WER

WATC

HERALD OF CHRIST'S PRESENCE.

-"Watchman, What of the Night?" "The Morning Cometh.''-lsaiah _xxi. 11.

VoL. II

PITTSBURGH, PA., JANUARY,

===.----.::.--=-

1881

Ko. 7

=========

"A STONE OF STUMBLING"

for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel." lsa. 8:14.
"He ( Jcsus l shall be .
was in many respect,; a p<tttern 01 hado\\ ui the htgher
The lhulc p e ab of the several tnues of Israel as houses
Gospel house.
Especially in the do1llg wo1 k ui the tv.u
-v1z.: Hou8e of Judah, Levi, Benjamin, etc., but the ex
ages is this parallell,m ,biking.
Then age cuded \\ ith a
pression, house of Israel, was used as belonging to the twelve
harvest, in which Jesus zn the flesh was the rcapcr and
tnbes colle-tivcly.
(Jacob, after his wtestle with the angel,
winnower and gathell'l' mto the u<trn, the dbelpJe, being
''a,; ea l led Israel, whieh signifies "a prince with God," and
the assistant reaper, wo1 kmg under his duectwn,. lLuke
l II of his
descendants are called the children or house of
x. I.] Our age is also to end with ihe harvest oi the SJHl'ltu,tl
And the nominal Gospel church, entire, containing
I rae!.)
or Gospel house--a separating of wheat and tale, in \\hkh
both wheat and tares (Matt. xiii.) is recognized as the house
again, Jesus a sptrttttal body ["We know hnn no more aftL'l
of Christ who is the true Israel-a prince with God.
the flesh"] is the reaper, [Rev. xiv. 14- 1 6. l\Iatt. :-..!ii. -U J
It is these two houses that we understand as referred to
while the angels, also mvisillle spiritual bodiC, are th e
in the scnpture above cited-the fleshly house of servants
assistants.
and the spiritual house of sons-as we read: "Moses verily
We see too that not only are the harvest of Je\ish awl
was faithful in all his house [of servants-fleshly Israel],
Gospel ages parallel in point of beginning, !Jut also in length
lmt Christ as a Son over his own house [of sons-spiritual
of duration; theirs being in all 40 years from the time oi
J racl] whose house are we [to be] if we hold fast the con
Jesus anointing [at beginning of their harvest, A. JJ. 30. J
fidence and the rejoicing of our hope firm unto the end.
to destruction of Jerusalem, A. D. 70.
So, ours, IJ cginn in g
Uieb. iii. 5-6.] '\'e see then that none are of the Gospel house
in 1 874 closes with the end of the "day of wrath'' and end
of sons, except those who "hold fast to the end." But during
of the "times of the Gentiles," Hll4-a similar and parallel
this age of trial and development, all professors are reckoned
period of 40 years. The first seven years of the Jewish harv e ti t
a par t of the no mi n a l house of sons, and the distinctions
was especially devoted to the gathering of ripe wh e a t from
hf't\\'ecn the true and false arc not to be manifested until the
that church; three and one-half of it wa" while he wa
end of this Rgc-"The harvest"-when wheat and tares are
present as the Bridegroom and three and a half of it after
SC'parated.
he had come to them as king and had entC'red into glor'
This fact, that both of the nominal houses-fleshly and
but it was all under his supervision and ditPdion.
pirit ua l Israel-otumble over Christ, may have escaped the
As John had said he purged his flood, gathLted hb whrat
notice of many, and the bare suggestion that the Gospel church
and burned the chaff. So here the parR lie! is IJewg fulfilled
is to stumble will doubtless be repelled by many with alarm.
"Ve find, [as heretofore shown-sC'e "Day Dawn"! the la1t
Dut, beloved, be not alarmed; remember that "the Lord
and the prophets declaring him preent at the culmination
knoweth them that are his," and not one grain of wheat will
of the "Jubilee cycles" in 1 874. And the p arall el s sho\\ ll"
be mistaken for a tare; nor will one tare be gathered into
that then the lwrvest began, and that tl!C' gathering oi 1.he
the barn of safety with the wheat. Were we to do the sep
bride into the place of safety, will occupy a paraliC'! of SC'V<'n
arating, very many tares who have been our neighbors and
years of time, ending in 1 881.
But how. whC'n. an<! why
ehureh members might be classed as wheat that will be known
did the "house of servants" stumble over Cln i st ? If we l'an
in their true eharacter by the angels who are the reapers.
The Jewish clmrch claimed that they were serrants of God,
ascertain this it should give us a clue to how, when. and
why, the Gospel house stumbles, especially in Yirw 0f th"
R nd so they had been reckoned a house of servants for eighteen
hundred years, up to the time when Jesus came in the end
fact that in so many particulars the cl 0 '< in g work of thc1 t
of their age as the reaper, and the work of separating be
age is the exaat pattern of thiR.
tween true grain and empty chaff commenced. The work
We suggest that the fleshly house could not tumid<' nv<'r
of reaping was done by Jesus' personal preaching, and also
Chri"t until he had come and was present amo ng thPm. Thr
stumbled because of the manner of Chri<t' I'Omin!,!".
ThPy
thro ugh his dieip!Ps, a-; .John had declared. "HiR [winnowing]
fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge [cleanse]
had expected him to mRnifl'st himsl'lf in '<lll'h a ma n nC' r a"
his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner [the Gospel
would be convincing to their natt1ml eye and '<Cil<P<. and n nt
age.l but burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire," [Matt.
require the exercise of faith. He l'ame in s11eh an nh,cure and
iii. 121 the fire of tribulation and national destruction on
humble manner as to appeal only to the eye of faith. and
tlesl!ly Israel, ending with .Jerusalem's dest ru c ti on-A . D. 70.
taug!Jt in such a manner that only t hosl' "ho had thC' hl':n ing
The Work of JeRnR in the end or harvest of the .Jewish
of faith received hiR witne"s.
"'Vlw hath cars to hra r lPt
age, was not to make TRraelites of the Gentiles, but to prove
him hear." Matt. xiii. !l.
The object of hiR so appealing to thP C'Jie and enr of foith
who were really servants of God. The results prove that few
waR, that none but "ll<'h as had thl'sl' Rhould receiYI' him.
of the nominal flPRh ly Israel were "Israelites indl'ed, in whom
was no guile. "
"He came to [nominally] his own, and [as
Rnd that others "who '\Olttrht it. no t hv fait h . but as it W('r<'
a people or house] they received him not."
Th!' nomi nal hom;p
by thl' works of tlw Ia \." (professedly I sra C'l it('s lmt not
stumbled over him, and did not recognize him.
"Rut to as
IRraelites i ndl'l'd ) "honld stumh7r. not f<"<"og-ni7P him a" th('
many as rN' l'hPd him. to tlHm g-aw h!' thP power flihPrtyl to
Ron of Gocl, h11t fulflll wl1at had lwen p roph l'si cd of th('m.
becomp sons of God"-h11t thr rest wl're hlindNl.
nnd <"ruf'ifv him.
V'I'C' tlm>< s('(' lww. whl'n nnd whv
the
.
fll'Rhly h01iRe stHmhl('O. (Rom. i. 2-.)
We have heretofore seen that the Jewish or sPrvant honRe

[1 7 5 ]

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ZIO N 'S

W A TC H

Now, let us look with even deeper interest to the stumbling

of the uommal Gospel house-spiritual Israel.
We suggest
that as the tiehly house could not stumble over him until
he came at the nrst advent, so the spiritual house cannot
stumble over Chnst until his second advent. The causes of
stumbling too are the same; those of the Gospel church who
expect the second coming of Christ and establishment of his
kingdom are expecting (Just as the fleshly house did) an
outward display, which will appeal to the natural eye, ear,
and human senses generally.
Some know not, and others who ought to know experi
mentally, seem to forget, that if we are in Christ Jesus we
are new creatures. "Ye are not m the flesh, but in the spirit
(condition) if so be that the spirit of Christ dwell in you."
(Rom. viii. 9.) All of this class of persons have given up
reckoned dead, {and are daily dymg to) the fleshly human
nature, and are daily partaking more and more of the spiritual
or divine nature, into the perfection of which we are expecting
soon to be changed, when the separating of "the harvest"
is complete.
These should all remember the rule which we
apply to other things. viz. "We look not at the things which
are seen (of the natural eye), but at the things which are
not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but
the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. iv. 1 8.)
\Vhich o f the things which w e as new creatures prize so
highly are visible to the natural eye ? None; it was by the
eye of fatt1" that we realized our heavenly Father's smile,
saw Jesus as our Leader, saw the "crown of life," and "prize
of our high calling." Our spiritual eye of faith has seen, and
our circumcised ears heard of the glorious things "God hath
in reservation for them that love him," which the natural
man cannot see and hear, because they are spiritually dis
cerned." ( 1 Cor. ii. 14.)
We see and hear, because led
by the Spirit (through the word.)
"We walk by faith, and
not by [natural] sight."
Would that all could realize that this class described
[dead to the natural, but alive spiritually] are the only
ones who will constitute the body or bride of Christ. These
have fulfilled their covenant by sacrificing the human nature.
"They shall be mine . . . . in that day when I make up
my jewels." [Mal. iii. 17.]
It is to this cZass only that
Jesus comes as Head and Bridegroom, and only they are to
recognize his presence during the harvest of this age, as
only those with the eye and ear of faith recognized Jesus
in the harvest of the fleshly house.
[True, there will be
in due time outward manifestations of "power and great
glory," which will convince all mankind of the reality of the
new kingdom; but this comes after the bride has recognized
his presence, been separated from the tares, and "made like
unto Christ's glorious body," for "when he shall appear [to
the world] we also shall appear with him in glory." We shall
not be revealed in flesh, but in glory. "We shall be revealed
[made known] in flaming fire," [judgments] inflicting right
Pons punishment upon wrong doers, and lifting up the poor
and oppressed.
We believe that Christ is now present, in the sense of
having commenced the work of taking to himself his great
power and reigning.
ThP work begins with the separating
of tares from wheat in the living church and the association
of the wheat of all ages with himself in the authority of
his kingdom.
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit
with mP in my throne," and "to him will I give power over
the nation!'>," to continue until all things are subdued under
him. It seems propt>r, too, that the work should bein thus,
by taking hi'> bride allfl the twain becoming one.
It mn<ot hp pciufnl ly Pvirlent to all true Christian<; that
the nominal f'hureh whieh callA herself the spouse of Christ,
i'l far from being the "little flock" who walk the narrow
way-"the way their Leader trod."
Many are Christians
in name and form only, "having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof." by living contrary to their pro
fesions.
Many are moralists only, who recognize and use
the church only as a Rocial and moral club. Many are hypof'rite'l, who use the church as a stepping-stone to wealth and
social standing. Some are true children of God and feel that
the church is too empty and formal and worldly, yet are
earried on with the otherR by the thought that they may be
too timid.
''Mr. A. and MrR. C. are very intelligent and
wealthy and moral people and they approve of such things,
and who am I that I should object ? They would think me
weak and fanatical-I will continue with them; certainly
much good i'l being done."
A fpw-a little flock-while still using their influence and
example as "living epistles" for their Master, feel themselves
almoAt, or entire1y, separated from the nominal church. The
('burch's union with the world in worldly plans. ways, customs

TO WER

PlTTSBURGH, PA.

and dre"s are out of harmony with their new nature, and
their seeking to be "not conformed to the world, but trans
formed by the renewing of then mmds" to harmony with the
will of God; they cannot feel at home w1th the carnally
minded.
Their eye delights not so much in beauty of form,
as in the perfection of the new nature, begotten of God through
the word of truth; not so much m the beauty of dress as in
the beauty of character and its Christ-like-ness; not so much
in the grandeur of the house as in the greatness and love
liness of him whom they "worship in spuit and in truth;"
not so much at the language and eloquence of the preacher as
in the understanding of the word of God.
These go sometimes to meet with the nominal church, but
are always separate in spirit and usually seek and enJoy
more the society of others like-minded.
These are obliged
to study the word privately, for if they do attend preachmg
they hear a sermon on some topic of morality duected to
the world of unbelievers.
Nor can the pastor be blamed
entirely for so doing, the policy of the church having sup
plied him a congregation, nine-tenths of which are worldly
and cannot understand spiritual things, he feels it to be h1s
duty to preach to the majority; consequently the sheep of
the flock receive little or none of the "strong meat" of the
word. Will these starve, think you? I tell you, nay; the
great Shepherd will provide "meat in due season" to all
who reaUy hunger and thirst after it, he will lead them to
green pastures.
This last class is to be the bride. Careless of the opinions,
smiles or frowns of the world, she cares only to be m favor
with her beloved-the heavenly Bridegroom.
And these arc
to recognize him now, the others are to stumble and not
recognize him until these have all gone in to the marriage and
the door to that high position is closed. Our understanding
is that the Bridegroom came in 1874; and this little company
is being brought to a knowledge of his presence, and in that
sense, being separated from other true Christions who either
are overcharged with the affairs of this world or bound by
chains of denominationalism, are making void the Word of
God through their traditions, etc., and still others, who, not
being in condition of heart to receive him on the evidence
of his word, but who turn to seek light
on his presence
in other directions and find it. not until the door to that
high calling is shut. Matt. xxv. 1 0.
We trust, then, that all readers may see that the reason
why the church in general stumbles here, (as the fleshly
house did,) is because only a "little flock" in it is the bride.
The two houses of Israel each in turn were called to be
Christ's bride.
Both fail to attain the position, but as God
had foreseen and arranged, a little company from each do
receive him, and "As many as receive him" are acceptable.
"The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded"
{by their own condition) . Rom. xi. 7.
The path.way in which the little flock walk, though rugged
and difficult, is filled with light-"Thy word is a lamp to my
feet and a lantern to my footsteps."
And it is this light
which prevents us from stumbling over this stone of stum
bling. The prophetic word shows us that we are in "the
day of the Lord," and enables us to receive him, not by the
sight of the natural eye, but by the eye of faith, for "we walk
by fo,ith, not by sight."
This is just as Peter advised us:
We have a sure word of prophecy, unto which ye do well to
take heed as unto a light shining in a dark place.
[2 Pet.
i. 19.]
The day of the Lord is called a day of darkness,
and we, unless enlightened by the word of prophecy, would
stumble as the others of the church are doing over the stone
of stumbUng in this dark place. But enlightened by our lamp,
how our hearts have been rejoiced Rince we found him present,
and though a stone of stumbling to others, "To you, who
believe, he i s precious." ,1 Pet. ii. 7.

THE DAY OF VISITATION

\Vhen Jesus had finished his ministry he rode to Jeru
salem on the ass, assuming [typically] to the fleshly house
the office of king, and in the exercise of that office he de
clared: "Your house is left unto you desolate"-here giving
up the fleshly house.
We repeat that they were given up
because, not being Israelites indeed, they did not receive him
-stumbled-and so we read that when he had told them of
their overthrow and destruction he assigns as the cause
"Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." [Luke
xix. 41-44.]
Their time of visitation was, in a sense, the
whole forty years to the destruction of the nation ; but there
had been the time of trial first ; if during that first thrpe
and a half years they had been in a condition to receive
.Jesus, the visitation following would have been of blessing,
but unready and rejecting him, it became a visitation of w rath.

