puts it into a machine which grinds out the noises spoken [HG621] into the other machine.
Dr. Charles M. Sheldon, author of "In His Steps" and a clergyman of considerable prominence, is reported by the Christian Herald as having come at last to see the simplicity of the Bible's statement that "The Wages of Sin is death." The following is extracted from his discourse on the subject: "I have come to believe myself in the probable annihilation of those who never respond to God's offer of forgiveness, those who never believe in Christ and take Him as their Savior. It seems probable that the Bible teaches that the word 'Death,' as applied to the soul that always refuses to repent, is a death that means total extinction.... I cannot interpret the use of such a text as we have today to mean anything less than that 'the wages of sin is death.' What do these words mean if not plainly what they say?-the extinction of life, the utter going out of the flame that was meant to ascend higher and brighter and purer on the altar of man's worship of his Creator and Redeemer."
Religion is either the most important thing in life or a stupendous fraud.
Anything, therefore, which throws a ray of light on the subject is worth the attention of all.
We notice that Dr. Samuel Carter of the Presbyterian church has been saying things, to-wit: "The Westminster confession presents for the worship and allegiance of men a God who for the pleasure of His will assigned the millions of the human race to endless torment before they were born or had done good or ill.
"Readers of Lorna Doone remember how the robber Doones of Bagworthy looted a farmer's cottage and found a little babe in a cradle. One of them called to his comrade to have a game with him. He tossed the infant to the other, who caught it upon the point of his pike.
"We call these men fiends, but they were bright angels in comparison with God who could send millions of infants to eternal torments. Every fiber of my moral being rises up against this God-dishonoring theology; with the utmost fervor of my soul I reject this God of the Confession, and as fully as I reject this God so gladly do I receive the God of the Gospel of Jesus Christ-the Father in the great parable who runs forth to meet his wretched, but repenting son, falls upon his neck and kisses him."
Dr. Carter, being a Presbyterian, should know his own ground in reference to the Confession. All will not agree with him; but one thing is certain, there is great unrest in many matters of creed nowadays, and outbursts like Dr. Carter's are becoming increasingly frequent. It seems to be true, also, that the churches are not reaching, at least not directly, the great majority of the people. The matter, as Dr. Carter puts it, has an ugly and revolting sound. Not many people will find it in their hearts to believe, we think, in this fearful claim of the older theology. Dayton (O.) Herald.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." 1 Pet. 5:6
The Bible everywhere holds up the Lord Jesus Christ as the glorious Pattern of what is most pleasing to the Heavenly Father, a Pattern therefore to be copied by all who would abide in God's favor. There are certain steps necessary before any can come into the favor of God, and properly be called His children, or said to be under His supervision and care, or be permitted to address Him in prayer, or to consider themselves heirs of His favors and blessings. This is made very clear by the Apostles and also by Jesus Himself. The Apostles declare the necessity of an Advocate with the Father before any can approach Him, come into His presence or receive any favor from Him. Jesus expressed this same thought, saying, "No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."
As a matter of fact, therefore, a comparatively small proportion of humanity have any of God's favors at the present time. But we rejoice in the breadth of the Message, which assures us that in God's "due time" all [HG622] shall be brought to a knowledge of Messiah, and privileged through Him to enjoy the gift of God-everlasting life. But what is coming and what is here now are two different matters. No one has authority to make the Narrow Way a Broad Way, nor to say that many will find it when the Scriptures declare, "Few there be that find it." Our consolation is that this Narrow Way leads to special glory, honor, immortality and the Divine Nature, and will develop a special, Elect class. Then subsequently, this select class will be used of the Lord in blessing the non-elect many with a great, but inferior blessing.
Our text relates not to the world in general, but merely to the consecrated few who during this Age hear the invitation, accept it, and become footstep followers of Jesus. These have their sins forgiven as a result of faith in the precious blood of Christ and of consecration to do the will of God. These, then, have the Redeemer as their Advocate with the Father, and are accepted in the Beloved as His brethren.
These are the prospective members of the Bride of Christ, who by the Lord's grace may now suffer with their Redeemer in cross-bearing, and by and by share with Him His glorious Kingdom. These are begotten of the Father through the Holy Spirit, and thus become New Creatures in Christ. No longer are they to be classed as members of the human family, but as spiritual sons of God, of a new order, higher than the angels, but not yet perfected. Their perfecting cannot take place until their probationary trial shall have ended, and it will not end until death.
In the glorious first Resurrection, therefore, these will be perfect, as sons of God on the Divine plane, associates and joint heirs with their Lord and Redeemer.
These are exhorted to come with boldness to the Throne of Heavenly Grace, to obtain mercy, and find grace to help in every time of need. These, and only these, may know that their prayers are always heard. As Jesus said, "Their messengers do always have access to My Father's presence." (Matt. 18:10) The exhortations of the Apostle are to these alone-not to the world.
In our context the Apostle holds up the Lord Jesus as the great Pattern of humility, the example for all of His followers, admonishing that they should walk in His steps, if they would have the Divine favor that He enjoys and attain with Him to joint-heirship in His glorious Kingdom. He was rich, yet in obedience to the Father's will He laid aside the riches of His Heavenly estate, and became poor-not merely appeared poor.
He laid aside, or divested Himself of His spirit condition and glory, and took instead human conditions.
From being above the angels, He of His own volition took a nature and place "a little lower than the angels." And He did this, knowing it was only a preliminary step. He knew that the particular steps of self-denial and suffering were to follow.
He humbled Himself to become a man, because a man-Adam-had sinned, and through him a race had come under sentence of death, and could not extricate itself. Only an uncondemned man could redeem the condemned one. For this purpose Jesus left His glory, and "was found in fashion as a man."
The Logos did not become a sinful man, a blemished or imperfect man. On the contrary, He was "holy' harmless' undefiled and separate from sinners."
Otherwise, He could not have been the Redeemer. Being sinless, however, this perfect One would suffer all the more from the shame and ignominy connected with the mission He undertook.
As it was not a babe, but a man, that had sinned and was to be redeemed, therefore Jesus needed to wait unto He reached manhood's estate-thirty years-before He could begin His ministry. Promptly at thirty He made His consecration, and symbolized it by water immersion at Jordan. Then He went forth, declaring the Message which He knew would be misunderstood-the Message of God's Love, the Message that there must be a sacrifice for sin, the Message that He was the Sin-Offering, the Message that as a result of that Sin-Offering, blessed fruitage afterward would come, in the Messianic Kingdom, which would bless all the families of the earth.