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So also here, during the first three and a half years, from
1874 to 1878, the opportunity was given to the general Gospel church to receive Christ tke present one, but they stumBecause they knew not
bled similarly to the fleshly house.
the time of their visitation-being unready-and are similarly
cast off-given over to destruction (as an institution) -a.
visitation of wrath.
After the giving up of the fleshly house, especially during
the three a,nd a half years following, or the last half of their
covenant week [the 70th, Dan. ix. 24], favor was still shown
to all who left it and accepted of the fact that Jesus Christ
had come, etc.; so here there will be special favor shown to
all who separate in heart from the cast-off church, and receive
the presence of the Lord during the three and a half years
from 1878 to 1881, and after that to those who become part
of "the great company," for some shall glorify God in this
"day of visitation" and wrath.
[1 Pet. ii. 12.]
The number of Scriptures which speak of the Gospel
church after being cast off from God's favor, and of her
rapid decline and fall are somewhat wonderful. In Rev. iii.
14 to 2 1, the whole picture is vividly presented. The Lord is
addressing the last phase of the church, the seventh.
[We in
common, with nearly all expositors of the Apocalypse, understand the seven churches here addressed to represent seven
phases or conditions of the entire nominal church, from the
days of the apostles to the end of the Gospel age, in the
order mentioned.] To this seventh church, Jesus says:
"I
know thy works, [the works are greater far than the faith]
that thou art neither cold nor hot; so, then, because thou art
lukewarm I will spew thee out of my mouth."
What a
description this is of the present condition of her, whom God
calls "Babylon"-confusion-mixture--lukewarm.
Babylon says she is "rich. increased in goods and has need
of nothing" ; that she is in a more prosperous condition than
ever before, and she boasts of fine churches, high steeples,
eloquent preachers. wealthy members, splendid music, large
salaries and worldly popularity, and knows not that sh e is
"poor and miserable and blind," (stumbling over present
truths) and remembers not that her worldly popularity is an
"For the
evidence of her disfavor with the Bridegroom.
friendship of the world is enmity against God." She is there
fore given up, as was the fleshly house-she is "spewed out of
She has been his mouthpiece, and through her
his mouth."
he has spoken to the world. but it shall be so no longer. "The
Yoice of the Bridegroom and the Bride shall be heard no
more at all in thee." Rev. xviii. 23.
To our understanding this "spewing" and "falling'' dates
from 1878, the exact parallel of time to the giving and ''leaving desolate" of the fleshly house. And now the call is "Come
out of her, my pPople! that ye be not partakers of her sins
and receive not of hPr plagnec;," and while we expect that most
of the second company will not be freed from her bondage
until afterward, we do not expect that all who constitute
part 0f th e brt'de Wl'll be separated b efore th e Autumn of 188 1
then "the voice of the bride will no more be heard in her."
The fall of Babylon is not only the subject of a large portion of the book of Revelation, but also of many of the
prophecies.
As fleshly hrael went into captivity to literal
Babylon, so did the Gm;pel house go into captivity to
"Babylon, the great mother of harlots," and i R still bound by
many of her chains of darkness and error. In prophecy when
depicting the desolations, etc.. coming upon Babylon, we
understand it to refer to both the type and the anti -type, and
especially to the latter, and they harmonize wonderfully with
the account given of the same event in Rev. xii. 13, 16-19.
While there are many such prophecies, we merely refer to
one; Jer. 1 and li. ''How is the hammer of the whole earth
cut asunder and broken! How is Babylon become a desolation
among the nations! . . . . Wold unto them ; for their day is
come and the time of their visitation. The voice of them that
flee and escape out of the land of Babylon to declare in Zion
the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his
temple . . . . and the most proud shall stumble and fall and
none shall raise him up. . . . At the noise of the taking of
Babylon the earth is moved and the cry is heard among the
nations. . . .
Flee out of the midst of Babylon and deliver
every man his soul [life] ; be not cut off in her iniquity, for
this is the time of the Lord's vengeance ; he will render unto
her a recompense.
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the
Lord's hand that made all the earth drunken. . . . We wou1d
have healed Babylon, but she is not healed ; forsakE> her and
let us go, every man, into his own country. . . . The Lord
hath brought forth our righteousness; come, let us declare in
"In those
Zion the work of the Lord our God." (li. 10.)
days and at that time," saith the Lord, "the iniquity of Israel

I-12

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(2-7)

shall be sought for and there shall be none, and the sins of
Judah, and they shall not be found." (1. 20.) This last text
shows us that the time really meant by the prophesy was not
at the deliverance of Israel from literal Babylon (though
type and antitype are closely interwoven), but at the end of
this age, when, says Paul: God shall "take away their sins."
After telling the nominal church that she is no longer hts
mouthpiece, Jesus says:
"Be zealous therefore and repent."
This is his message to the nominal church as a whole; but
now he recognizes some who are in, but not of Babylon
individuals, and to these he says:
"Behold, I stand at the
door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with
me."
It is not at the door of the sinner's heart the Lord
stands thus knocking, as some have supposed, but at the
hearts of the true IsraeUtes, in this seventh or closing stage
of the Gospel church. And what a wonderfully clear picture
this affords us-the two things occur at the same time, . e.,
while the one party is "stumbling" and being "spewed out,"
the other party, the "little flock," "the overcomers," are being
made aware of his presence.
These hear his knock-the
prophecies which announce him as present, not as coming in
the future, but present now.
When any one knocks at your door, it is an indication, not
that they will come, but that they have come.
So the Lord
has given us a striking picture, illustrative of his presence at
the time Babylon is given up.
Since we each individually
heard the knock of the prophecies, opened our heart and
realized his presence, how fully his promise has been fulfilled,
"I will come in . . .. and sup with him, and he with me."
What a blessed feasting on the truth we have enjoyed. Ah.
yes, when our Lord girds himself and comes forth to serve us,
as he has done during these years, we get food indeed. We
have meat to eat that the world knoweth not of, a parallel
again to those true Israelites who received him at his first
"The disciples came unto him privately, saying,
advent.
Ea:plain unto us," and Jesus answers: "To you it is given to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to all them
that are without [unbelievers] all these things are done in
parables" (figures of speech which they cannot understand.)
"Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they
hear ; for verily I say unto you, that many prophets and
righteous men have desired to see the things which ye see,
and have not seen them."
(Matt. xiii. 17)
And the same
is true of those who see him present now by the eye of faith
by the light of the sure word of prophecy-"blessed are your
eyes."
While all overcomers-the bride-are to get the victory,
etc., and not fall with Babylon, yet from other scriptures we
find that some who are really children of God, will fall with
her.
"Many among them shall stumble and fall. and be
broken."
(I sa. viii. 15. l
But (Psa.. xxxvii. 24) "though he
fall yet shall he
111'0'1' BE U'l''l'EBLY OAS'l' DOWN."
The stumbling and fall of both the houses of Israel should
be regarded rather as a blessing than otherwise, as the
prophet has said:
"This child [Jesus] is set for the fall and
rising again of many in Israel"-both houses. The rejection
of the nominal house was necessary before the call could go
"to the Gentiles to take out a people (bride) for his name."
For, "through their fall salvation is come to the Gentiles."
(Rom. x.i . 1 1.) And though the fleshly house fell, they are to
nse agam to all that was promised them as a fleshly seed of
A braham (in the Millennia! age.)
Then, why should any
;
complain "if the fall of them be the riches of the world, '
or resulted in throwing open to the world in general the op
portunity of running the race for "the prize of high calling"
-to be the "bride, the Lamb's wife?" And "what shall the
receiving of them [back to favor as God's people 1 be but life
from the dead ?"-resurrection .-[Rom. xi. 15.1
So with the stumbling and fall of the second hou:<e. It is
necessary that the nominal rhurch should fall in orrlPr that
the true might be manifested-separated and "enter into the
joys of her Lord."
But while the fleshly houE:e ;hall be
restored, the Babylon church will never be restored.
As a
great millstone cast into the sea, so shall Babylon fall, and be
found no more.
[Rev. xviii. 21.]
While this is true espe
cially of the mother of harlots ; it is true also of all }1er
daughters who partake of her nature, and only individuals
out of Babylon shall arise from among her ashes. savin<T:
"True and riglltPous a TP his judgments: for he hath j\1dg; d
the J!reat harlot."
"Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth ."
And they will thus "glorifv
God in the dav
of

visitation . " [I Pet. ii. 12.]

But let us "walk in his footsteps"-"th<' path of the just"
(righteous ) and, enlightened and illumined by the word,

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nalizing the presence of our Lord, glorify God without hav

mg to go into the wrath.
"Watch ye that ye may be
accounted worthy [clothed With his righteousness, "unspotted
from the world"] to escape all those things coming upon the
world, and stand before the Son of Man." Let us remember
that the 'little flock' have always been the church "whose
names are written in heaven," though during the Gospel age
the number has seemed much larger, by reason of tares. And
though you may have little of earthly communion with saints,
remember to keep up your relationship and union with the
head of the church-Christ.
As at the first advent some of the people would have
believed if the Pharisees had received him, and it was asked,
"Have any of the Scribes or Pharisees believed on him?" So
now many say if the Lord is present why do not the leading
preachers of the churches believe it?
We cannot risk our

Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to thE>e.

T O WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

judgment as to the meaning of the word as against theirs.

"Can the blind
Of the leaders of that church Jesus said:
lead the blind; shall they not both fall?" (Luke vi. 39.) They
d1d; both leaders and masses stumbled and fell. So too Jesus
says of the nominal church here, "Thou knowest not that thou
art poor and blind." And again, for the same reasons, many
stumble and fall.
Let us remember, dear friends, that the great Teacher and
Leader of the flock is Christ.
The gmde unto truth is the
Spirit of truth through the word, and if any man teach, you
are required to square and measure his teachings, by going
"to the law and to the testimony, If they speak not according
to these it is because there IS no light in them."
(I sa. VIii.
20. )
A children of the light, let us walk in the hght, and
be sanctified and separated from both world and worldly church.

CONSECRATION PRAYER

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of thy love.

Take my intellect, and use

Every power as thou shalt chose.

Take my feet, and l et them be

Swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my will, and make it thin(';

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King.

Take my heart, it is thine own 1

Fit it for thy royal throne.

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from thee.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour

At thy feet its treasure store!

Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite will I withhold.

Take myself, and I will be,

Ever, only, all, for thee!

-Selected.

HOLY PLACE

It will be admitted by all Bible students, that a correct

understanding of terms used, is necessary, in order to a clear
comprehension of any subject. Now that the tabernacle of the
wilderness is unfolding so grandly, as a type, or shadow of
the true tabernacle, and giving us a better knowledge of God
and Christ, and the way to God, it becomes important to
understand the terms used in connection with it.
For various reasons, it seems especially important to know
the scripture names of the three places in the tabernacle.
It is evident that in some passages, the term holy is used for
most holy, or referring to both,, so that it is necessary to
determine the place referred to by the connections; but we
think it can be clearly shown that the names are not all used
interchangeably.
It seems that there has been a general misunderstanding
in regard to the term holy place. It needs only to be stated
that words in italics in the scriptures, have been rmpplied by
the translators, and were not in the original.
If that is
invaria bly the case, then we think that it can be shown that
wherever place is not in italics, the term "holy place" has ref
<>rE-neE' to the court of the tabernacle; and consequently the
other ttw places are called the holy and most holy, or holiest
of all; place being in italics, in both old and new testament.
So we have "the holy place; " (the court ) "the holy," (beyond
the first vail ) and "the most holy," or holiest of all (beyond
the second vail ) .
Notice in Exodus, Lev. and Reb. As has
been shown. the alter of burnt offering; and the laver for w ash
ing, were in the court or holy place. The anima1s for sacrifice
were killed there.
"And he shall slay the lamb in the place
whPre he shall kill the sin offering in the holy place." Lev.
xiv. 1 3. "And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons
Pat; with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place ;
in the conrt of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall
cat it." Lev. vi. 1 626.
It will be noticed that place is in the original in these
pasages, not being in italics; and that the holy place and
court are identical. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying:
Thou shalt make a laver of brass, and his foot of brass to
1cash; and thou Rhalt put it betw{'en the tabernacle of the
congregation and the alter, and thou shalt put water therein,

for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet
thereat; when they go into the tabernacle of the congregation,
they shall wash, that they die not; or when they come near
to the alter to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto
the Lord."
Ex. xxx. 17-20.
"Whatsoever shall touch the
fiesh thereof shall be holy; and when there is sprinkled of
the blood thereof upon any garment thou shalt wash that
whereon it was sprinkled, in the holy place" (the court ) .
Lev. vi. 27.
These passages make it certain that whoever or whatever
was washed in connection with the tabernacle, was washed
at the laver, in the holy place; and we have seen that the
holy place is the court of the tabernacle; and we found also,
in Ex. xxx. 20, that whoever would enter the holy, must first
wash at the laver, that he die not. Now coming to Lev. xvi.
which gives us a picture of the day of atonement, we find that
if the high priest would enter holy or most holy, he must first
wash his flesh in water and put on the holy linen garments;
then kill the bullock to make atonement for himself and his
house; and take his blood in and sprinkle upon and before
the mPrcy seat; then come out and kill the goat, which was to
make atonement for the people, and do with his blood as he
did with the blood of the bullock; then after making atone
ment for the holy, and the tabernacle, and the alter; and
sending away the scapegoat; Aaron shall come into the taber
nacle of the congregation, (evidently in this passage as in
some others-the court) and shall put off the linen garments,
which he put on when he went into the holy, and leave them
there, and shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place
(the court ) . Lev. xvi. 23, 24.
In the face of all these facts, it is persistently claimed by
some that Aaron killed the bullock, then stopped on his way
to the most holy, and washed his flesh in the holy, and put on
the holy garments, and also stopped on his way out to wash,
etc., in the holy; claiming that the beauty of the type con
sisted in the washing where no place was provided for that
purpose; and notwithstanding it was death to enter the holy
before waf'hing. We think the beauty of any explanation of
God'R word should consist in adhering to the genPral teaching
B. W. K.
of the word.

TRACT SUPPLEMENT No. 1

With this numbPr we sE>nd Tract No. 1.
Vi"e have ar
ranged for quite a number of them. anrl you may expect one
or two a month for evPral months.
They will all he free,
(Jn ron<litio11 that vou oHler no more than vou will wisPlv u-.p.
We will not send more than 2!) at one time.
You can
re -order when they are gone. This is a way in which all can

"both labor and suffer reproach," as well as give the "glad

tidings" to some who have ears to hear and hearts to appre
ciate; "The love of God, which passeth all under11tanding,"

revealed to us in His word.

We suggest that each tract be carefully read by you
before you give it to others.

[178]

HID TREASURES
silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and
find the knowledge of God." Prov. 2 : 4, 5.
searched ) what was necessary for them to know, but that
If we go back to the second verse we shall find the thing
was not enough for us to know, any more than the >.upply of
spoken of is wisdom.
Webster says that, "in Scripture theology wisdom is true
silver and gold which was in the world at the t1me of the
discovery of America wa sufficient for the world without any
religion." What does rehgtan mean ? The word is taken from
religio, to bind anew, or to rebind. It is used i n a general
addition up to the present time.
Our fathers worked the
sense to signify "any system of faith and worship." N ottce
same mine, but did not exhaust it, thank God. There a 1 P
nuggets of gold coming to the light all the tinw.
1t is a system. This brings us to the conclusion ( if we take
But let us see what Scripture evidence we have that th<P
Webster for the standard of words, and we have no reason to
differ ) that wisdom is the true system of faith and worship.
things are so. Jesus said, when weeping over Jerualf"m, l f
Then it follows that we are to seek for the true system of
thou hadst known at least in this thy day, the thing wlwh
faith and worship as men seek for siher.
But, says one,
belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eye.''
silver is out of sight in the earth, and is hard to be found ;
But were they to remain hidden ? No ! Isaiah, look ing down
through the ages ( the remainder of the Jewi>.h age, and
but what is necessary to be known of the true system of
religion is revealed so plainly that the wayfaring man, though
through the Gospel age to the coming age-in the restitution
a fool, need not err therein. I know the prophet speaks of a
age ) , says, then the eyes of the blind shall see. Je-,u>o befurP
goOll time coming, when it shall be so revealed that "the wayhad called them blind, and that was how these tlung w>re
f.uing man, though a fool, ( like the rich man who had to
"hid from their eyes."
pull down his barns and build larger ) shall not <.'rr therein.''
Paul, Col. 1. 26, says, "The mystery" of the word of God
"hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now ( Ill
Now, we think there is a strong analogy between seeking for
this good-news age) is made manifest to hts saints.
a knowledge of the true system of faith and seeking for
silver. Paul says, Heb. v. xi, "There are many tbin_g . . .
Again, in Eph. i i i . 4, 5, 6, he says "The mystery of Christ
. . . . in other ages was not made known unto the sons of
haJ d [difficult] to be uttered," and Peter, 2 Peter i i i . 16,
men, as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets
peaks of "things hard to be unders tood, which they that are
unlearned ( in the word ) and unstable. wrest, as they do also
by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and
of the same body," and he tells us that he was made a minthe other scriptures, to their own destruction.''
ister to make all men see what is the fellowship of the myE xpcnence, as well a s the word. teaches us that as there
is much and persistent search and pains-taking required to
tery which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid
in God.''
find the "vein" or "lead" of precious metal concealed i n the
earth, so there is to find the vein or lead of precious truth
Oh, how glorious are these things to those who search for
them as for hid treasure ! Truly, here is the knowledge of
h idden away in the mine of God's word.
( about ) God.
We think it a du. ty to find out all we possibly can of
G od's "system of faith," and what we cannot find out will be
Men, in mining have lights fixed upon their heads, and
only that which he ha so completely hidden. But some one
they bend low, sometimes prostrate in search. \Ve need to be
humble and have our minds illuminated with the Spint.
may ask, Why has he h idden it, i f it is right for us to know
When men have found silver in the mine it has to be separated
i t "! We answer, that it may not be found until i t is needed.
from materials which are useful in themselves, but detract
Go<I'H wisdom has hidden it ju st far enough away to be found
from the value of the precious metal unless separated. So
by our finite minds, after diligent search, just at the right
tinw. or, as the Spirit says. dtte time; and it is those who
the child of God, like Timothy, needs to "rightly divide the
are i ntE'rested and earnet enough to search and find the
word of truth.'' Let us, dear brethren. continue our search
JPwcls, who are to be veted with regal authority.
after wisdom, which shall result in finding "the knowledge of
One might just as well say that the silv<"r and gold. the
God," for "it cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with
<'oa l an<l the oil were hidden away in the ea1th bpcause it was
the precious onyx or the sapphire."
not right for us to have them, as that it is not right to
"The gold and the crystal cannot equal it, and the exchange
of it shall not be for jewels of fin<.' gold.'' And when we
SPill <"11 fo r the true system of faith.
have found it let us not waste nor hoard it, but "put it to
But, says one. we hav<.' had thP true system of faith all
the exchangers, that at his coming he may recehe his own
a lung th rough the past-what more can we have ? Did not
with usury.
our fathers understand it 9 Y<.'s, they understood ( those who
J. C. S.
"If thou seekest her

as

"OUR HOUSE"
" For W<" know that i f our earthly house of this tabernacle tccre dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with
hands eternal i n the heavens." 2 Cor. 5 : 1 -2.
From a not hasty but careful perusal of the Scriptures,
are satisfied that the view generally taken of this passage,
( With the context ) by the nominal church, hitherto, is
erroneous.
This may seem somewhat immodest ; we do not so intend.
I f we have any l ight it is received, not inherent in us, that
i-<. "in onr flesh d wplleth no good thing." If we h a ve apprehended the truth, it is because "he, the spirit of truth," leads
us, for "the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Apirit, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned.'' 1 Cor. ii. 14.
The Church is not to blame for not seeing before ; how can
one be expected to see in the night anything more than the
outlines of the l andscape ; but now the day dawns, "let us
not sleep, as do others." 1 Thes. v. 6.
The prophets uttered some things which they did not fully
umlerstand and which it was not necessary they should fully
understand, because th<"y were for us. 1 Peter i. 1 0 - 1 2.
But about this matter, Paul says ( as mouth-piece for the
Church ) , "We know that if our earthly house of this tabrrnacle were d issolved we have a [singular numberl building of
God. a house not made with hands," etc.
Paul was writing to the Corinthians here, but he waR also
writing "to all that in every place call on the name of Jesus
Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.'' I Cor. i. 2. The
word "theirs" reier evidently to ,T<.'ws.
Paul waf! a ,J ew,
Acts xxi. 39, bu t he Rtyles hi mself "the Apostl<.' of the Gentiles," Ro m xi 1 ; so in harmony with the latter h<" could
i n thi dediC'ation of h i s <"pistle say. ''both th ei r < and ours"
to the new church, whi eh was made u p of both J<.'ws and
Gentiles.
They ( the .Tews ) Rtood aloof from the Gospel and

W <"

were enemies of the cross of Christ ; thus standing at a distance, the term "theirs," although Paul was a Jew, was
appropriate to them, and converts from both could be wry
appropriately called "theirs and ours.''
Now, to uch he
says, "We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
( to which so many precious promises have been made ) were
dissolved, we have a building of God, a l10use not made with
hands." It may seem strange to us that the old hou.;; c of
Israel should not be able to see the typical nature of their
ceremonies, and that "what!'\"<.'r is to be on the higher or
spiritual plane, is brought to view first on the plane n f the
flesh.'' But though God had been speaking "by the mouth of
all the holy prophets sine<" the world began," of a re;;titution, they did not see that ther<.' was to be, in its a p p l icati on
to them, a time of dissolution. before the time of restitution ;
and it seems that the Gospel church in Paul's time. ne<.'d<.'d
to be admonished of the danger of looking at that which is
seen, forgetting that "that which ig seen [by mortal eye] is
temporal.''
He had to combat that tendrncv, as in Galatians i i i . "Are ye so foolish ? having began i n the spirit, are ye now
made perfect by the flesh ?" "If our <.'arthly hom:e of thi
tabernacle were dissolVPd, wr havp a building of God."
The "tabernacle of David is fallen down," hut God in lli;
good time will rebuild i t ; but those who ar<" "hegott<.'n again
unto a lively hope by th<" rpsurr<"ction of Jesus Christ from
the dead," have the p ow <.' r or privileg<" of b<.'coming !'Oils of
God, and together will comtitute the howw of G od : not th<"
house of Mos<.'s nor thP houR<" of David ( aftPr the fle,-h \ n o r
anv
other house but th<.' house of God eternal
"Wherefore, holy breth rPn, partakers of thP lJe;l wn l y L':.t ll

[ 1 79]

0 4)

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

lllg, t'ullsHler the Apostle and 1-llgll Priest of our profession,

C h n::.t J e::.us, who was 1a1thful to him that appointed him, as

a l :;o l\loses was faithful 111 a l l his house, io1 this man was
cuunted \\ orthy of more glm y than ?.Io,es, i nasmuch as he
who hath uul lded the hou,l', hath more honor than the
house." .
".-\.nd loses verily was faithful in all hi: house, as a
'll' rv.wt." W hat for ? tor a testuuony of those things which
\\ Prt' to come after." "But Christ as a son over his own house,
\\ hose house are we, i f we hold fast the confidence and the
l eJOH'Ing of the hope firm unto the end." Heb. iii. 1 -6.
Now, no matter if the earthly house of our tabernacle,
"whet her of David or the Gospel, be dissolved, we have a
Lui l d l llg of God, a house not made with hands eternal in the

hta vens.

W e ha\ e here a thought suggested by the word dissolve,

wluch is 111 harmony with the prophecy of Malachi, iii. 3.
"And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of sliver ; and he
ha l l punfy the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and
i lvPr." We have often heard this referred to and the man
ner of the refiner watching the melting of the precious metal
until he can see his own image reflected, as an illustration
ot God's dealing with each of his children, all of whiCh is
ve1 y beautiful and truthful, but there is in this expression
"dis,olved," and yet existing afterwards, a ;till deeper thought
th a t im p1 e-s-es u,.
The refiner of sih er often finds impurities clinging to his
iher after it has passed through the hottest fire ; then he
dissolves i t : after the application of certain chemicals, silver
and gold will dissolve in water. A person unacquainted with
the process would say there was no silver in the water, though
the water were full of it ; the water appears as before-a
h tt le discolored if the silver was impure--otherwise as clear
a,; if it were not there, and the refiner can cause a restitu
tion of that silver to a pure and permanent form and more
Leautiful than before ; he puts into that water an agent ( an
influence ) that causes the water to fet go of it ; and the silver
111 fine particles goes together by itself, no longer "dissolved"
or "suspended." Then the refiner, to complete the work of
re;.titution, puts it in the fire again ; thus it "receives from
hi hand double" for all its impurity.
Now, in prophetic language, waters represent sometimes
people and sometimes afflictions. Ha!l not the earthly house,
"both theirs and ours," passed, and are they not passing
through such waters ! Have "tht>y" not been dissolved and
"ours" ( the nominal church ) being disolved T No matter ;
"we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were

TO WER

PrTTSBURGH, l'A.

dissolved, we have a building of God." So Paul could say

to the Connthians and the ualatians, who were feanng lest
they should not be connected m some way with the earthly
house, that it was a matter of mmor Importance-all It was
for was a type and stepping-stone to somethmg higher and
better.
Some may say, this is "far fetched," but we have fetched
it only from the prophet Malachi, and made what seems to us
the only true application, and it seems to make perfect har
mony with all other Scripture. We have been held entranced
hour after hour as we have compared Scnpture with Scripture
and found beautiful harmony with this view all through the
word, and thank the Lord for it.
We would not be understood as saying that the word, body
and house, are never applied to our physical bodies, for it
not unfrequently is, and we thmk it is so used in the lOth
verse of this chapter, though we do not feel over-positive about
it lest it might refer to the different organizations, that shall
finally be "gathered together in one," for we hope that the
Methodist body, the Baptist body and the Presbyterian body
( all of which are called bodies by their own authorities ) will
form, i f not the body of Christ, yet the "household of God" ;
and we know that "we must all ( all these different bodies }
stand before the judgment seat of Christ ( when and where ? ) ;
that every one may "give an account of the things done in his
body"-no, "that every one may receive the things done iu
his body." [His is in italics in our Bibles. ]
Perhaps some one is ready to ask, "How do you har
monize it with the 8th verse ?"
We would say that the
apostle ( Col. iii. 3 ) , though speaking of our death to sin,
tells us where our life is ( whether our physical bodies are
dead or alive, makes no difference, ) from the time of beget
ting onward, our "life is hid with Christ in God" until "he,
who is our life, shall appear," then the earnest expectation
of the creature [who is the creature but the one who has no
sp iritual life, the outside world] , "waiting for the manifesta.
tion of the sons of God" will be realized and the sons of
God will be recognized. Till then we shall not be able to find
out what God has hidden.
Then, when we are born again,

" BOBN BY A NEW CELESTIAL BIRTH,"

we shall have life in ourselves and together constitute the
"building of God," the "house not made with hands." Dear
brethren, how near and dear the relation we sustain to each
other-"Builded together for the habitation of God."

J. c. s.

"HOW LONG. 0 LORD "

Th1s is a question doubtless that many ask themselves, viz :

"How soon will our change come T" This change many of us
have looked forward to for years, and we yet with much
pleasure, think of the time when we shall be gathered unto
Jesu and see him as he is. In the article concerning our
dange, in December paper, we expressed the opinion that it
was nearer than many supposed, and while we would not
attempt to prove our change at any particular time, yet we
propose looking at some of the evidences which seem to show
the translation or change from the natural to the spiritual
condition, due this side or by the fall of our year 1881. The
evidence that our change will be by that time, increases since
we have seen that the change to spiritual bodies is not the
marriage. While we thought the marriage to be the change,
and knowing there was three and a half years of special
favor to the nominal church ( now left desolate ) from 1878, we
coul<l not expect any translation this side of 1 881, or during
t!Ji-. three and a half years. But since we recognize that going
into the marriage is not only being made ready ( by recognizing
JJi preence } for the change, but also, that going in includes
t Ju change itself, then the evidences that we go in ( or will
J,e changed ) inside of the time mentioned are strong, and
c:omrnend themselves to all interested as worthy of investiga
tion. Aside from any direct proof that our change is near, the
fae;t that the manner of the change can now be understood,
i evidence that we are near the time of the change, for truth
i'! "meat in due season," and understood only as due. It will
he remembered that after the spring of 1 878, ( whE>n we under
tand .Jesus was due as King) that the subject of holinesR or
the wedding garment, was very much agitated. And aside
from the parallel to thE> end of the JewiRh age, and favor at
that time being shown to the .Jewish nation, which implied the
pn"-cnee of the King, the C'onsideration of the wedding gar
me-nt, waR also proof of the C'orrectness of thE> application. for
"the King had comp in to sC'e the guests," fMatt. xxii. 1 1 . ]
and hence all WPrP intC'rPted in knowing how thPy 8toocl

before him. Now as the inspection of guests is the last thing

prior to our change, which precedes the marriage and we are
all now considering the change, it would seem that the time
for it, is nigh.
We shall now present what we adduce from the types and
prophetic points as seeming to indicate the translation of the
saints and closing of the door to the high calling by 1881.
We first notice the building of the Temple, by Solomon which
seems to be a type of the spiritual as indicated in Act vii.
4-7. The time occupied in building is found by comparing 1
King vi. 1, 37 and 38, which was seven years and six months,
yet called seven years. Verse 38. "The house when it was
in building, was built of stone made ready before it was
brought thither : so that there was neither hammer, nor ax,
nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in
building." Verse 7. The quiet manner of building suggests
to our mind the noiseless resu rrection of the dead in Christ
and change of the living, and if so the resurrection and change
would cover a period of seven years, thus bringing to our
mind, in its order.-First thE' fmmd11tion laid and so on until
completion, and this would be in harmony with statement in
Rev. xi. 1 8, viz : "Give reward unto thy servants, the prophets,
and to the saints," that is, "Every man in his own order." In
1 Kings v. 1 7, we read, "The king commanded and they
brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones to lay
the foundation of the house." Those we would understand to
represent the "apostles and prophets, which are the founda
tion, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone, in
whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an
holy temple in the Lord" ( Eph. ii. 20-21 ) .
The laying of the foundation-stone, we think, would fitly
represent the resurrection of the prophets, which resurrection
would seem to be indicated by God'R statement to Daniel, viz :
"Go thou thy way till the end be ; for thou shalt rest. and
stand in thy lot at the end of the days." ( Dan. xii. 1 3 . ) The
days here referrPd to are mt>ntioned in the 1 2th vers;P as "the