As He foreknow, mankind, even the best prepared-the Jewish people-were not ready for the Message. Thus, as He foresaw and as the Scriptures foretold, they crucified Him-ignorantly-for as St. Paul declares, "Had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Cor. 2:8) St. Paul reminds us that we should consider Christ's undeservedness of persecution, lest we should be "weary and faint in our minds." Similar experiences must to some extent come upon us. And if He who was perfect endured patiently, we who are imperfect may well exercise great patience. And so in our text the exhortation is that we perceive how Jesus humbled Himself, and that we should think it a great privilege and pleasure similarly to experience humiliations for righteousness' sake.
No doubt the Logos, "the Beginning of the Creation of God," the "First-born of every creature," the one by [HG623] whom all things were made, had such loyalty to the Father that He would have been obedient, even had no reward been attached to the invitation given Him. But, on the other hand, it would not have been consistent with kindness, love or justice for the Father to demand of His Son such a sacrifice. Justice can make no such demand. And if Love makes such a suggestion, it should properly back up the suggestion with some promise of special favor or blessing. According to the Apostle, God did just this. He informed His Son that He would appreciate such a sacrifice, and set before Him a joy, a hope.
The Apostle does not explain the details of that hope, but we may infer them:
(1) The joy of the Father's blessing in a superlative sense.
(2) The joy of bringing many sons of God to the plane of glory as His Bride class.
(3) The joy of rescuing the world of mankind from sin, sickness, sorrow, pain, death and of uplifting, or resurrecting all the willing and obedient of the race to human perfection, and all that was lost by Adam.
(4) An exaltation to a still higher station than that which He had left. He would be made partaker of the Divine nature, far above angels, principalities and powers, and above His own previous high station as the Only Begotten of the Father, the Logos-the Word. John 1:1-3
Here we are, with the Apostle's words and the full scope of his inspired testimony before us. He tells us that if we desire to be of the glorious Class of more than conquerors, who will be honored by the Redeemer, we must humble ourselves to the doing of the Divine will to the best of our ability' as our Redeemer humbled Himself to do the Father's will perfectly. Not that the Father will accept anything less than perfection, but that our Redeemer will make up to us by the imputation of His righteousness all that which we lack through our share in Adam's fall and its consequence. In other words, if we have the same loyalty of heart that the Master had, we will do what we can, and in so doing shall be acceptable to the Father, through the Son, who has "tasted death for every man," who gave Himself for all.
Notice, now, the contrast between Satan's course and that of the Lord Jesus. Satan took the opposite course from that which the Redeemer took. Instead of humbling himself, willing to do everything that would be pleasing to the Father, he was proud, haughty, and sought to exalt himself. Lucifer was rich before his rebellion, before he became Satan, the adversary of God. Yet he was not so rich, had not so high a station, as the Logos, who was the very chief of all of God's creation, through whom the Divine energy operated in the creation of all things that were made.
Mark well the course of pride, that led to Satan's sin, and will ultimately lead to his degradation and destruction. Mark well also the course of Jesus, as it led Him through obedience to humiliation, and then to the highest glory. Which example shall we follow? Which fate will be ours? Shall we in humility walk in the footsteps of our Redeemer, and become His joint heirs in His glory, honor and immortality or shall we take the other course of pride, and thus become disciples of the Adversary, and learn of him, and reach his doom-destruction in the Second Death?
The Apostle intimates that God tests us upon certain general lines, general principles operating His Government: "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted, and he that exalteth himself shall be abased." It would be folly to permit the seeds of pride or personal ambition to take root in our hearts. Let us be diligently on the outlook to eradicate everything of the kind, and be close students of our Master, copying His course.
There is a reason behind every Divine command and regulation. Men may make arbitrary rules and conditions without justifiable cause, but we may be sure that the great Creator has a good reason for His every act and requirement. In the present case, we can readily discern the necessity for the Divine requirement of humility. The Lord Jesus and His Church are invited by the great Jehovah to the very highest position in the Universe, next to Himself. Such an exaltation would be dangerous to any one possessed of a spirit of pride or selfish ambition. Who can tell at what time the smoldering fire might break into a blaze and cause confusion and disorder?
Consider Satan's case. What might have been the result had he been entrusted with so high a position as that now occupied by the glorified Jesus? There would have been genuine rebellion in Heaven of the kind Milton so foolishly imagined.
How we can see the wisdom of the Almighty in testing those whom He would exalt to His own Divine nature! Even His well beloved Son was required to demonstrate His faithfulness and loyalty unto death- "even the [ignominious] death of the cross." So the Apostle says that it became God, "in bringing many sons unto glory' to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings"-to prove Him perfect by the things which He suffered-to demonstrate that the things which He had always professed and had always done, expressed the sentiment of His heart in the fullest and most absolute sense.
Thus again we read, "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He [HG624] Suffered."(heb 5:8) Again we read that it was because of His faithfulness that God highly exalted Him and gave Him a name above every name. If this was necessary in the case of our Redeemer, before the Father could properly so highly exalt Him, what shall we say of His followers? Surely we must agree to the necessity for most thorough testing, proving, demonstrating the loyalty of the Church before they could be made partakers of the Divine nature and sharers of that Heavenly glory. 2 Pet. 1:4
This is the import of our text: Remember the heights, the glories of the Heavenly calling which we have received of God through Christ! Remember that we were by nature children of wrath, even as others! Remember that once we were alienated from God through wicked works! Remember that God is working in us to will and to do His good pleasure, to develop the character pleasing to Himself!
Remember that unless this work of grace go on in our hearts day by day, it will not be accomplished! Remember that unless it be accomplished, we shall not be fit for a place in the Kingdom! Remember that God has predestinated that only such as demonstrate that at heart they are copies of His Son can ever be His joint heirs in the Kingdom; and remember that in all this we see the force of the text: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time."
Our trials and difficulties, our stumblings and repentances, our vows to the Lord, and our endeavors to keep these, are parts of the great humbling process necessary to our exaltation. "If we suffer with Him we shall reign with Him."
When we get the proper focus on this subject of the calling and election of the Church, it clarifies everything. We see now that if we could escape trials and difficulties and testings we would escape the necessary schooling experiences, and be unfit for our graduation, unfit for a share in the First Resurrection. It takes us some time to get this proper view of matters; even as when we were school children, it required some time for us to learn the lesson that to be helped with an answer or to be excused from a lesson or to have a holiday were all disadvantages.
A sufficient number of such failures to learn our lessons properly would mean unpreparedness for examination day. We have entered God's great training School. Its great Teacher is our dear Redeemer, to whom we are betrothed. Every lesson in the course is necessary for our polishing and preparation for the glories to follow.