[ 1 80]

}ANUARY, 1881

ZIO N ' S

WATC H

thousand, three hundred and five and thirty days," and from
538 when the abommation was set up, ( so mentwned m verse
1 1 , ) 1 335 years, if prolonged to their utmost, would reach to
the year 1874.
LFor argument, see "Day Dawn." J
This is
one of the arguments which prove the presence of Ohnst at
that time, for Daniel could not stand in his lot or be resur
rected until Christ came. Besides it is also a parallel to the
baptism of Jesus in the Jewish age, at which time the harvest
of that age begun and he was recogmzed as Lord of the har
vest and Bridegroom. So we understand the bridegroom came
at a parallel point in this age and those that were ready
went m.
( Matt. xxv. 10. )
tiince we find that going m
includes the change to spiritual bodies, it is significant that
the days of Dame! and the presence of the .Bridegroom occur
at the same time, viz : autumn of 1 8 7 4, and if Daniel stood
in his lot at that time, he was raised a spiritual body ; and
as he 1 ep1 esents the order of prophets and their resurrection
as !Shown by the laying of the foundation-stones of the temple,
then it would seem that the temple began to be built at that
If this be a correct apphcation ( and it seems har
t1me.
moruous ) and the time of bUilding i s seven years, then we
would expect our change by or betore the fall of 1 8 8 1 , as
from 1874 to then would be the tnne given for building.
lt is true that the parable of 1vlatt. xxv. is only in ref
erence to the Jiving phase of the church.
Yet we beheve
that while those living ''virgins" go into the wedding by
coming into a knowledge of the Bndegroom's presence, etc.,
durmg the seven years harvest l from 1 8 7 4 to 1 88 l j yet the
paral!le is having as 1t were a fulfil lment on a still h1gher
plane dunng the same seven years, VIZ. : The going in o the
.
cond1t10n ot readmess for marr1age ot all the chaste v ugms,
the dead ( by resurrection ) and hvmg ( by translation or
change. )
ln gomg into the spiritual condition "we cannot
precede them."
( K Diaglott, 1 Thess. iv. 1 5 . ) As Daniel's
tuue wut> up in 187-1 it i: reasonable to :uppose that the order
he repre,cnted went in at that time, since which the "dead
in Christ" are l!eing ra1sed ; and as the seven years are
about complete, that we will soon follow by being changed.
Matt. x x v . and the parallelism of the Jewish and Gospel ages,
seem to teach that the wise of the virgins "who are alive and
"
l'l' I I J : t l ll
m ust a l l come m, to a knowledge of the Bridegroom's
presence, by the fall of 1 8 8 1 , when the door-opportunity to
IJecome a memller of the bride-wil l close.
llut it is possible that the change to the spiritual condi
tion-the going in to the marriage on the higher p lane-may
not occur at the same moment to each individual. We sug
gest us quite posstble, that the change may come to some
pt epa red, before that time.
I f the dead are to be raised before we are changed i t can
a, well take place some time before, as a moment, and if the
temple is any type it is evident that some will be raised at
least seven years before the last are changed. The fact that
the body or mass of the saints are assembled together when
we are gathered, is intimated by Luke xvii. 34-37, and Paul in
Heb. xii. 22-23, says :
"Ye are come [ coming] unto Mount
Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable com
pany of angels. To the general assembly and church of the
first born, and to the spirits of j ust men made perfect." We
come to these.
The next point we will consider is that of Noah entering
the Ark. It seems that the flood of forty days in the destruc
tion of the old world is a type of the forty years' trouble
here at the end of this world, ( age ) and as Noah entered
there and escaped, so some shall enter here and escape.
"The Lord said unto Noah, Come thou, and all thy house,
into the Ark. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain
upon the earth forty days and forty n i ghts." And Noah did
according unto all that the Lord commanded him ; and it
came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood
were upon the earth. ( Gen. vii. 1 - 1 0. )
The language in con
nection with this circumstan<'e seems to suggest the idea that
Noah and those with him were seven day s going in, and if
o. thpn thiR would h a rm o n i ze with the seven years fa d ay
for a year] buil din g of the templ e or time of going in, com
mencing with 1 874.
There is one point. however, we will
It rained forty days after Noah entered, which
not ice . viz :
would represent forty vears' trouble after we enter.
From
1 88 1 to 1914 inclusivP, i on ly about thirty-three years, hence
in this respect the time di ffer11. This is not when considered

an objection to the position, for though the time of harvest

and end of this age commen<'ed <'hronologically in 1 874, yet
the trouble cannot break. in the full sense, until the saints
have been t aken .
"Yet seven days f yearRl and 1 will <'&use
it to rain upon the e arth ." should be si gn i fi cant , because we
have expected trou b l e . in a !lpeci al sense. about 188 1 , and,
aC'cor ding to the type, we mnflt l'nter in by that time. . Not

TO W E R

(4- 5 )

only has that time been looked forward to by many a;; a

pomt when there would be some great change, but the parallel
to the end of the Jew1sh age demands that there be a change
for the worse, in reference to the nominal Chnst1an church, It
being a parallel to the time when favor ended w1th th e J Clh 111
a marked manner, shown by the seventy weeks of yeo.r:. lll e n
tioned by Daniel ix. 24, which time ended three and a half
years aiter they were left desolate, J Ubt as 1 8 8 1 1:> tlu ce
a.nd a half years from the point when the Jews began to
receive fa.vor. While this trouble is due, 111 the actual o.en;,e,
from 1 88 1 on, and is due chronologically to end 111 HH4, leavmg
only a space o f thirty-three years ; yet the trouble cannot end
actually at that time, for there would be a gradual decrease
"while the nations were beating their swords into plowshare>
( Isa. ii. 4. )
Hence
and their spears into pruning hooks."
there could be forty years of trouble even after 1 8 8 1 and
not interfere with our general po;,ition, fur tlu:. would onl
carry us seven years beyond H ll 4, as this now does s:> en
years beyond 1 874.
We used to think 1t would be in the
midst of a great trouble that we would be changed, but now
we do not. Noah went in before it ramed, and "the Lord
shut him in." ( Gen. vii. 1 6. )
So now, while a l l thmgs
remain as in "the days of Noah," we shall be changed and
then the flood-trouble will break on those who know not and
are in darkness.
[ 1 Thess. v. 1-5.]
This is shown also in the type of illose:: and Aaron, for
not one of the ten plagues came until after they met in the
Mount.
And as that meeting shows our change, then in
order here, there would be none of the plagues come till a fter
we are gathered unto Jesus, by which we would "escape all
these things that shall come to pass and stand before the
Son of man." [Luke xxi. 36.]
It is in connectiOn with this
last type that we find additional proof of our speedy change.
Stephen says :
"When he [ Moses] was full forty years
old it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the chil
dren of Israel."
Moses at this time came to deliver
his brethren, but they rejected him, saying : "Who made thee
a ruler and j udge over us ?" After his rejection, "he fled and
was a stranger in the land of Midian," when he took the
daughter of Jethro, priest of Midi an, to wife. ( Exo. iii. l . )
And when forty years were expired there appeared to him "an
angel of the Lord," at which time he was informed of God's
intention to "send him into Egypt," and "this Moses, whom
they refused did God send to be a ruler and deliverer." ( Acts
vii. 23-36. ) Moses seems clearly in this case to be a type of
Christ. Jesus came to deliver his brethren ( according to the
ftesh ) and was rejected, after which he takes a Gentile w i fe
and returns, showing favor to natural Israel. ( Acts xv. 1 4 - 1 6 . )
As Moses, in the first instance, Jesus came as a man, but
the second time as a God, at which time He effects their
deliverance.
While there is a similarity in these general
features, it is the time we would look at, more p articu l a r l y
now. The two periods in the life of Moses, at the end o f
which he came each time, seem t o foreshadow the Jewih
and Gospel ages, ( each represented by forty years of l\Iose'
life ) at the end of which Jesus comes, first at the end of the
Jewish as a man ; now, in the end of the Gospel as a God.
This b ei ng true, one forty would end in A. D. 33, wht>n
he was rejected as king and left their house desolate. ( Luke
x i l i . 34, 35. )
Then the parallel to the t>nd of the second fort
would be 1878, when he came as king and the work of
restoring them to favor began. Now, with this th ough t, ll't
us turn to Ex. vii. 7. "And Moses was fourscore years old
and Aaron fourscore and three years old when th ey spake
unto Pharaoh."
The fourscore, or twice forty, would
bring us to 1 878, in t he ant i-type when Christ spakC' to
Pharaoh ( th e world ) by an act, in restor ing Israel to
favor.
But it says :
"Aaron wa s fourscore and thrl'e
years old."
As Aaron represents us, the l i v i n g sa i n t ;: . i t
would seem t o indicate that W l' come into a po i t i on <> f
power three years after the t i me, re p re sen te d h y the fon r
gcore o f Moses.
Aaron did not speak until a ftpr h e uwt
Mo ses, so we would not in the sense here rt>friTed t o 11n t i l
after our change. If the three years men t ion ed i n ron ned ion
with Aaron has any bearing. then it would tPaeh our ch a n;:,'
as coming this Ride of 188 1 , a s tl1ree years from l SiS w<>ul.l
bring us inside of that time. We do not think it wPll to b:1 <'
too much on types or al l egori es , but \Vhl' n we fi n d thPm i n
harmony with prophetic poi n t s tlH':V a d d a d d i t i o n a 1 t>ddt'lll'<'.
and while we would n ot pregt>nt a n v of thre t h i n g;: a nho
l ute . yet there i s a h a r mo n :v whi <'h <'Olll lll<'nd" tlwm to n n
i n tel l i gt>nt mind.
They call for tht> ewr r i r of fa ith on 011r
p ar t. egpe da l l:v whl'n wr rt>member t h :1 t in n'frr<'n <'<' t0 tlH'
C'om ing of .Tf'"ll" :mrl our <'h'lll l!C'. 1 hc postl t' . . dy tlllll'
thing! hard to be underl'ltood." ( 2 Ptt. i i i . 1 -t - U i . \
\Ve 1 w w
ha ve takl'n proph eti<' mt>n urPnH'n t " :t nd :t llrgo r i t, tog,, t h <'l'.

[1Rll

Z I O N }S

( :.- 6)

WA TC H

five dilTrent points seeming to teach the resurrection of the

dead in Christ and change of the living between the fall of
1 8i4 and 1 88 1 . Two or more witnesses are enough to prove
anv case, II<' a rule, and certamly Uod has given us abundant
t.,.;dence.
We are also glad to notice that all these thingt
only corroborate previous truths, thus provmg to a certainty
tach a pp l i ca tion as correct and causing the old jewels to shine
brighter. The five lines of argument briefly stated are theRe :
ht. The days of Daniel ending in 1874, at which time the
rp,;m-redion commenced, and since which, the dead have been
gomg lll to the marriage.
d. The <>nd of the seven years from that time, as marked
by the par,tllel, of the end of the "sevnty weeks" in the
J t> w i,;h age t>ll(ling in our year 1 88 1 , at which time we all

TO W E R

PITTSBURGH, PA.

should be in and the door closed, being the end of time of

special favor to t.he nominal church before commencement of
trouble which follows our change.
3d. The building of temple, covering seven yean time,
and hence in harmony with the above arguments.
4th. Entering of Ark by Noah and his house, occupying
seven days ( typical of years. )
5th. The last mentioned allegory in the life of Moses and
Aaron.
Thus we find the types of days and years are in harmony.
In view of these things let us watck and be aober, for "It is
good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the
salvation of the Lord." Lam. iii. 26.
A. D. J.

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST

little understood that some hay e confounded it with the baptism of death, referred to m first
article of September number. And some of our reade s have
e:-.pressed themselves as being pleased with the article on
Baptism of the Spirit. This is quite a mistake, s the two
baptisms are entirely different. Notice that w I e all are
exhorted to be baptized into Christ's death, ( 1lhngy submittmg to death ) none are ever told to be baptized With the
Holy Ghost.
ome will inquire. Should we not assemble ourselves as
Bro. Moody and others of our dear brethren and sisters have
recently done in Massachusetts, and earnestly pray to our
Father for the baptism of the Holy Ghost ! We answer, No,
because there is only one baptism of the Spirit promised or
ne(:essary to the church. This one baptism was at Pentecost.
We are told that it came as a rushing, mighty wind and
"filled all the bouse where they were sitting."
.
Now, notice the idea of immersion. The house bemg filled,
they were completely surrounded by, or immersed in Holy
_
Hpirit. We are members of the same church and family, and
t hat was our baptism--one for all, and no other baptiam of
tlw f;pirit i'l ever taught anywhere in the Bible. Remember,
that up to the time of Jesus' baptism by John. when coming
up out of the water, the Holy Ghost descended upon him, the
Holy Ghost had not yet been given to any one in the way
now imparted to the church, viz. : as a comforter, guide and
leader into the understanding of truth, etc.
True, the Spirit had been in the world, and was exercised
upon and in certain prophets. but it was given for special
occasions, and was not an abiding preaence. It gave them
miraculous utterance, but did not guide into the understanding of God's word ; for, "not unto themaelves, but unto us
they did minister the things which are now reported unto you
by them that have preached the Gospel unto you, with the
Holy Spirit sent down from Heaven." 1. Pet. i. 12.
The Spirit given to Jesus without measure, (Jno. iii. 34, )
and gi\'en by measure to all his disciples and members, (Jno.
i. 1 6 1 is the spirit of adoption ( into the divine family and
nature ) , whereby we cry, "Father. Father," i. e., we recognize
God as our Father in two senses-first, as our creator as
11atuml men, even as Adam waR called the Son of God (Luke
i i i. 38 ) ; and now by our adoption into the divine family he
becomes our Father in that divine sense. Until Jesus, no man
could enter into the relation to God of adopted sons, partaker!! of the divine nature, because all were sinners, and God
could not receive s-innf'rs as sons. When "the man Christ
.Jesus" presented himself as a being, "holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners. in whom was no sin," he was acceptahle with the Father ; and when he offered his perfect natural
life for ours. according to the will of God, it was acceptable.
The Father accepted of his sacrifice-the natural, and as a
gift, gave to him the spiritual, divine nature-life and body,
which be bad laid aside when he took the human nature-life
and body. Now, when Jesus made the covenant to lay down
his humanity aa our ransom, he received the divine adoption
and the spirit without measure, and the witness of his rela.tionhip came at once, ( Luke iii. 22 ) , for a voice from heaven
said : "Thou art my beloved Son ; in thee I am well pleased."
( Luke iii. 22. )
Thus wa'l our Head anointed with the oil of gladness.
ow, were the di<ciples also so anointed and given the comfort and J!'Uidance of the Spiri t ! No ; not while Jesus lived.
Whv ? We answer. For the Rame reason that the prophets
l'ouid not receive it thu-.. They were sinners in God'R sight,
part of the fallen human familv, and the ransom for their
forff'ited l i fe wa'! not paid until ".Jesu< ChriRt by the grace
of God ta!lted death f on the cro<l for everv man."
Were the disciples, bf'l iever, then recivPd a11 juRtified,
pure, sinle<s in God's ight the moment JeRus died ! We
Thi:: subject is