In this School everything depends upon ourselves. The arrangements are all of God and therefore perfect. The great Teacher will not fail in His duty toward us.
The results, therefore, are with ourselves. If we learn the lessons, we shall surely be graduated, and presented before our Heavenly Father and the holy angels with honor and glory. But if we fail to learn the lessons necessary, we shall have only ourselves to blame. Indeed, from the viewpoint which we shall have beyond the veil, we surely would not want a place for which we were not prepared, and God would not give it to us. In this entire matter, therefore, we see that God is operating His elections, selections, instructions and final approvals along the lines of absolute justice, fairness.
The miracle of bringing the dead back to life, Dr. A. L. Soresi, of Fordham University, thinks will be a scientific achievement of the future. Dr. Soresi, who is attached to the staff of the Flower Hospital, for five years has conducted experiments of transfusion of blood, with results, he says, that are amazing.
Prof. Soresi here told of saving the life of a male patient, and the body was apparently moribund. After the explanation of his experiments with transfusion of blood in animals, Prof. Soresi said: "An experiment with a male pneumonia patient was perhaps not as spectacular, but more gratifying in results. This patient was entirely without respiration from all tests applied and therefore actually moribund to human knowledge when I made a transfusion of blood from a normal man through the jugular vein of the patient. The return to life was prompt and recovery followed in due course.
"If such transfusions could be made promptly the loss of life would be materially lowered.
"In a recent experiment at Flower Hospital I pumped all the blood from a dog until the animal lay absolutely lifeless. For sixteen minutes I allowed the animal to remain without a spark of life. The heart had stopped beating and every function of life had ceased.
"I connected the blood vessels of the dog with those [HG625] of another dog and permitted blood to flow. Inside of five minutes there was a complete return of life, and the dog soon was yelping in an entirely normal way.
Other experiments with dogs have yielded amazing results.
"When the way has been found to connect directly with the left side of the heart, medical science will be able to restore human beings to life after all animation has been suspended, provided there is no organic trouble. The resuscitation will be effective in cases of gas or drug poisonings, hemorrhages and such diseases as typhoid and pneumonia. Sudden death by accident, when no vital organ has been crippled, will fall within the scope of the transfusion method.
"Under the new science it will be possible to restore life after it has been extinct for half an hour. I am devoting most of my time to these experiments, and hope before long to be able to make an important announcement to the world of science."
If we may believe the latest reports of the industrial chemists, a cheap process for making cloth absolutely fireproof has finally been discovered. Many fireproof fabrics have been brought out, but this is the first time that there has been any apparent assurance of a cloth that is cheap enough for ordinary uses. And it is also the first time there has ever been devised a process that would fire-proof ordinary cotton cloth in a way that enabled the cloth to be washed or laundered. The new process is the work of an English chemist and his claims are based upon the fact that the fireproofing of any material desired, and especially of cotton cloth, will not increase the cost of production more than a fraction of a cent.
Heretofore the cotton cloths that have been fireproofed have taken on a hard and unyielding texture that made them almost impossible for the ordinary uses of such materials. It is well known that the cotton flannel material which women use throughout the world for making wrappers and night clothing is highly inflammable and that a number of tragedies have been caused by its being worn.
Despite this disadvantage the cloth is used because it is soft and gives good wear.
The discovery of a process for rendering such material fireproof, therefore, is deserving of more than ordinary mention.
Different Races! Different Trophies! The Goal Before Us
This article can be found in its entirety in the Newspaper Sermons, entitled, "Running for the Worthy Prizes."
This article was republished in Reprints 1806-1808, May 1, 1895, entitled, "Perfect Through Suffering," and remainder republished in Reprint 4804, April 15, 1911, entitled "What Our Lord Feared and From What He Was Saved."
"For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not; I will help thee." Isa. 41:13.
"Brethren of the ministry, lend me your ears for a moment, while I present a new phase of this question."
"I do not wish to speak now of any rebuke we are giving or should give Russellism, though it deserves it. But I wish to call serious attention to the rebuke Russellism is giving us. From all our pulpits and at all our associations and other gatherings we hear Russellism denounced and the fact lamented that it is spreading the world over and winning many converts, and some of them from our own ranks."
"Now, why are so many being led astray by these teachings? Simply because Russell is teaching some truth, and very timely and precious truth, when he teaches a Millennium of peace and righteousness in the earth to follow the second coming of Christ."
"And herein consists the rebuke. Not any rebuke we are giving him, but a just rebuke Russell is giving us. Our preachers have not preached and informed the people on these subjects. Many of our people who have heard preaching all their lives have never heard a sermon on the second coming of Christ or the Millennium. Herein are we rebuked. We have not informed ourselves and our people on these subjects. If we had, they would be safeguarded against the heresies the others associate with their teachings.
"Many a man reads this literature or hears them preach and discovers that the Scriptures really teach a second coming and a Millennium, and it is such precious and comforting truth that he feels drawn toward it, and, not being previously instructed in the true Scriptural teaching on the subject, he often swallows the whole thing, good, bad and all.
"Yes, I am sick of hearing fiery and eloquent speeches denouncing the heresy.
Brethren, let us display some real manhood and courage, and just own up that the fault is at our door. Let's study God's Word on the subject and no longer excuse our ignorance by persuading ourselves that Daniel and the Revelations have no message for us that we can understand. It will astonish you how much you will find on these subjects, both in the Old and in the New Testaments. And if you come with open Bible to the door of wisdom and use your knuckles on the door and your knees on the floor, you will be happily rewarded.
"Yes, this precious teaching will make you a better man and will bring a great blessing to your people. And, as many signs seem to indicate the near approach of the fulfillment of the promise, it is more timely than ever for us to be properly informed along these lines. This is no doubt the reason that various groups of believers are stressing this subject.
"Once more, it is my profound conviction that God is especially and purposely firing many hearts on this subject nowadays, and that He will ultimately overrule even Russellism for His own glory by blessing whatever truth he may teach and by making it the means of provoking many other people to search the Scriptures and get their eyes open. Very fraternally, (Rev.) J. R. Wells, in Baptist Witness"
Christ will not return to Earth as a Man Present Year Believed to Mark Great Change of Dispensation, but World May not discern Immediate Difference
I am prompted in the selection of my text by reading an extract from the sermon of a Canadian minister delivered recently. In it he declared that 1914 would witness the Second Coming of Christ, etc. His statement allowed the inference that he holds the view common to nearly all the creeds; namely, that the earth is to be burned up and the human race blotted out; and that, incidentally, Christ will come a second time, to see that none of the Church are included in the destruction.
To my understanding, all such expectations are [HG627] wholly unscriptural, untrue, misleading, and hindrances to a right understanding of the Bible. They belong to the Dark Ages, when public teachers seemed to lose all appreciation of poetic language, figurative language, mental imagery. They belong to the time when Christ's references to Gehenna Fire, which burned outside the walls of Jerusalem, were understood to mean an eternity of torture for all except the saintly few. They belong to the time when Jesus' words respecting the cutting off of the right hand and the plucking out of the right eye were misunderstood, and taken literally.
St. Peter's words are generally urged to be the foundation for the theory that the world will be destroyed by literal fire at the Second Coming of Christ, when the heavens shall be on fire, and the earth also and the things therein shall be burned up (2 Peter 3:10), a literal interpretation here overlooks the fact that St. Peter, speaking of the very same time, in Acts 3:19-21, declares that Times of Restitution and blessing-not times of world-burning-will follow the Second Coming of Jesus. It also overlooks the fact that St. Peter and the other Apostles, as well as the Master, frequently used the word fire in a symbolic sense, to represent tribulation. Thus St. Peter, addressing the Church, says: "Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that shall try you."
St. Paul says that the fire of that Day shall try the work of every man [the Church], of which sort it is. Those who have built with gold, silver, precious stones [the promises of God's Word], shall be fireproof in that Day; while those who have built with the wood, hay and stubble of tradition-Higher Criticism, Human Evolution, etc., -will find their faith structure amenable to the fire; and they will suffer the loss of faith and have tribulations accordingly. Yet, the Apostle explains, such will themselves be saved, but these very fiery trials will destroy their misconceptions. They will be saved because, in spite of their errors, they built their faith upon Christ. 1 Cor. 3:11-15 The Apostle, however, urged that all should build with gold, silver and precious stones-characteristics which would enable them to pass through the fire of that Day unscathed- "more than conquerors." Similarly, Jesus referred to a testing of faith, by the figure of a flood, telling that those who built upon the sand would suffer loss; but that those who built upon the Rock would be safe. All these Scriptures, however, these references to fiery trials, etc., belong to the end of the Age-not the end of the world.
The Bible teaches that in God's great Plan He has provided various epochs, or ages, each for the accomplishment of its own special work; for instance, the Jewish Age with its work, and the Gospel Age with its work, to be followed by the Millennial Age and its still different work. The Bible declares that "the earth abideth forever" (Eccl. 1:4); that "God created it not in vain; He formed it to be inhabited." (Isa. 45:18).
The earth has never yet been inhabited. There are immense tracts of country still unoccupied. The Divine Plan for the earth has not yet reached consummation. It will require the thousand years of Messiah's glorious Kingdom Power to bring the world out of present sin and death conditions, and into the glorious conditions of Millenial blessing and Restitution, of which the Scriptures so frequently speak, and which St. Peter declares God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy Prophets.
So, then, the basis for thinking of the end of the world, now or ever, is purely a misunderstanding, due largely to the fact that our English translation uses the word world where it would more properly have used the word Age, Epoch, or order of things. In a word, the present order of things, of which the Scriptures declare Satan is the prince, or ruler, is not to be perpetual; it is to pass away. A new order of things, under the control of Messiah, the Prince of Light, is to take the place of the present reign of the Prince of Darkness. A reign of righteousness and life is to succeed the present reign of sin and death, according to St. Paul. Rom. 5:17, 21
The Bible everywhere represents that Christ left a Heavenly glory when He came to earth nearly nineteen centuries ago. "The Logos was made flesh and dwelt among us." The Bible explains that the necessity for this humiliation, this leaving the glory and taking a bondman's form, lay in the fact that God had pronounced a death sentence upon man, which mankind was paying and from which they could not be released unless someone would become their redeemer and meet the penalty for them-a death penalty, not an eternal-torment penalty, of which the Scriptures know nothing.
The Bible nowhere tells that Jesus took the human nature to keep it forever, and to return with it to Heaven, where it would be completely out of order and out of place. The Bible teaches, on the contrary, that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 15:50); and that Jesus was made flesh merely "that He, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9); and that after doing this work He would "ascend up where He was before." John 6:62) St. Paul assures us that this, the Divine Program, has been carried out. After telling of our Lord's obedience to the Father's will in humbling Himself to death, even the death of the [HG628] cross, he adds, "God hath highly exalted Him"- "far above angels, principalities and powers." Philip. 2:5-11; Eph. 1:20-23 The Master declared plainly, "Yet a little while, and the world shall see Me no more"; but He promised that He would be seen by His followers. St. John declares, "We shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He IS." (1 John 3:2) We read: "Every eye shall see Him"; but this, to be in harmony with the other Scriptures, must refer to the eyes of understanding. The Bible declares that eyes of human understanding are blinded now by error and sin, but that shortly all the blind eyes shall be opened. Then all will see Messiah and His Kingdom with the eye of faith, as the Church now see Jesus, the crown of life, and the things which the natural eye hath not seen.
Our English word coming is used to translate several very different Greek words.
One of these is Parousia, which means presence, and is used in referring to the first stage of the Lord's Second Advent. He will be invisibly present. For a time none but the saintly few whose eyes of understanding are anointed through the Word and the Spirit will realize His Parousia, His presence, while all things earthly will continue as they have been-buying, selling, building, marrying, etc.
Then, later on, will come the Epiphania; that is to say, the revelation, or manifestation, of the present One. This will not be a manifestation in the flesh, but in a great Time of Trouble, symbolically represented as fire, as when we read, "He shall be revealed in flaming fire, taking vengeance." 2 Thess. 1:7-10 To my understanding, the Bible teaches that Jesus has been present in the world since 1874. In other words, His Second Advent then began. The wonderful progress in the world since then Bible students thus explain; the wonderful blessing upon them and their study of the Bible they interpret in harmony with this. They understand the Bible to teach that this Parousia will continue for a thousand years; but that the Epiphania, or manifestation to the world, will be due in forty years from the time the Presence began. For this reason they are looking very interestedly to see what the present year may bring forth.
And do we not see everywhere signs of unrest, a time of trouble brewing? It looks as though this year would mark the beginning of the "flaming fire" of judgments upon the world which will mark the closing of this Age and the inauguration of the New Dispensation of Messiah's Kingdom, when "justice shall be laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet," and when the ignorance, superstition and darkness which so long have hindered us will begin to be broken. The transition may be painful, yet it will be blessed, marking the overthrow of Satan's empire and reign of sin and death and the inauguration of Messiah's Kingdom and its reign of righteousness and life eternal.
Our Lord, in describing His Second Presence, clearly indicated that it would be unnoticed by the world until the cataclysm of trouble should come. Thus He likened the earlier days of His presence to that period before the Flood, when the world, unconscious of the impending catastrophe, continued to build, eat and drink as usual, and knew not. So, says the Master, it will be in the end of this Age.