bO

ntwer , that the price of our ransom was then paid, but that
m God s plan Jesus must first present in the Father's presence
the evidence of his death--our redemption. "Him therefore
hath God ighly exal e and given a name above every name,"
tat the gift of the divme nature should come through him to
his body (the church ) , for God "hath committed all j udgment
unto the Son," and "hath given him power over all flesh that
he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
him." He must first receive again from the Father, the fullness of the divine nature before he could bestow the spirit
the seal of sonship. Remember, the Head only, bad so far
.
rece1ved the comforter, or evidence of adoption, for the Holy
Spirit was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet
glorified. (John vii. 39. )
Thus the church, as instructed, were waiting to be imbued
with the spirit which should guide them in understanding the
scriptures (Old Testament ) and the words of Jesus. When
the. spir t did come, it immersed them all by filling the house.
.
_
Th1s sp1ntual bapbsm
came to the church directly from her
Head, as Peter testified. '',Jesus, therefore, being by tht> right
hand of God exalted, and having received of the 'Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost ( having come fully into posses
sion of spiritual power, as promised ) , he hath shed forth this
which ye now see and hear." Acts ii. 33.
The Holy Spirit-"Spirit of truth"-thus given as the
church's teacher, begins the work by distributing certain gifts
to certain members of the church. All ( the church ) received
of the spirit of adoption, but some received of the gifts of the
spirit. These gifts varied, according to the character and
natural ability, etc., of the person ; the object of the Lord in
bestowing these gifts being, that every one who received them
should profit withal ( use them profitably for the good of
the church and the advancemPnt of truth. )
1 Cor. xii. 7.
Paul explains the matter, saying, "Wherefore i t is said,
Having ascended on high, he led a multitude of captives, and
gave gifts to men." "He gave indeed the apostles, and the
prophets, and the evangelists, and shepherds, and teachers."
Why did Jesus give these gifts f "For the complete qualifiea
tion of the saints for the work of service, in order to the
building up of the body of the anointed one." Eph. iv. 12.
Diaglott.
Here only the chief gifts are mentioned, but in 1 Cor. xii.
we have these and other graded "diversities of gifts ." And
those whom God hath placed in the congregation are : first,
apostles ; second, prophets ; third, teachers ; next, powers ; then
g1fts of cures, assistants, directors, different languaes. All
are not apostles ; all are not prophets ; all are not teachers,
etc. . . . But you earnestly desire the more eminent gifts, and
yet a more excellent way I point out unto you."-Love : "If
I have prophecy, and know all secrets and all knowledge, and
if I have all faith so as to remove mountains and have not
LOVE, l am nothing."
( Diag. )
Now, we inquire, baa this spirit ever been withdrawn from
the church ? If through the various gifts and channels then
arranged of God it was sufficient in quantity and quality to
do the work assigned, viz. : to guide the church into truth,
then has it lost any of its power and efficiency now, that we
should ask for a baptism again 1 No beloved, the comforter
abides with us in full measure ; Jesus, our bead, poured it
out abundantly and sufficiently once. ancl it remains with us.
True, some of the gifts are departed, but the chief ones
remain.
We still have the apostles and prophets. These
being dead, yet speak to us, and that more clearly and forcibly
than to our brethren who saw them face to face. The word
declares that "there are differences of administration, but the
same Lord."
Our Lord has, to some extent, changed his
administration, but he, as Head, is still ruling over his body.
The same spirit continue11, but with diversities of operation!!.
It does not now operate (usually) by the low r gifts of

( 1 82]

JAN UARY, 1 881

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

tongues, cures, etc., probably because the ignorance which

made it expedient then, has now given place to knowledge, so
that instead of coming together and speaking or praying
ignorantly, in an unknown tongue, we can now, when we
assemble ourselves, speak to one another of the teachings of
the Lord and his apostles.
God still continues, to some
extent, the gifts of teachers ( called prophets, 1 Cor. xiv. 3-5.)
evangelists, shepherds.
The manner of imparting the Holy
Ghost used-to be by the laying on of hands of the apostles, or
sometimes, of others designated. ( Acts ix. 1 1 - 1 7 . ) Here again
we see a "difference of administration," [but the same Lord
and same spirit] for now, without laying on of hands [ even
as Cornelius] we, when we consecrate ourselves, fully receive
the spirit of adoption, whereby we can recognize God as our
divine Father as well as Creator. We find ourselves "led of
the Spirit" and guided into the truth day by day, and we
know that "as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are
the sons of God." And wherever we find the fruits of the
spirit we may be sure that the spirit dwells there, else the
fruits could not exist. We should b e more anxious to possess
the fruits, than the gifts, of the spirit. Paul exalts one of
the fruits, LOVE, as being more desirable than any or all the
gifts without it.
Let us for a moment look at the type which seems given to
illustrate our anointing of the spirit, viz. : The anointing of

TO WER

16 -7)

Aaron.
( Lev. viii. )
The l1oly oil, type of the Spmt, \\ a
poured upon h i s head in profusion. s the spirit was given
to our H ead, Jesus, without mea;,m e. As the oil ran dOl\ n al l
over Aaron, "even to the skirts of his garments," so in due
time-Pentecost-the ( oi l ) spirit descended from our exalted
Head upon us his body, and all through this age, it ha;, flo11 ed
down, down, touching every child of God. Now, to ask God
for fresh baptism would be to ask amiss, for if His word
"The Father
abide in us, we should remember that he said :
shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you
forever [aion the age ] , even the spirit of truth."
Jno.
xiv. 1 6.
Now, while it would be no more proper for us to pray for
another baptism of the spirit than it would have been for
Moses to have anointed Aaron twice, still as individuals, you
and I may not have our hearts as full of the spirit of truth
as it is our privilege to be.
As God's children, we are
entitled to "be filled with the spirit," and we cannot ask for
this filling too earnestly, nor too frequently go to the foun
tain of truth-the word of God, at which we may copiously
drink into his spirit. The more of the spirit we receive the
more we will have room for.
The new spirit of the new
nature displaces and removes the old, carnal or fleshly spirit,
and gives us room for more. And we repeat, there is
abundant measure to fill full all of our "earthen ves.o;els."

ZION'S TRAVAIL
Zion is a general name for the entire nominal church. At
present in the mortal, flesh and blood condition, she cannot
enter into the kingdom of God ; the spiritual condition must
fir<;t be reached. At present God holds out to her "exceeding
great and precious promises" by which ( promises ) some chil
dren are begotten in her to spiritual life.
We have already noticed that under various figures, as
Babylon's fall-Israel's stumbling-coming through great trib
ulation-saved so as by fire, etc., the word of God pictures
('vere anguish and trials coming upon the church during
"the harvest" or end of the Gospel age ; and the text to which
our subj('ct refers describes it as travail. Travail is deathly
11 nguish, and like the other figures used, is powerfully il lus
trative of the s everity of Zion's trouble.
The illustration
hows, too, the necessity of the trouble ; without the travail
Zion's ehildr('l] cannot all be born-delivered.
We ha1- e seen that the trouble upon the world begins by
the overthrow of the nominal church, and indeed every day
mec 1 87 8 where we believe the nominal church was given up
to her travail [It, however, will not fully commence until
the "first born"-"little flock" are born, an event expected
during 1 8 8 1 . ] , seems to witness the uprising of new elements
for her overthrow. Spiritualism is misleading thousands and
infidelity tens of thousands. Col. Ingersoll alone is doing a
wonderful work in the way of sowing seeds of contempt for
Zion, which already are taking root and must soon bud and
blossom into open opposition to her. We believe that there
is not a single person who hears his anti-religious lectures
with candid and unbiased mind, who has not had his faith in
the teachings of the ( so called ) orthodox churches unsettled
forever. Those only who have seen to some extent the incon
sistencies of the churches, the errors of their teachings, and
have caught a glimpse ( at least ) of the great loving plan of
God relative to the blessing of the tvorld in the ages to come,
can come away unshaken.
The nominal church of the third century began to leave
the word of God for the traditions of men, and abandoned
the nMrow way for the easier road of harmony with the
world. This resulted in Papacy's exaltation to power, and
the substituting of the churches fiat instead of the Bible as
the only law of Christians, and the destruction of all Bibles
known to exist-it being claimed that they were no longer
necessary, but actually pernicious, as the voice of the church
was the law of God.
W c would not be understood as intimating thn t a 11 thE>
<'hildren of Zion have been engulfed in Papacy. No, we be
J ipw that all through those dark ages there were members
of the httle flock who maintained their walk in the narrow
way. Some of them were known as WaldensE>s, Huguenots, etc.
This reign of Papacy led to a sad condition of ignorance,
sup('rstition and blindnesc; of truth, which was only partially
re l i eved by the great work known as the Reformation. We
would not be misundE>rtood as intimating that the work of
the Reformers was l ittle or valueless ; on the contrary, we
believe theirs was a grand work. Taking the Bible, neglected
and prohibited for years, they boldly preached the necessity
of taking it as the only rule of faith and practice, and not

the creeds of the church, and the result of thPir p1 eaclung

was evidently, the development of many nob](' Chntians a
well as a general arousing of nominal Zion.
\ n d had thP
work there begun, been continued, Zion would not now bP
in her present deplorable condition, saying : I am rich and
increased in goods, knowing not that she 1s really wretehed.
and miserable. and poor, and blind.
[Rev. iii. 1 7 . ]
But
elated with the victories over some of the Romish darknes
and error, the church of the Reformation soon sat down
self-complacently and at ease, evidently forgetting that though
then in the light, she should walk ( advance ) in the light,
and that if she sat down at ease the "light which shines
more and more" would go far beyond her, and she would
soon "sit in darkness."
Again, Zion follows Papacy's rule of putting lH'r cre<'d
instead of the word of God, so that all offcndPr at hPJ h.t r
are tried by the "authorities" or "8tandards" of tiH' e h unh ;
by which is meant, not God's "'ord, the B 1 blc. hut t lw wen d
of the founders and hghts of thew church). forgettmg t h a t
the one church or body of Christ which admits of no eh1m.
has but one authority or head-the Lord ,Jebus-by who-.. c
written word every member's faith and practice must he
judged-"To the law and to the testimony : if they speak not
according to this word, it is because there is no light in
them." Nominal Zion recognizes no inerease of hght shining
No, she i s perfectly satisfied
more and more ( Prov. iv. 18. )
with the light of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. But
there are some who cannot be bound to the dnn light of by
gone days, understanding that the same Bible which accom
plished the Reformation work is necessary to the Christian's
growth in grace and knowledge today.
Because the Protestant churches ha ,.(' !HlnptPd method-;
like that of Papacy, avoiding many of the grosser sin,.. , but,
nevertheless, like her being joined to the world and ceking
its favor, establishing church authoritiE-s instead of God's
word, ete. ; because of this likeness to her t lwy are Scrip
turally reckoned as her daughters, and she i" called the
"l\1other of harlots."
These a II, Protestant daughters and
Papal mother, as well as the few who walk in the light. and
reeogn i7P th<' auth01 ity and control of ncit h<'r. but of God's
word only-ca lled "th<'y that hav!' not wor"hip<'d the bpa gt
( Papa<'y ) nor its image" ( Protestantism l -a l l of these arC'
Zion, in the general sense, and includ<' both wht'at and tart'".
fMatt. 1 ::1. 1
Because si1E' Ions tlu s present world and will
not walk in the narrow way, in which the light sh i n e. h<'
has nenr b<'en f.ully fre<'d from Papal error and darknt'ss, and
the truth she holds i s so mixed with error tha t she is unable
to defend it against the attacks of infidt'hty a nd other de
YieeR of the !'nemy. to a rC'omplish her final onrthrow.
'Ve haYe already seen that the trouble upon the world is
spoken of as the seven last plagn('f!, whir-h i n t imates that
some preceded these last. 'Ve aw by looking n t the type"
-the plague upon Egypt, that t h (' J e wt'n' three first a n d
seven last, which first thnt' Wt' undt'rstand to be t h e tronbh'
or trava i l of Zion, during which thr('t' plagut's or traYa i l .
a 11 of t h e wheat w i l l b <' separated from the tares-all of
G01l'<; real children will lw separated from the nominal churrh

[183]

(i)

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

in oiJNl i<'JH'e to tlu ('all. ''Come out of her, my people," etc. ;

,1 11ei t )l !'S(' \\ ii J lll' ) I I Otf'l'f('<J d 11 1 ing the SCl'C/1 las/ pl t g ll f'S.
We have leanJPd that two classes of children of God are
to he born of Zion.
'Ye understand that our present con
dition is that of begotten, embryo children, and that our
re:;; urrection or change to spiritual conditions will be the
b i rth mto the perfection of our new nature, to which we are
now begotten. The first-born of Zion's children is, the Christ
-Je:>us and "the church ( ecclesta-body) of the first-born"
the:>e. with him, constituting the "little flock," to whom "it is
the Father's good pleasure to give the kingdom." The after
born ch i ldren of Zion constitute the "great multitude that
no man can number," who "wash their robes" and "come up
out of great tribulation," who with palms stand "before the
throne," in which th e first- born, overcomers sit crowned.
( 'hrist ( Head and body ) . the first fruits, ( first-born, ) after
wards they that are Christ's at his [parousia] p resence ( 1
Cor. xv. 2 3 ) -the day of wrath. Those gathered during that
d ay are the "many brethren" of the "household of faith."
If, now, we have Zion, h<'r ('hildren and her travail before
onr m in d ._, let n ;; notice Rome scriptures whi('h ht>ar directly
on the hirth o f Zion's children. Isaiah, ( lx x vi. 7, 8. ) referring
t o t lw matter. says : "Before she travailed A he brought forth ;
h<'fore lll'r pain <a me she was delivered of a man ehild. Who
hath hen rd Rll('h a thing ? Who hath 'ieen such things ? Shall
t he earth be made to bring fortl1 i n one day ? Shall a nation
be born at once ? For, as soon as Zion travailed, she brough t
forth her chil d re n."
The "great multitude" of
What a clear picture is this 1
Zion's children will be born after her travail-come up to
glory through great tribulation.
But her first-born is an
exception to th1s rule ; it-Christ .Jesu1:1 the Head, and the
m embers of the body-will be born, come into the perfect
spi ritual condition "like unto C'hnst's glorious body" before
the tra1ail.
Yes, before she trava ilt>d she brought forth,
before her pain came she was delivered of a man child. How
much this is in harmony with Jesus' instructions ; while
intimating that the time of trouble would come upon nearly
all, he sap; : "Watch ye that ye may be accounted worthy to
escape all those things corn ing upon the world." The over
comers Nleape a.ll th e trava i l of Zion and the wrath on the
world, Rha 1 e th e kingrlom with their Lord, and as m em
hPrs of l1i" hnrlv, a1 e "j oint-heirs" with him and "inherit
all things."
This is the :eed of the woman that shall

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, p,.,

crush the serpent's head. This is "the seed of Abraham."

This is the one body whose Head Jesus was "The first
born from the dead" eighteen centuries ago, whose body will
also be born before Zion's travail.
Thes e are the "kings
and priests unto God," who, during the present age have at
the same time been, both the household of priests typ i fied
by Aaron's sons, and also the members of the High Priest's
body. These during the Millennia} age will be, with th ei r
Head "a p ri e st upon his throne."-Thou "hast made us ( the
body ) unto our God kings and p ri ests, and we shall rei gn on
the earth" ( Rev. v. 1 0. ) -their reign in the exercise of this
double office, being typified by Melchisedec--"King of Salem
[ peace) a nd priest of the most high God."
This is the
company that follow the Lamb here, and will do so her eafter,
to whom he said, "Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's
good pleasure to gi ve you the kingdom."
These two companies, the few before, and the many after
travail, are the only children ever born to Zion. ( The type
shows that she dies in travail ) i. e., the Gospel age here
ending, th e Gospel church will no longer exist as an earthly
institution, and thereafter exist only as the glorified, spiritual
city or church. These two companies, as heretofore shown,
are the only ones to whom the high calling of becoming sons
of God on the spiritual plane is offered ; the only ones be
gotten of the Spirit, consequently, the only ones who could be
born of the Spirit.
The blessing which comes to the world is nc,er called a
begetting to newness of l ife--or a new kind of life, but a
restitution ( restoring ) of the old hfe, which is forfeited by
r eason of disobedience and sin. For there shall be a restitu
tion of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of
all the holy prophets since the world began. ( Acts iii. 2 1 . )
The church, on the contrary, are begotten to a new nature,
which implies new powers, and a new form, for "as we have
borne the image of the earthly ( natural ) we shall also bear
the image heavenly" ( spiritual ) .
The grandeu r of our high calling, is but imperfectly seen
until we realize that it shall be our pleasurable work during
the Millennia! age when joined with our head to restore the
human family to a l l the perfections of mind and body, lost
through Adam, brought back by Christ's death. Beloved,
let us more highly appreciate "our high calling, wh1ch is of
God, i n Christ Jesus."

RACHEL A TYPE OF ZION

:\[ a ny types a re furn i shed us il lu>trative of the two houses
of I srael ( natura I and <pi ritual ) , and th eir relationship to
each other ; yet no two of these illmtrate exactly the same
featur<'!'.
Among the mor<' prominent we m ight mention
Ihmacl and Isaac, who repreRented th<' n:ttu ral ami piritual
<>eds of Abrah am, both of whom were blessed, but not to
the o;ame degr ee. Their mothers, Hagar an d Sarah, we have
!<cen to b<> types of the Law and Gospel covenants, under
which the two seeds are developed. Isaac and Rebecca, another
beautiful type, shows us the relationship to which the "little
flock" shall come as the bride of Christ, when she becomes
joint-heir with him. Jacob and Esau typically show how the
natural seed, thouh first developed, failed to receive the
choicest b les s ing. As "Esau Rol<l his birthright for a mess
of po ttage . " so natural Israel, wh en th ey might have inher
ited the ( spiritua I ) p r om i s l's , ('host> instead natural things.
The Gospel church, represented by Jtcob-though developed
later, gets the choi('eRt blesRin-the spiritual. "What shall
we say then That the Gl'ntiles, which followed not after
righteousnes, have attained to righteousness, even the right
eousness wh i<h iR of faith; but Israel, which followed after
the law of righteous. hath not attained." [Rom. ix. 1 1 , 30.)
But now another type not before noticed by us, presents
it!lelf, and is fully as clear, when seen, as the others, and
illu strat e s part i cul ar featmes of truth not pictured in the
others.
Rachel. seems to be a type of the Gospel church in
many particula rs ; and her aister Leah would correspondingly

represent the fleshly Israel. Jacob served seven years for

each of thel', which might be understood as typifying the
equality of the two ages-Jewish and Gospel-which we have
already found to be of equal measure.
Again, a<; Rachel was the one chiefly loved and first
prorni erl. "o th e Gospel covenant, the most desirable, was
made lJt?fore "the Law" covenant [Gal. iii. 8, 17.] though

the la tter was first recogni zed, and the children of the fleJSh
born first, ( Rom. ix. 8 ) called "Israel after the flesh." ( l
Cor. x. 1 8. )
But our chief interest centers i n Rachel. Her first born
was Joseph, who seems to be a type of "the Christ." He
was exalted next to Pharaoh ( type of God. ) -"Only in the
throne shall I be greater than thou." So it is true now
of our head ( Jesus ) and wil l soon be true of the whole body.
"Him hath God highly exalted, and given him a name that
is above every name."
We understand then that Rachel's
first born typi fi ed the little flock, to whom it is the Father's
good pleasure to give the kingdom-whose head is Jesus.
Her second child, in the travail of whose birth she dierl,
was Benjamin, who we believe typifies the "great company"
who are born after the "great tribulation."
How this type harmonizes with the foregoing arti cle.
How perfl'etly does Rachl'l typify Zion, having two offsprings
-the first to rule j the second, also beloved, born after travail
-death anguish. How the death of Rachel shows the end
of Zion's career as an earthly church when the "great com
pany" are born after the trouble.
Joseph, when in power, blessed his brethren, and ulti
mately made himself known to them. So we expect that
when the kingdom is given to the "little flock" in the very
beginning of the reign, the time of trouble will be so ordered
as to bring our brethren ( the second company still in the flesh
and ''Israel after the flesh"-Benjamin and the brethren ) into
such a position as will result in their blessing. The dis
tinction made between Benjamin and the other brethren is
shown in Joseph's blessing him with five times as much as
they received . ( Gen. 43.34 ; 45 : 22 ) which shows the greatl'r
blessing of the spiritual brethren, typified by Benjamin, over
that of the natural brethren, fleshly Israel, tyrified by the
sons of Leah.

THE PITTSBURGH MEETINGS

We ha ve! meetingR e v>ry Sunday from 2 : 30 to 4 P. M

an d a W rrln l''lrl ay eve ni ng meeting at 7 : 30 o'clock. It was

qui te a negl ect , that a regular standing notii'P of these meet

ings has not been kept in the paper from the Iir st.

[184]

VoL. II

PITTSBURGH, PA., FEBRUARY, 1881

LAY UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES

Every person you know and >very person you don't know, i:;
a treasure seeker.
A is seeking wealth ; he rises early, labors hard and re
tires late, plans, studies, contrives, bends every energy of his
being to gt his prize. He would tell you that he does not
care for money--does not worship it-yet poor man he is
evidently deceiving himself ; his actions speak louder than
words. He would labor so for no person or thing he does
not love.
B is seeking honor and respect ; he bends his energy to
that end ; money nor ease nor any other thing would purchase
his lwnor. He says "A good name is rather to be chosen
than great riches.
I will leave to my family a legacy of
honor." He loves honor and shows it by his actions.
0 is seeking pleasure ; give him pleasure, jollity and mirth
and he will give you his purse, his time, and sometimes
his honor ; this is a pleasure seeker.
D seeks for fame, and art or war, or science, or the pulpit,
or stage are merely stepping-stones to the attainment of the
treasure which he seeks ; the applause of men-fame.
E loves office and power ; he becomes a politician and seeks
it as his prize. He drops business, family, pleasure, friends,
ease ; all go ; all are sacrificed if need be to gain the prize
of his ambition-this treasure he loves and seeks.
F has no ambition beyond the comfort of family and
friends, and the social pleasures of home.
Thought and
muscle are taxed to this end.
G seeks approbation of others, and dress of person, or of
children, and by act, word and look she studies to obtain
this aim of her life. No labor is too great, no method too
low, no time too valuable if she can excite admiration.
H loves self and seeks personal ease. He likes money
because it will give him ease. He likes civilization and im
provements because they will be of use to him ; he thinks favor
ably of wife, children, friends and servants, because they
are useful, convenient and can assist him. He worships ease
and loves it.
Dear brother and sister, here we have the pictures of the
treasures of all our neighbors among them ?
Say not that
your aim is a blending of this with others. Experience of the
wisest men is, that success in life is attainable only by the
concentration of aim and powers upon one attainment ; that
man's life is too short and his powers too feeble to reach
several goals or prizes ; to obtain more than one t1easure.
Do I hear you say that the prize for which you are running
is a heavenly one and that you are laying up your treasure in
heaven ? I am glad that when you hold these treasures up be
fore your mind you recognize them all as earthly, which the moth
and rust of time will soon destroy. I am glad if your hearts
have not become so fond of these things, that you worship them
and think them beauti ful. But let me put it plainly : Would
yonr neighbor judging from your daily acts not suppose that
you are bendin g all of your energies for some of these
prizes ? Is he deceived, or are you, with reference to your
real aim ? Do not your actions as well as his, speak louder
than words ? What is your real treasure, the thing which
you really love ?
The prize set before us in the gospel is far greater, far
grander, far more pleasurable, far more honorable and far
more rich than all of earth's prizes combined ; and in ad
dition it fadeth not away. If we obtain our prize we will
have "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." If
we reach the goal of our race, we shall be the bride of the
Lamb-h eirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord.
"They [the world] seek a corruptible crown, but we are in
corruptible" one-"a crown of life [immortality] which fadeth
not away."
Do you say that you expect to gain both this heavenly
prize and also some earthly ones ? Not so, not only does hu
man experience teach that life is too brief, but God's word as
sures us that we "cannot serve God and mammon ," ( the
world ) .
If these earthly prizes are obtained by so much effort. self
denial and perseverance, how about our great prize, should
it not have yet more demand for our sacrifice of comfort,
etc., in its acquirement ?
Yet, now look at it-yonr life
labor ; what is it for 1 You are a farmer, let me ask you,
For what is your labor spent ? I plow, sow. reap, raie stock,
provide for myself and family, give to the support of religion,
and lay up some each year by which I add farm to farm.
What treasure did you lay up in heaven ?
You are a merchant ; let me ask you, For what is your

life and labor spent ?

I attend to my busine% d i l igently
early and late : I allow nothing to hinder it. By careful man
agement and by giving it all of my time and abil ity, I am
able not only to provide the comforts, but some of the hnuries
of life for my family. I give a tenth of all my profits to the
Lord in benevolent and religious ways, and besides I have ac
cumulated considerable property.
What treasure have you
accumulated in heaven 7
You are a tradesman or mechanic ; how are you spending
your life and labor ? I give my time, labor and talent to my
trade. I get as many of the comforts and luxuriPFl of life a
possible, and if I could would lay u p some earthly treasure. I
give my time and energy as fully or more so, than orne who
have better success. What time and talent have you expended
seeking the heavenly treasures ?
You are a housewife ; how are you spending the l i fe and
labor consecrated to God's service ? I spend it all in my home
hold duties, and when I make home very comfortable, and
do all the little things I can to make it elegant and tasteful,
and to keep my children looking the picture of neatnes,
and receive and make some calls among my worldly friends,
that together with my own personal adornment takes up all
of my time.
What treasure, what little things have you
made ready for your heavenly mansion ?
You are a widow-what are you doing with your life and
talent congecrated to God's service ? My life is an humble one,
and my opportunity for doing good is on a small scale, but
when I learned from God's word that I was redeemed from
sin by my Lord and then heard of the high calling to be of the
Bride of Christ, a joint-heir to an inheritance incorruptible
. . . . that fadeth not away, I asked upon what condition&, I
might be one. The word informed me that I was to make a
complete consecration of myself, mind and body, talents, repu
tation, influence, to the Lord to be used thereafter as hi
and I was to be as one dead, so that with Paul I could
savs : "I lh e, yet not I, but Chril't liveth in me." So then . t I H
will and talents, and all, would be hili<, and used by him. I
have so little to give him ; I have little talent, no money .
and almost no influence, and almost feared I need not come,
but the word assured me that what our Father wanted was
my heart and my consecrated service, that he had plPntv of
money and reputation. So then I came : I gave myelf all to
him.
"All for Jesus ! All for Jesus '
All my beings ransomed powers ;
All my thoughts and words and doingll.
All my days and all my hours."

When I had fully consecrated all. I realiztd t h 1 t it mut

not be in word only, but also in deed. I thPrefon ought d i
rection from the word a n d prayed for underta mling of it.
I asked myself, Does the Lord want me to go ont into tlH
streets and preach and expect food and cloth i n g to entnl'
miraculously for myself and child ? I found that G od'.; will
was that I should spend some time and labor earning a HYi ng
that he that provideth not for his own household i " o re
than an infidel.
I found too, that Paul labored. w Oi k i n !!
with his hands, that he could not be chn rgeablP. So I '' .. n t
to work as usual, knowing that i f I wa acting a .; Go d
agent, he wanted me to eat, and dress to h i s glor- Then
came the query : Shall I labor and sa\e money. o t h a t i n a
few years I can stop all kinds of labor, and gin n ll my t i nw to
God's service ? And again the \Vord answerPd : "Lay not up for
yourselves treasures upon the earth"-and again "Having
food and clothing therewith be content."
Next I inquired, How comfortably shall I l i w : how m uch
time shall I spend in the support of the old "earthen ressel."
and how much could be deYotP<l more directlY to G ot! ' \\ o r k
I ordered and regulated. my time go that one of it might
be wasted-eating, working and sleeping were a 11 arra nged.
with a view to the glory of God, and I found that I h,1d thn
hours for my consecrated work. As already ;;tnt ed. m a bi l i t y
i s not grf'at and I wondered how I could makf' ut' of o mud1
timt-. I said to myself, It is of utmost importn net t h n t if 1
am God's representative anrl chiltl . a 1ul )!Oing fo rth n" h i "
servant, that I should know as much n pog;;ible of Fntlwr's
will. I muo;t therefore, spend soll'P of mY ronsccratf'tl time 1 '1
feeding my new nature and r 1n b ro l lkrin 11 my " P<ldin g'd 1 .
ment.
Father hlls me to ".;parch t h l' ;;l'riphirf'>" . . n "' n h
my Bible and my "\VATCII TO\\TR." I d a i l' ;;pl'nd Oil!' lwur-
not in reading, but in eanuHt study. I "' l' a rc h P d and f(>uml

[ 1 85]

ZIO N ' S

(2)