Eating, drinking, building, planting and marrying will proceed as usual; and the world will not know that they are in the PRESENCE of the Son of Man. The great Day of Trouble, noted throughout the Scriptures as "the Time of Trouble such as never was since there was a nation," will come upon them suddenly-St. Paul says, like the pangs of a woman in child-birth. A New Dispensation and new order of things is about to be born, and this great trouble is merely incidental to that birth.
St. Paul, in referring to the matter, says: "Yourselves know perfectly, brethren, that the Day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night. For when they [the world] shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that Day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all children of the light, children of the Day." 1 Thess. 5:1-6
If this great change from the dominion of Satan to the rule of Christ shall begin to manifest itself this very year, 1914, it will be a cause for rejoicing to all. Although no sufferings are joyous, but rather grievous, nevertheless, when we know that our interests are in the hands of a gracious Savior, who died for us and who is intent upon doing all that can be done for the recovery of our race from sin and death, we may well be glad in realizing that the Plan which Messiah is about to carry out for the blessing and uplifting of mankind from sin and death conditions is part of the original Divine Plan of the Father. And we have all the more joy, confidence and assurance that all things will work together for good to those that love God. [HG629] "The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower."
The trouble will be an awful one, but we believe not of great length. The Bible everywhere tells of the glorious results that will follow, when the shackles of darkness, sin and error shall be broken, and when all the spiritual powers surrounding mankind will be good and helpful, as in contrast with those of the wicked spirits now operating through mediums, by clairvoyant and clairaudient powers, to ensnare, to deceive, to bewilder mankind.
The fact that our Lord appeared in seven different flesh-forms on various occasions after His resurrection does not contradict other plain statements. Rather, we see that such appearances resembled the appearances of angels in the flesh, to communicate some good message from God to men. Had Jesus not materialized and appeared to His disciples, what proof would they or we ever have had respecting His resurrections And would not the fact that He saw them for a few moments and then vanished tend to prove to them that He was no longer a flesh being, but a spirit being, who had merely appeared to them for a special purpose?
St. Paul declares that he saw the Lord last, and not as a man, but as a spirit being, whose brightness was above that of the sun; and it injured his eyesight; for our Lord was not veiled in the flesh, as when He appeared to the disciples during the forty days.
The Christ who is to come a second time, then, is not the Jesus of the flesh, but the glorified Jesus, who in nature and glory is far above the angels-of the Divine nature.
When Jesus ascended, two angels appeared to the disciples, saying, "This same Jesus whom ye have seen go into Heaven shall so come again in like manner as ye have seen Him go." In the past many of us have misunderstood this statement-not scrutinizing it carefully enough. Assuredly it will be the same Jesus that will come again-the same One who died for us, the same One who left the glory for us before He was born the Babe of Bethlehem. In all His changes He remains the same personality, as He declared: "I am He that is, and was, and is to come." The angels did not say, however, He will come again in the flesh, or materialized, as you have seen Him go away. Their message related to the MANNER of His going and the MANNER of His coming. What was there special about the manner of His going away that would correspond to the manner of His coming again? Many things! He went away quietly, secretly, unknown to the world, unknown to any except His disciples. In like manner has been His Parousia-silently, quietly, unknown to the world, not known to any except His disciples. Surely, if we are right in saying that His Parousia began in 1874, the manner would correspond with the manner of His going. He did not come with glorious hosts, blaring trumpets, etc., but as a "thief in the night." If we have the correct date and chronology, Gentile Times will end this year-1914.
What of it? We do not surely know. Our expectation is that the active rule of Messiah will begin about the time of the ending of the lease of power to the Gentiles. Our expectation, true or false, is that there will be wonderful manifestations of Divine judgments against all unrighteousness, and that this will mean the breaking up of many institutions of the present time, if not all. Some Scriptures seem to indicate that this will mean world-wide anarchy, not all beginning at the same moment, nor ending at the same time, but beginning and gradually spreading the world around. The further intimation is that this trouble will eventually prove a blessing to humanity, melting their hearts in the Day of Trouble, teaching the more of sympathy for one another, breaking the power of superstition, wealth, ignorance, etc.-preparing them for the glorious Reign of Messiah's Kingdom.
American missionary work in China has gone to extravagant and unnecessary extremes, and thousands of dollars are wasted annually in the name of missions, according to Dr. John J. Mullowney, assistant chief medical inspector in the Department of Health of Pennsylvania. Dr. Mullowney is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and for a year attended the Harvard Medical School. After graduation he went to China as a medical missionary. For four years he taught in the Union Medical College of North China and also was in charge of the Hopkins [HG630] Memorial Hospital, at Pekin.
"After serious thought," Dr. Mullowney says, "I could not feel that I could conscientiously be a part in bringing into China a system of which I could not approve, that is, bishops, paid ministry, baptism, sectarianism and forms and ceremonies which I have learned to believe are absolutely foreign and unnecessary to the real, simple teaching of Christ. I could not feel that it was wise or practical to endeavor to teach such subjects as medicine and the sciences in the Chinese language, and I was convinced of the folly of this more because the Chinese themselves, through the National Board of Education, had decided that these subjects should be taught in the Government colleges in the English language; and yet those in control of the school where I taught were trying to teach medicine in the Chinese language.
"While I do believe in taking the real Message of Christ to China, I cannot feel that it is a religious duty or a practical undertaking for us to take thousands of dollars annually from the common people of these United States to help build in China a lot of institutions of higher education which may be useful from the standpoint of learning, but which are not an essential of the Message of Christ. I cannot think that it is our religious duty to beg the hard-earned money of our people in America for the purpose of building up institutions of education which are to compete with each other and with Chinese Government institutions-because it is both unnecessary and foolish. It is unnecessary because the Chinese nation is perfectly able to educate its own people and is doing it in its own way, which is the best way for them. It is foolish for us to think that we know how how to educate the Chinese better than the Chinese themselves, and it is foolish to try to do for them what we have not done for ourselves.
SECTS WAR UPON EACH OTHER"In short, I have come to feel that we are pretending to do what we have not done for ourselves and we are pretending to be what we are not, which is expressed in one word-hypocrisy.
"Personally, I feel that the missionary efforts of the American people in China have gone to extravagant and unnecessary extremes, and that if we were only content to do the thing that Christ demands of us, and that alone, it would cost us far less and would be far more effectual. If we were not so egotistical as to think that the Chinese could not take the Message to their own people, but that we ourselves must go there, bag and baggage, it would show a far larger faith in our religion and would call for an infinitesimal part of what is now spent on 'missions. 'And better than all else, it would not have given rise to the importation into China of a host of sects and factions, which are now the concrete evidence of the desire of each religious group, or each church in America, to place or advertise its own particular institutions in China. This may be good business, but it is not what Christ bade His followers to do.