WA T C H

daily spiritual food and my "daily bread" sometimes took

two instead of one hour.
How should I use my other hours 7 I sought the WORD
aga in. It said we were to spend our lives "doing good unto
11.11 men as we have opportunity, especially to the household of
faith," and I looked at Paul, Peter and Jesus who said,
"Ye have us for examples," and "He hath set us an example
that we should walk in his footsteps."
Yes, this made my way clear. My chief object should
be t o ghe spiritual help, or secondly any temporal aid or comfort to those needing it. I f there were two needing, one a saint,
the othPr a sinner, and I could help only one, the preference
was to be shown for the saint.
I first visited my next-door neighbor, who bas sickness 1!-nd
trouble, helped her to straighten her home and spoke a word of
comfort and cheer and pointed to her a shadow of a great
rock in this weary land where she might find solace and pro
tection from the fierce rays of affliction. I felt grateful to
Fathpr for thus permitting me to comfort a cast down one.
I next called on a lady of whose deep piety and christian
character I had heard much, which led me to suppose that she
lived very close to God. I wondered if she knew anything
of God's great loving plan-of the Bride, the second company
and the restitution of mankind in general to their former
perfection, as tbe result .of Christ's ransom. I found her
zealous and earnest in the Lord's service but her zeal was
not according to knowledge, for she loved mankind and seemed
to fear that God did not. She was carrying burdens, etc., and
I thought how much good it would do this dear sister of the
household of faith, if she knew as we do, God's loving plan
of salvation.
The thought occurred to me, You asked God to use you in
his service, may be he is about to use poor you as his
mouthpiece to tell this other dear child of his plan. The
thought made me feel humble, for I realized my own little
ness and I feared lest I should not so present the subject to
her, as to avoid arousing her prejudices. Secretly I asked
for wisdom. I introduC'ed myself as a child of God and heir of
glory come to spend a half hour in Christian intercourse. We
talked of personal experiences and of the love of God manifested toward each of us, and I found no opportunity then of
introducing much of the plan to her attention, merely sug
gesting that it would be blessed when the millennia! reign
would subdue evil and the "knowledge of the Lord fill the
whole earth," and on )paving I gave her one of our new
tracts-o. 1 .-"Vi'hv
' Will There Be a Second Advent ?" She
thanked me, promis cd t.o read it, and invited me to come
again, which I did, taking other tracts and our paper. That
sister is now rejoicing with us in our grand hopes and
uys her Bible has become a new book to her.
Thus my time was spent from day to day, until the three hours
were not enough and became four, and I doubt not if Father
sees best he can so provide for our tPmporal wants that I
can give all my days and hours in this blesr>ed work. It sometimes brings reproaches and scoffs from thoRe who misinterpret
my motiYes, but "in his service pain is pleasure," and I re
joice that I am counted worthy to suffer reproach for the
cause of the Master. It seems to bring me more close to him
who set us the example, and I consider him who endureth
suC'h contradiction ( opposition ) of sinners lest I should be
weary or faint in my journey in "the narrow way."
These five pictures represent persons who have consecrated
all to God, who have covenanted to become dead to earthly
aim. and ambitions and prizes, and have entered the list
of those who will strive for "The prize of our high calling"
and "sPek for glory, honor and immortality"-the honor, the
glory and the life promised only to the bride-the over
comerc;, who keep their covenant.
Let us not deceive ourselves, bret en, into thinking that
the Scripture mean the opposite of what they say when the
me<;c;age of the Master reads-"Lay not up for yourselves
tr!'aure upon earth"-nor conclude that it has no meaning
'' IH'n it says :
"Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven."
Think not when you are spending all your energies for self
a n d money making, that you are following the instructions of
.Jpw. denying self and walking in his footsteps.
He spent
h 1 time and energy in teaching and doing good to others.
Why, Brother Russell, what strange views you hold on
this suhject ! I fear you are erratic. Do you forget that
the Apoc;tle enjoins that we be not slothful in business, fervent
in pirit, serving the Lord ? Do you forget, too, that Jesus in
the parable condemns the servant who hid his money in the
Parth, anrl commendc; those who traded with their talents and
i n erea5cd them \Yould you have us stop business ? Would
you have us sel l our property and give or throw it away ?
Arc we not to be God's bankers, subject to his check, or order ?

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

No, dear friends, but I am convinced that i n this particular all Christians have been led from the scriptural rule and
instruction by the customs of the world, ably supported by the
selfish principles of the old, fallen, human nature. When
the Lord engaged with us and sent us into his vineyard, we
said, I go, sir ; and then supposed we were living up to our
contract when we had done some labor one day in the
week, spending six times as much of our time, and amazingly
more energy, in the accumulation of our earthly treasure
than in his service for heavenly treasure. And if this is so
the sooner we look at the matter fully and honeRtly, the
better.
I will answer your queries. I am aware we are not
to be slothful in business, but is there not quite a difference
between doing with your might what your hand finds to do,
both in the Lord's service and ia the proper care of these
bodies, etc., on the one hand, and giving all your might
and power.
"All your days and all your hours"
in laying up earthly treasure ( or trying to do so ) and
giving the hand no opportunity or time to do for the Lord.
Should we not pay some heed to the portions of that text
which require us to serve the Lord and be fervent in spirit T
Should we so exaggerate the statement "not slothful in busi
ness," as to cause it to sap all the forces of our being, pre
vent our serving the Lord as we have covenanted to do, and
cool off and starve out the fervency of our spiritual nature
which we have no time to cherish or feed with God's Word T
Is this your understanding of "not slothful in business," my
brother, my sister ? No, I am sure it is not.
To your second question I answer :
Yes, I remember
the parable of the Talents given to the servants, etc. These
talents represent our abilities. When you came into covenant
with God you gave him yourself. If you were an orator,
cow1t that five talents ; if you were wealthy, count that two ;
if you had some power to make plain to people in a private
way, God's love, count that three ; if you could do none of
these things, but could speak a word of kindness and sympathy
and pave the way for others to declare the riches of God's
grace, count that one. These talents wPre yours j and you pre
sented them to God and he in turn handed them to you again,
telling you to use them and increase them in his service. Thus
he departed saying to us, as his church, "Occupy till I come."
At his coming he reckons with the servants and rewards
them as they had made use of their abilities in his service.
Paul's talents we will suppose to have been omto1-y. If
Paul had gone to tent-making as a business, to make and lay
up earthly treasure, or if he had used his oratory for the
applause of men, or worldly wealth, it would have been the
hiding of his talents in the earth. In a word the parable of the
"Talents" shows that you and I are responsible for the best
use in God's service of all talents we may possess.
'Would I have you sell your goods and give or throw your
money away ? The money and goods you possess should be
reckoned as the Lord's and you should use it as his word
directs-neitlHr wastefully, nor carelessly, nor grudgingly ;
but "whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." But it
is one of the mistakes we have made, to suppose that we
are God's bankers, possessing either little or much of bit!
money. He does not give it to us as bankers, but as stewards,
and the difference is this : the banker keeps money and merely
pays out when he receives an order from the owner. The
steward is entrusted with the money to spend in the owner's
service. So God makes all his children "stewards of the
manifold grace ( numerous gifts ) of God." Some possess
many, others few. According as they possess these gifts, they
have a stewardship to fulfill in disposing of them. If wealth
be one of these, it is your duty as a faith ful steward to
find ways and means of using it to God's glory. He has given
us many ways and opportunities of doing this. It may be
spent in spreading the truth, or in ministering to the necessi
ties of the saints, or for the poor in general, or in any of a.
hundred ways that may be presented to your attention, and
commend themselves to your judgment-"doing good unto all
men as you have opportunity, especially to the household
of faith."
Money is useless except as it can do some good to some
body, therefore, if you have it, use it. God is the great giver
of all good, and wants his children to partake of this fea
ture of his divine nature-love-benevolence.
would I have you quit your business, quit your farm,
fJHit your trade ? That depends on circumstances : If you are
devoting more time to your business than is needful for your
necessities and the proper support of those who are dependent
upon you, and the various avenues you may have for money in
t h e Lord's service, then I should say stop some of your busi-

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WA T C H

ness and use thE." talent which would go t o laying u p treasure

on ear th in some branch of the Lord's service.
Are you wealthy ? If so, I would suggest that you stop
at once the work of money gathering and "heaping treasure
for the last days," and go into the Lord's service with the
same talents used in the service of self, and see if you can
pend it as freely and as rapidly as you could make it. Make
it your business to se1ve the Lord and then be--"not slothful in
business." If you had lived in harmony with the commands
of the Lord, it is altogether probable you would not now have
s o much. Make amends for past neglectso into the vine
yard and though it be the "eleventh hour," you may yet receivf'
the "penny" ( immortality ) .
But I am well aware that few of our readers are rich
in earthly treasure. "Not many rich . . . . hath God chosen,
hut the poor of this world," rich in faith, heirs of thE."
kingdom." What would I say to those not rich ? I would
say that probably you are not to blame for not being rich ; per
haps you worked as hard, and planned as much, to get riches
as some who did get them ; perhaps you are not poor because
yon spent your time and talent and money in God's service,
dil igent in his business. How is that ! ask yourself. If that
lw hePn your failing. begin anew to put forth your principal
nnergiP'> in laying up treasures in heaven. Let the principal
work of life be. to rE>mlPr to God the things that are God's
the things '' hirh you covenanted to spend in his service--your
all. If you thus "seek first the kingdom of God and its right
eommeR'>, all tlwse ( earthly things ) shall be added unto you,"
pro hahl n ot many of the luxuriPs of life, but a l l necessities
will he sure.
To the motherR and houRewives let me say : Do not forget
a II othrr duties anrl privil!'ges while attending to one. I f
W <> ronsrrratP a l l to God and then in every act seek t o know
nnd do hi" will. I undertnnd that every such act is ac
PE'pted of him fi R done in his service. He has placed you in
a reRpon sihle poition ; your first duty is to see to the com
fort and good of hmhand and children, and with such things
God is WE'll plPa secl. But do not forget that all is to be done as
pleasing the Lord. Therefore remember the words of Paul
rPgarding the drPss, the hair, etc., both of yourself and your
rhildren, and Ro order your time that you will have some
of it for partaking of spiritual food and some for ministering
to others.
If you have means and can employ servants and there
by have yom otcn time to spend in the work of the Lord, we
would Ruggest that as a wise use of time and money to God's
glory.

T O W E R

( 2- 1 )

Finally, to all we would >ay :

\\7 c rerommend to your
careful study and imitation example Kn. 5-the wirl.nw
as being a pradical illustration of the traching and act
of Jesus and the apostles, and warn you to lay aide earth!;;
treasure seeking, as calculated to weigh you flown to earth
and result in your losing the prize for whiPh we a re runni n;r
and whirh we believe i s so soon to be rea l i z Pd . C,c carthlv
things-Money, talents, reputation, all, as mcano; to hf![,
you to make your calling and election =;urc, jut R<; a m a n
sPeking earthly wealth uses evPry ability for t h e af'POm
plishment of his ends. Let us lay aside ewry weiht n nd
run with patience the rare set before UR, looking unto .J eo;u<;
Do<>s some one object that so living and not laying up
treasure on earth would lead to want when ieknc comP ? I
an;wcr, It " ould bring you into a po i t i o n \\ here o u r tnbt
in God's promises would have opportunity for exerC'ic. But
living thus closely to God you could Plaim all of the
promises. "No good thing \\ ill He withhol<l from them t h a t
walk uprightly." "For we know that a ll things shall work to
gether for good to them that love God ( and how it by ohc d
ienre to his word ) to the called arcording to his purpo<;e.''
Besides I suggest that sickness is spokPn of i n scripture H <;
being largely the result of sin, and the w o1 k of " h i m that
has the power of death ; that is, the devi l . " The whole world
through sin has come under his control, but when any hP
come disciples of Christ they are tran'lferrcd out oi th<'
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son
These, it would appear, are no longer subject to Satan ex
cept as his power may be permitted of JeRus and ov<>rniled
for our good.
While our Lord may sometimes permit Satan to a ffiirt
his sheep for their dPYPlopmPnt and pt>rfection. F<ometime'l,
aA in Paul's case, p!'rmitting- "a thorn Ill the flph as a me"
senger o f Satan to buffet" them, yet we helien tha t as
a rule if we were uing our po\\'PrR entirely and ron
scientiously in God's sPrvirc we would not hr so subject to
sickness. '"If we would judge onrsPlvcs ( ee that we lhe in
obedience to God's will ) then we ;houM not be i udged of the
Lord, but when judged we are chastPned of the Lord, that we
should not be condemned with the world." ( 1 Cor., x i . : 3 1 -32 ) .
James intimates the same thing when he say s : ".\.re any
sick among you ? . . . . The prayer of faith shall save the
sick, and if he hate com mitted s in s they s h a ll be forgiten."
Jesus implied the >arne thing when, hdorc healing. he usually
said. "Thy sins be forgiven thC'r." H is fm us, however, to
follow the voice of our Shepherd and to trust him while
we follow him.

OUR TEACHER

"What man is he that fpareth the Lord ?

Let H i m tc:w h thee, weary soul ;
Let His hands now make thee whole ;
Let H i s pence thy heart control,Let Him teach thee.

Him !'hall He teach in the way that He sha I I ehooe.'' Ps.

lsa. i. 4.
Let Him probe thy heart within ;
.Tob v. 1 8.
Let Him searrh out C'very sin ;
Col. iii. 1 5.
Let the glorious l ight shine in.-- LPt Him teach thee.

Tnto paths o[ rightPou sUE'RS

LPt Him len.d and let Him blesA ;

Ps. xxiii. 3.
Ps. lxvii. 7.
Ps. cvii. 1 8 .

Let the Shepherd kindly feed ;

Let Him gently, gently lead ;
( He'll not break thE' brui sed rPPd ) ,
Let Him tC'a rh thC'e.

LC't Him guidP thee with His eyE." ;

Ps. JI"XXii. 8.
Phil. iv. 19.
Ps. lxv. 4.

Let Him give thee songs at nig-ht ;

Let Him m ak!' th<> darkneR light ;
Let Him set thy spirit right.LPt Him teach theP.

Let Him avp thC'P from distreRs,Let Him teaC'h theP.

Let His hand thy need supply ;
Let His gooclness satisfyLet Him teach thee.
Let His good word sanctify :
Let the furnal'C' purify ;
Let Him say "Fear not ; 'tis I"
Let Him teach thee.

,Tno. xvi i . 1 7 .
1 Peter i . 7.
Mark vi. 50.

X X \'.

1 2.

P l x v t. 1 0.
P. c x x x i x . 23
2 Cor. h-. 6.

h a . xl. 1 1

ha. x l i i . 3.
,Job

X X XV.

Isa.

vi i i.

r. I i .

1 0.

16

1 0.

f P"'. xxxdi 5.
1 r. :xx - d . 20.

I n tlw tumult let Him hidE';

Let Him kC'('p tlH'<' at His sidP
LPt H i R name be glori fled .LPt Him tPach thC'<>.

Ex

xxxtii 2 1
! x i . 3.

J ..; a .