"I am not a pessimist, and I firmly believe in the ultimate spread of the Message of our Great Teacher to the four corners of our earth, but I sincerely believe that we have much to learn and to undo if we are to help to that great end efficiently and rationally. I believe that every exponent of Christianity, every man and woman who goes there, should be self-supporting; and I believe that the Chinese people would be glad to support every man and institution that is necessary for the spread of true, real and simple Christianity in China."
Philadelphia Record
"O Sheol [hell], I will be thy destruction." Hos. 13:14 "O Hades [help, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor. 15:55
Our text teaches that Jesus will destroy the hell of the Bible, the tomb-the state of death. He will do it by delivering all mankind from death by the resurrection.
Thus He will ultimately gain His great victory over sin and death and deliver humanity from their power. No one but Jesus can do this. Hence we must wait for the appointed time-the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. Meantime, it is ours to batter down the hell of torment which for centuries has troubled God's saints, and turned the hearts of the masses from their Creator.
The masses of Christian ministers are educated. Preachers in general know well that the Bible does not teach a hell of torture-that the words Sheol, Hades, [HG631] Gehenna and Tartarus do not signify a place of torture-where all except the saintly will everlastingly suffer. These ministers do not come forth into the open to combat the error, presumably because they do not realize that this terrible blasphemy against the Divine character lies at the bottom of nearly all the godlessness and the growing unbelief in the Divine Word now prevalent. To us it is evident that reverence for God and faith in the Bible can never be restored until this great Moloch of false teaching shall be demolished. This explains our zeal for the exposing of the error of the past, and for the revealment of truth on the subject of future punishment. All the precious promises of the Bible, and all its just penalties, are negatived and made of no effect by this colossal error of the past, whenever it is recognized, conceded.
We will not in this issue attempt explanations of some of the three or four parables, which by mistranslations, misunderstandings and interpolations have been made to support the God-dishonoring doctrine that everlasting torture is the wages of sin, in contradiction of the Bible statement, "The wages of sin is death."
We content ourselves with reminding our readers that we have already published articles on the parable of the "Rich Man and Lazarus," the parable of the "Sheep and the Goats," and the Lord's statement, "where their worm dieth not and their fire is not quenched"; and again in Revelation, about the Devil being cast with the beast and false prophets into torment. We shall be glad to furnish our readers with free copies of these upon application. These four figurative statements are the whole basis, so far as the Bible is concerned, of the doctrine of eternal torment.
The God of the Bible is such a one as every human heart needs and craves. He is a God of sympathy and love, respecting whom it is declared (Psa. 102:19,20), that He looked down from His Holy Habitation and beheld, and heard the groaning of the prisoners. "Then His own Arm brought salvation." (Isa. 63:5) The groaning of the prisoners was not in some far-away fiery furnace, but right here on earth-in every home. St. Paul declares:" The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together." He is quite right. Our race groans because we are slaves of Sin, and Sin is paying us the prescribed penalty, namely, death.
We are a dying race, mentally, morally and physically. We are more and more disappointing to ourselves and to others, and we hasten toward the tomb, slaves and prisoners-going down into the great prison-house of Death. That prison-house of Death, the tomb, is the Bible hell. All the aches and pains which come to us as we approach and enter the prison are incidental parts of the penalty. But "There's a wideness in God's Mercy, Like the wideness of the sea."
He has purposed a blessing upon every member of the race, all of whom have suffered the loss of Eden happiness and of life itself through the disobedience of the first man, Father Adam. The Second Adam is to completely undo the work of the first, and is to give every member of the race fullest opportunity for reconciliation and return to the Father's House.
The work of Jesus at the first Advent was only a preparatory one. His death was necessary as the corresponding price for the sin of the First Adam. Only by paying that penalty could He ever have the right to destroy the great prison-house-the tomb, Hades-and to deliver the prisoners by resurrection from the dead. His work was satisfactory. He has been received up into glory "where He was before," only with added dignity at the Father's right hand. There He waits, the Psalmist tells us, for the hour to strike when He shall take his great power and reign. Psalm 2:8-10 The first feature of His campaign will be the binding of Satan. Then He will cause the Sun of Righteousness to shine forth, with healing in its beams. The light of the knowledge of God shall fill the whole earth. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess. All will have the fullest opportunity for return to God, and only the willingly disobedient and rebellious against light will die the Second Death, go into "everlasting destruction."
Beautifully does the Book of Revelation picture the coming glories of Messiah's Kingdom and the blessings to mankind. Mark that it is the enthroned Messiah who declares, "Behold I make all things new," and who tells that, as Jehovah's Messenger and Representative, He will wipe away all tears from off all faces and give beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy for the spirit of sadness. Isa. 61:1-3 The God of Love and Grace, the God who sympathizes with His creatures and who promises ultimately to wipe away all their tears, is the only God who appeals to the human heart and head. Our misconceptions in the past served to drive the world further and further away from God, and even the [HG632] saintly found it difficult to worship Him in spirit and in truth-so dense was the cloud of ignorance and superstition which enshrouded us. Hark to Cardinal Newman's words, "Lead kindly Light," Amidst the encircling gloom. God is sending out His light and truth. The encircling gloom is breaking. The error and superstitions which hindered us from seeing the beauty of God's Word are being scattered. The light from one page and statement is shining upon another. The entire Word of God is heard as never before. God is speaking. His people are hearing. Bible students in all parts of the earth are awakening to the unsectarian study of the Lord's Word. 2 Tim. 2:15 True, Satan is still active. He is not yet bound. The Prince of Darkness hates the light, battles against it, and enlists on his side as many as possible. Alas, that he is able to gain a few as honest and as blind as was Saul of Tarsus, nineteen centuries agol These now breathe out threatenings, as did Saul. But we have confidence that all sincere ones, like St. Paul, will soon see a great light and hear the great voice of the Master, and be fully delivered from the evil spirit of persecution, which, in our day, uses slander and "shoots out arrows, even bitter words," to destroy the Message and the messengers of the Prince of Light, now shortly to take His power to reign for a thousand years, subjecting all things to the Divine standards.
There is no doubt that the Church during the Dark Ages came under the influence of the "doctrines of demons" referred to by St. Paul. He declared that the demons of the Bible are identical with the fallen angels of Genesis 6. They seek to hide their identity, representing themselves as holy angels or as dead human beings speaking to the living through mediums, as in Bible times-through witches, wizards, necromancers, astrologers, soothsayers, etc.
These, under Satan's domination, have for centuries sought to substantiate Satan's lie, and to deceive mankind into believing that the dead are not dead; into believing that Satan told the truth, saying, "Ye shall not surely die," and that God told the untruth when He said, "Thou shalt surely die." To turn the hearts of men away from the God of Love and Mercy, they have traduced His character and cultivated human fears.
The experiences among the heathen in India are very interesting. The more intelligent quickly learn the difference between the Message of God's love and the message they had heard from the missionaries. They declare that they cannot accept the teachings of the missionaries, to the effect that all of their forefathers have gone to a hell of torture, simply because they never heard of Jesus. They declare that they could not believe in such a God, even though they respected the intelligence of the missionaries on other subjects.
They say, "Our gods do not allow us to torture even brutes or insects, and hence would not themselves delight in torture. How can we receive the Christian's God with sentiments less noble than our own?" We have all made mistakes more or less in the past. God's Word is now opening up to us more and more. We are learning wherein we misunderstood Him and His gracious purposes. Begin a proper study of the Bible. You will find it soul-satisfying beyond all else.
In India scores of Bible Students classes are springing up; and native teachers in India, China, and Korea are hearing of the God of Love and Mercy and of the better and clearer understanding of the Bible with rejoicing hearts. The Gospel of the Kingdom-that Messiah is soon to become the great King, to establish righteousness, to overthrow sin and to uplift humanity-appeals to the simple minds of the Orient, especially to those attracted to Christianity, but unable to enter heartily into its service because of the darkness, mysticism and unreasonableness attaching to its exposition.
The prayer of our Methodist friends, "Send out the Light and Truth, O Lord," is surely being answered, even though some godly Methodists are slow to perceive the answer. The Message of the Love of God which passeth all understanding is the Message which was forceful with our own hearts as Christians, and is the only Message which has power; hence our Master's prayer, "Sanctify them through Thy Truth; Thy Word is Truth." John 17:17
Fear may be the beginning of wisdom, but Love is surely its goal. Perfect love casteth out all fear, and brings us near to the great Fountain of Grace and Truth, Mercy and Love. In His Divine presence and fellowship we find a transforming work progressing in our hearts-and more and more such become copies of God's dear Son and prepared for a share with Him in the glories of His Kingdom.
Only ignorance and fear can oppose the Message of God's Grace and prefer the doctrines of demons. Only the narrow-minded can pray, "God bless me and my wife, my son John and his wife, us four and no more." All of our breadth of heart and head must concede that a God wise and powerful enough to be man's Creator must also be just and loving; for in [HG633] justice is unwise and loveless and devilish. God declares that His work is perfect, and that He made man a moral image of Himself. Our fallen condition is a part of the penalty of sin, as the tomb is the companion of it.
No complaint could have been made by our race if God had left us thus to perish like brute beasts. But the Bible declares that He is rich in mercy, and unwilling that any should perish, but desirous that all might be recovered to everlasting life.
Again, we read that God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him might not perish, but, on the contrary, instead of perishing like the brute beast, might attain through Christ to everlasting life. John 3:16 The world has not yet had the promised blessing of God; for the Divine Plan is that Jesus must first select from amongst the world a company of His own disposition of loyalty to the Divine will. Not until those shall be fully selected and glorified will the great Messiah, Head and members, be completed. Then Bridegroom and Bride, enthroned in glory, the work of blessing will begin.
And that work will be the overthrow of sin, and thus the overthrow of the penalty of sin-death. It will mean the recovery of mankind from bondage to sin and death.
It will mean the uplifting of the partially dead mental, moral and physical powers to perfection. More than this, it will mean for those who have died without the knowledge of the Truth an awakening from the tomb, that they also may be brought to this knowledge of God and to a privilege of sharing in the great Redeemer's work and merit. No wonder the angels sang, "Glory to God in the Highest" at the birth of the Redeemer! No wonder they declared, "We bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people!"
God's glory has not yet appeared to man. False doctrines, ignorance, superstition still becloud the vision of humanity. St. Paul's words still apply: "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of all them that believe not, lest the glorious light of God's goodness should shine into their hearts." 2 Cor. 4:4
Both the light of nature and that of revelation clearly demonstrate the fact that an intelligent, wise, almighty and righteous God is the Creator of all things, and that He is the supreme and rightful Lord of all; that all things animate and inanimate are subject to His control; and that the Bible is the revelation of His character and plans so far as He is pleased to disclose them to men. From it we have learned that though evil now predominates among some of His creatures, it exists for only a limited time and to a limited extent, and by His permission, for wise ends which He has in view. We have also learned that though darkness now covers the earth, and gross darkness the people, yet God's light will in due time dispel all the darkness, and the whole earth will be filled with His glory.
We have seen that His great Plan is one that has required Ages for its accomplishment thus far, and that yet another Age will be required to complete it; and that during all the dark ages of the past, when God seems to have almost forgotten His creatures, His Plan for their future blessing has been silently but grandly working out, though during all those Ages the Mysteries of His Plan have been wisely hidden from men. We have also seen that the Day or Age which is now about to dawn upon the world is to be the Day of the World's Judgment, or trial, and that all previous preparation has been for the purpose of giving mankind in general as favorable an opportunity as possible, when, as individuals, they will be placed on trial for eternal life. The long period of six thousand years has greatly multiplied the race, and their buffetings and sufferings under the dominion of evil have given them an experience which will be greatly to their advantage when they are brought to judgment. And though the race as a whole has been permitted thus to suffer for six thousand years, yet as individuals they have run their course in a few brief years.
We have seen that while the race was undergoing this necessary discipline, in due time God sent His Son to redeem them; and that while the mass of mankind did not recognize the Redeemer in His humiliation [HG634] and would not believe that the Lord's Anointed would thus come to their rescue, yet from among those whose hearts were loyal to God and believed His promises, God has been, during the Ages past, selecting two companies to receive the honors of His Kingdom-the honors of sharing in the execution of the Divine Plan.
These two select companies, we have seen, are to constitute the two phases of the Kingdom of God. And from the Prophets we learn that this Kingdom is soon to be established in the earth; that under its wise and just administration all the families of the earth will be blessed with a most favorable opportunity to prove themselves worthy of everlasting life; that as the result of their redemption by the precious blood of Christ, a grand "Highway of Holiness" will be cast up; and the Ransomed of the Lord (all mankind-Heb. 2:9) may walk in it; that it will be a public thoroughfare made comparatively easy for all who earnestly desire to become pure, holy; and that all the stumbling-stones will be gathered out, and all the snares, allurements and pitfalls removed, and blessed will all those be who go up thereon to perfection and everlasting life.
It is manifest that this judgment, or rulership, cannot begin until Christ, whom Jehovah hath appointed to be the Judge or Ruler of the world, has come again-not again in humiliation, out m power and great glory; not again to die for the world, but to judge (rule) the world in righteousness. A trial can in no case proceed until the judge is on the bench and the court in session at the appointed time, though before that time there may be a great preparatory work. Then shall the King sit upon the Throne of His Glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall Judge them during that Age by their works, opening to them the books of the Scriptures and filling the earth with the knowledge of the Lord. And by their conduct under all that favor and assistance, He shall decide who of them are worthy of life everlasting in the Ages of Glory and Joy to follow. Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 20:11-13
Thus we see that the Second Advent of Messiah, to set up His Kingdom in the earth, is an event in which all classes of men may have hope, an event which, when fully understood, will bring joy and gladness to all hearts. It is the day when the Lord's "little flock" of consecrated saints has the greatest cause for rejoicing. It is the glad day when the espoused virgin Church with joy becomes the Bride, the Lamb's Wife; when she comes up out of the wilderness, leaning upon the arm of her Beloved, and enters into His glorious inheritance. It is the day when the true Church, glorified with her Head, will be endued with Divine authority and power, and will begin the great work for the world, the result of which will be the complete Restitution of all things. And it will be a glad day for the world when the great Adversary is bound, when the fetters that have held the race for six thousand years are broken, and when the knowledge of the Lord fills the whole earth as the waters cover the sea.
Let us remember that the strength sufficient which God has promised us, and by use of which we can be "overcomers" is provided in His Word. It is a strength derived from a knowledge of His character and plans, and of the conditions upon which we may share in them. Thus Peter expresses it, saying, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord, according as His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who hath called us to glory and virture; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that BY THESE ye might be partakers of the divine nature. "2 Pet. 1:2-4
But to obtain this knowledge and this strength, which God thus proposes to supply to each runner for the heavenly prize, will surely test the sincerity of your consecration vows. If you have consecrated all your time, all your talents, to the Lord, the question is, How much of it are you giving? Are you still willing, according to your covenant of consecration, to give up all? to give up your own plans and methods, and the theories of yourselves and others, to accept of God's Plan and way and time of doing His great work? Are you willing to do this at the cost of earthly friendships and social ties? And are you willing to give up time from other things for the investigation of these glorious themes so heart-cheering to the truly consecrated, with the certain knowledge that it will cost you this self denial? If all is not consecrated, or if you only half meant it when you gave all to the Lord, then you will begrudge the time and effort needful to search His Word as for hidden treasure, to obtain thus the strength needful for all the trials of faith incident to the present (the dawn of the Millennium) above other times. [HG635]
But think not that the giving will end with the giving of the needful time and energy to this study; it will not. The sincerity of your sacrifice of self will be tested in full, and will prove you either worthy or unworthy of membership in that "little flock," the overcoming Church, which will receive the honors of the Kingdom. If you give diligence to the Word of God, and receive its truths into a good, honest, consecrated heart, it will beget in you such a love for God and His Plan, and such a desire to tell the good tidings, to preach the Gospel, that it will become the all-absorbing theme of life hereafter; and this will not only separate you from the world and from many nominal Christians, In spirit, but it will lead to separation from such entirely. They will think you peculiar and separate you from their company, and you will be despised and counted a fool for Christ's sake; because they know us not, even as they knew not the Lord. 2 Cor. 4:8-10; Luke 6:22; 1 John 3:1; 1 Cor. 3:18 Are you willing to follow on to know the Lord through evil and through good report? Are you willing to forsake all, to follow as He may lead you by His word?
to ignore the wishes of friends, as well as your own desires? It is hoped that many of the consecrated who read THE BIBLE STUDENTS' MONTHLY may by it be so quickened to fresh zeal and fervency of spirit through a clearer apprehension of the Divine Plan, that they will be able to say, "By the grace of God, I will follow on to know and to serve the Lord, whatever may be the sacrifice involved." Like the noble Bereans (Acts 17:11), let such studiously set themselves to prove what has been presented in this and other issues. Prove it, not by the conflicting traditions and creeds of men, but by the only correct and Divinely authorized standard-God's own Word. It is to facilitate such investigation that we cite so many Scriptures.
It will be useless to attempt to harmonize the Truth herein set forth, with many of the ideas previously held and supposed to be Scriptural, yet not proved so. It will be observed that the Divine Plan is complete and harmonious with itself in every part. and that it is in perfect harmony with the character which the Scriptures ascribe to its great Author. It is a marvelous display of Wisdom, Justice, Love and Power. It carries with it its own evidence of superhuman design, being beyond the power of human invention, and almost beyond the power of human comprehension.
Doubtless questions will arise on various points inquiring for solution according to the truth herein presented. Careful, thoughtful Bible study will settle many of these at once; and to all we can confidently say, No question which you can raise need go without a sufficient answer, fully in harmony with the views herein presented. Our space, of course, is limited, but we would recommend to our readers Pastor Russell's STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES (announced in this issue), which elaborate the various branches of this one Divine Plan, disclosing at every step that matchless harmony of which the Truth alone can boast. And be it known that no other system of theology even claims, or has ever attempted, to harmonize in itself even statement of the Bible; yet nothing short of this can we claim for these views. This harmony, not only with the Bible, but with the Divine character and with sanctified common sense, must have arrested the attention of the conscientious reader already, and filled him with awe, as well as with hope and confidence. It is marvelous indeed, yet just what we should expect of the TRUTH, and of God's infinitely wise and beneficent Plan.
And while the Bible is thus opening up from this standpoint, and disclosing wondrous things (Psa. 119:18), the light of the present day upon the various creeds and traditions of men is affecting them in an opposite manner. They are being recognized even by their worshipers as imperfect and deformed, and hence they are being measurably ignored; and though still subscribed to, they are seldom elaborated, for very shame. And the shame attaching to these human creeds and traditions is spreading to the Bible, which is supposed to uphold these deformities of thought as of Divine origin. Hence the freedom with which the various advanced thinkers, so-called, are beginning to deny various parts of the Bible not congenial to their views. Whoever comes in contact with Truth, realizing its character, has thereby a responsibility with reference to it. It must be either received and acted upon, or rejected and despised. To ignore it does not release from responsibility. Let your light shine!
Ye curious minds, who roam abroad, And trace creation's wonders o'er, Confess the footsteps of your God. And bow before Him, and adore.