"CAST NOT AWAY THEREFORE YOUR CONFIDENCE"

To ihP words of Paul, He b. x : 35-38. ( Diaglott ) your at
tention iR IWJuestPCl. The reading of verse 37-"For yet a very
little while indeed, the coming one will come ( be present ) and
will not delay"-indicates that these words of the apostle.
although d pplieable in a certain sense previously, are mainly
HO in the p1escnce of the Son of Man.
And we understand
the wordR here penned by Paul, to haYe been given by the
Rpirit especia lly to us, wlw are living in the days of Chrit's
presen('e-the harvest, or Pnd of this age.
And you will
rpmembPr that much of Paul'R writing i s especially to us who
are living in the close of the Gospel Age--for instance : "In
thl' last days perilous times shall come," &c ; again : "Take

unto yon the whoJ p a J mor o f G orl. that e m a y ht> a b l e t o

stand i n tha t c v 1 l da!t'' "the < l a y o f tl w Lord ; " again : "For
til(' fi rP ( tr i a l ) of t h a t day shall tt y e , , r m a n ' s work of
what sort I t 1". " Thr same i trne o f manv. if nnt a l l thP
wr i t i n g s of t h P Olrl and '1\ "'w TPt.l mPnh : in iad t he grea t
hm rlPn

of t h r p ro plwl:< '

a nd thP

A pn-tiPs

" ri t ings

'<'Pms

to

b e with reference t o the end o f the .Tt> w i s h a nd a l o o f t h e

G oRpPl age, especially the latter.
SincP then, W!' ReP that thee worrl .,; of the S p i r i t . wt'rP
ginn PR p eci a l ly to UR wh o ,ne l i ' ing "tn tht> day o i th.
Son of Man"-"thc rvil day''-we slwuld gi Vt> th t> m t h e mo1 e
earnest heed.
As in every other ra sP in which WP art' m -

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WA T C H

structed concerning the evil day, there is the intimation that

it will be a time of special trial, and admonitions to held
fast, &:c., are giwn as in this 38th verse. During the last
six or seven years, the Lord has been leading us, his people, in
a very remarkable manner. As we look backward we can see
that our pathway has been as "a shining light . . . . shining
more and more." It has been progressive, bringing us strength
with "meat in due season." It has caused us to grow both in
grace and knowledge and this growth, taken in connection
with the fact that we are not obliged to look back and now
call darkness what was then called by some of the brethren,
"a grl'at flood of light," is the very strongest grounds for
confidence that the same Lord who then supplied us light from
the word, is still providing of the same kind. We say then,
"Ca;;t not a way your confidence" in o1tr Leader, "t he great
Shep h erd of thP Rheep."
If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us ; und oubtedly one human idea would contradict
another and that which was light one or two or six years
ago would he regarded as darkness now : But with God there
1s no variableness. neither shadow of turning, and so it is with
truth ; any knowledge or light coming from God must be
like its author. A new view of truth never can contradict
a former truth. "New light" never extinguishes older "Ught,"
but adds to it.
If you were lighting up a building contaimng seven gas j ets you would not extinguish one every
time you lighted another, but would add one light to another
and they would be in harmony and thus give increase of light :
So is it with the light of truth ; the true increase is by adding
to, not by substituting one for another.
Therefore, in mentioning grounds of our confidence that
we are in the shining path under the leading of the Spirit, we
mention first that the tendency of present truth is to produce the proper fruit of the spirit, of which love is the
chief. The tendency of our growth in knowledge is to growth
in grace. "He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself
even as he ( .Jesus ) is pure." Our pathway has been one
of in<'rease of light in harmony with former light. Thus we
have been led to increased confidence in our leader. Let us take
A GLANCE BACXWABD
at the steps of progress, and let all notice that the progress
Is not only forward but upward; i. e., the tendency is from the
natural to the spiritual. We will look, not at any one person's experience, but at what serves to show the advance of
the knowledge of truth for ten years past. Looking back to
1 8 7 1 , we see that many of our company were what are
known as Second Adventists, and the light they held briefly
stated, was that there would be a second advent of Jesusthat he would come to bless and immortalize the saints, to
judge the world and to burn up the world and all the wicked.
This, they claimed would o'!cur in 1 873, because the 6,000
years from the creation of Adam were complete then.
Well, 1 873 came, the end of 6,000 years, and yet no
bu1'1zmg of the world, &c. But prophecies were found which
poi nted positively to 1874 as the time when Jesus was due
to be present, and the resurrection of Daniel was also due as
proved by the ending of jubilee cycles and the 1335 days of
Dan. xii. The autumn of 1 874, anxiously expected, finally
came, but the earth rolled on as ever. "All things continued as
they were from the beginning of creation."
All their hearts
were sad. They said, "Surely we have been in error-but
where ?
Surely it is clearly taught that Jesus will come
again ; perhaps our calculation of time is at fault." Carefully
they examined the chronology but it seemed faultless and
positively declared that the 6,000 years ended in 1 873.
Then the
prophetic arguments were carefully re-examined.
Was an
error found ? No, they stood the test of all investigation
and the jubilee argument and "1 335 days" of Daniel could not
posibly be prolonged beyond the fall of '74 or the spring of
1 875 and these periods were both past.
Dark indeed seemed the outlook ; all were discouraged. It
had seemed as though the Lord had been leading in the
past, and yet now all these things which had been thought
light seemed to be proved darkness.
Just at this time Bro. Keith, ( one of our contributors )
was used of the Lord to throw another beam of Ught on the
subject which brought order out of confusion, and caused all
of the former "light" to shine with tenfold brightness. Brother
K. had been reading carefully Matt. xxiv chapter, using the
"Emphatic Diaglott," a new and very exact word for word
translation of the New Testament ; when he came to the
37th and 39th verses he was much surprised to find that it
read as follows, vir.. : "For as the days of Noah thus will be the
presence of the !'on of man. For as in those days, those before
the deluge th('y were eating and drinking, marrying and
pledging in marriage till the day that Noah entered the

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA,

Ark, and understood not till the Deluge came and swept them
all away ; thus will be the presence of the Son of Man."
His surprise was, at finding that the Greek word parousia
which signifies presence, had in our common version been
improperly rendered coming, but the new rendering showed
that it was not the act of coming that resembled the days of
Noah, but that as in Noah's days the masses of the people
"knew not" so it would be in the time of Jesus' presence at the
second advent. Humanity will go on eating, drinking, mar
rying, etc., as usual and ''know not" that he is present. The
next step was, to see whether the account of the same dis
course as recorded by Luke, would harmonize with this new
idea of a presence unseen, excl'pt by the eye of faith, until the
"little flock" typified by Noah had gone from among men
into the condition of safety ( from the coming storm ) represented by the Ark-"one taken and another left."
Luke's account was in perfect accord with Matthew's,
though in different words-"As it was in the days of Noah
so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man."
( Luke
xvii : 26. )
This was communicated to others of the disappointed ones,
and with the remembrance that the time arguments above
referred to had been found faultless and unalterable and
proved that Jesus was due here in the fall of 1 874, came
the thought-Can it be possible that Jesus does not come in
a fleshly body at his second advent ? Can it be possible that
his presence began at the time indicated in those prophecies,
and yet we went on eating and drinking, etc., and "knew
not" of his presence ?
A careful examination of the Word was begun by all
deeply interested, to see whether it, as a whole, would be in
harmony with this new thought. It was found to be in perfect
harmony and opened up and made clear many scriptures
hitherto dark : For instance the differences between natural,
earthly bodies and spiritual, heavenly bodies ; how that the
things which are seen are temporal, natural, but the things
that are not seen are eternal, spiritual ; that spiritual beings
could not be seen by mortals, (without a miracle ) and that the
object an scope of the Gospel age was, the taking out of
the world of mankind a "little flock" to be associated with
Jesus in the work of the future-destroying evil and bless
ing all the families of the earth ; that God's plan was not, to
destroy all mankind after the gathering of the Gospel church
but to "restore all things" and destroy only the evil which
now rules in the world ; that the fire supposed to be literal,
was really symbolic and signified a great time of trouble
which would be the close of the Gospel age and dawn of the
Millennia! in which all evil principles of governments and
society would be manifested and destroyed, as a necessary prep
aration for the coming blessing.
So says the Prophet : "Wait ye upon me, saith the Lord,
until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my determination
is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms
and pour upon them mine indignation even all my fierce anger
for all the earth, shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy :
For then will I turn to the people a pure language and they
shall all call upon the name ()f the Lord to serve him with
one consent." ( Zeph. iii : 8-9. )
As to the manner of Christ's coming other scriptures were
found to be in perfect accord with the accounts of Matt. and
Luke, of its being an unseen presence : For instance, the
angel's message-Acts i. 11.
"Tms SAME JESUS SHALL SO COME IN LIKE MANNEB
as ye have seen him go into heaven." This had generally been
supposed to teach that Jesus would come in the flesh, and be
seen of men, as he was there seen of the disciples. But when
carefully examined the text does not say that any one will
see him, but that he will so come as he went away not with
"flaming fire" and rolling thunder and great outward demonstration, but silently, 1mknown to the world. And if he "so
comes in like manner," how much in harmony with Matthew's
and Luke's record-they will eat and drink and know not of
his presence.
But the angels' language seemed peculiar-this same Jesus
as though there had been another Jesus :
Examination revealed the fact, that Jesus since his resurrection is a totally
different being from the ,Jesus who died ; that a great
change had taken place. While before his death he had
been the "man Christ Jesus," having the form of a servant and
perfect human powers, etc., and yet none but human powers,
except as the Father's power wts operated and manifested
through him : (John xiv. 10. ) Yet now, since his resurrection
he claims divine powers not as the Father in him, but as his
own, saying-"All power in heaven and in earth is given unto
me" and he is no longer a natural, but a spiritual body. It
was sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body-sown mor-

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WA T C H

T O WER

(4)

that the time of harvest had come for this GopPI aw, t h a t
it was due to begin i n 1 874, just the placp thP prophet- a n d
the law had already shown .Jesus as dup to h P prPPnt A n rl
not tell whence he came nor whither he went ; thus personally
when it was remembered that this agP 1;, higher than t h<
illustrating his own teachings to Nicodemus : "That which
fleshly .Jewish age, it seemed perfectly proper that the ha1 is born of the Spirit is Spi1-it. [Jesus was the first born from
Yesting in the end of this age, should be an un'ieen work. Anrl
the dPad to the spiritual plane-"by the Spirit. " ] "The wind
so we are taught that it is an invisible work, hy ind <;ihle,
bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof
beeause Apiritual beings-Jesus, the chief reaper ( RP\'. xn.
but can'st not tell whence it cometh nor whither it goeth ;
14-15. ) and angels, the under-reapers ( Matt. xiii. 3!l . l f!H i Pt l y ,
so in every- one that is born of the Spirit." ( Jno. iii. 8 ) .
and invisible, separating wheat from tare;,, et('.
It was clear too that while desiring the disciples to realize
As then the sickle was the truth that .Je.,us, the Son of God
that he was risen, Jesus wished them also to realize the
was present, so now the same t1uth seems to he U"ed a'i a
change that had taken place and that he was no longer bound
separator-the presen<'e of .Jesus, the Bridegroom. Reaper awl
by human conditions , etc., therefore, he appeared to them
King. As then only the few who "had ears to h Pa 1" rPcogni7erl
under supernatural circumstances and in various forms, or
the truth, so now, only the wheat are expe<'tecl to k now, "the
bodies, none of which bodies were his spiritual person, but mere
wise ( with heavenly wisdom ) shall unrlerRtand." "Ye brethren
ly a garb by which he made himself known to their human
are not in darkness, that that day ( the day of the Lord'
senses.
presence ) should overtake you as a thief."
So one point
When it was understood that "this same Jesus" was a
after another added harmonious light and evidence that we
piritual body, unseen except by the performance of a miracle,
were not following cunningly devh;; ed fables, hut walking in
the saying of the angels was perfectly clear. Then, one after
the light and we rejoiced.
another, various scriptures gradually took their places and
Coming to the spring of 1 878, the time parallel to the giv
all began to see how "the kingdom of God cometh not with
ing up of the Jewish church and ending of the GospI <'hurch
obsPrvation [margin, outward show] neither l!lhall men say, Lo
by the Spirit, we naturally and not unrea<'onably xpePted
hPrP, or Lo there, for thP k ingdom of God will be among them"
some change of our condition, and all were more or Ie" dis
( an invisible power. )
( Luke xvii : 20. )
appointed when nothing supernatural occurrl'd. But our diR
When it was discovered that "as the lightning which shineth
appointment was brief, for we noti<'ed that the Jewtsh ehur<'h
. . . . so shall thP Son of Man be in his day" meant, not
( and not the Gospel church ) was the pattern of ours. and
that hP would he like the shining but "as the lightning" ( the
therefore we should not expect paralll'ls to Pente<'ost or to
invisible electric fluid ) which produces the shining, it was
anything which happened in the beginning of thig rhurf'l1.
m amfPst why the warning was given : "If any man say unto
\Ve looked again at the .Jewish church aR thl' pattern an(!
you, Lo. herP is Christ, or Lo there ! believe it not." Go
saw that though .Jesus gave them up a a fleshly hou"e a t
not aftPr them nor follow them, for I will not be visible to
the close of h i s three a n d a half years mmitry. yPt hi' <'011the natural eyP, but as the lightning is discernable only by its
tinued special favor to them afterward saying to the disciplP"
shining and power, so will I be in my day recognizable to
after resurrection, "that repentance and remis,ion of sin
my waiting bride by the light of truth, and afterward to the
should be preached in his name among all nations,
world, in the lig h t of events and "the flaming fire" of the day
beginning at Jerusalem." ( Luke xxiv. : 47. ) Act<;; x. l ."i -a-t and
of trouble.
45, showed that the gospel was not preached to any gentill'
Many other little points were noticed, too numerous to re
for some time after Pentecost. Cornelius being the firl't
late, all in full accord with this ; such as, that the literal
convert. Why was this favor shown to the .Jews after thP
rl'nrlering of verses 46 and 50 of Matt. xxiv teach that when
G ospel age began ? we inquired. We found tlw answer whPn
the Lord h<s rome Rome of his servants will be giving t(} the
we referred to the prophecy of Daniel. ( ix., 24, ) viz : That
honPhold of faith "meet in due season" [which of course
seventy weeks of time ( seven years to each week ) was set
would b!.' th e dedaring of his presence] while other servants
apart by God as time during which his Rpecwl fa 1 o r would
would say, "My Lord delayeth his coming" [has not come I
be extended to fleshly Israel as a people, during which. at t lw
and Rmit!.' th!.'ir fellow servanti1 who present the "meat in
end of sixty-nine week;, ( 7 &62 Vs. 25, ) Messiah should comt>.
rlul' S('aqon "
( Fulfilled when .Jesus waR baptised in .Jordan. and rl'<'riHd
l\Iea n t i m l' the grandest "time argument" we have, viz :
the anointing of the Spirit whirh ronstituted him, "the Lord'
ThP two dipenRatwn parallels began to take its place
anointed,"-"the Christ." )
supported by both the law and the prophetR, it showed the
Then the seventieth week of tltl' rovenant still rem a i n Pd
.T!.'wish age to he the I'Xact pattern or picture on the fleshly
-seven years of God's favor, during whieh God sa id he wou l d
plan> of the Gospel Age on the higher, spiritual plane, and
make an end of sins, anoint the most holy, etc., ( VP. . 2 4 1 .
that the two ages were to he of the 8ame length. The
And during the seventieth week "Messiah shall he <'Ut off
parallt:: ls in tlw close of the two ages were seen to be especially
( di e ) but not for himself," thuR eausing all typical "acrific>q
beautiful a ml striking. the closing work of their age being
and oblations to cease" in the m 1dst of the set:en ftet h 1 1 cd .
<alled a "harvPst" lasted forty yPars from A. D. 30 to A. D. 70,
We saw clearly, therefore, that the gospel was prearhed among
from the beginning of Jesus' ministry to the destruction of
them as a people, as a part of the favor of tho"e seventv
their city and nation. We saw that the work of that harve;t,
'
reaping, separAting of wheat and chaff, the gathering of the weeks of years, and we therefore believe that Cornelius wa s
converted
three
and
a
half
years
aftl'r
the
eross.
and
that
wheat into the Gospel garner and burning the chaff of that age,
while Jesus left them desolate as a nation and dl'clared t ha t
while doni' on the natural plane, was not apprehended by any
"the kingdom w'as taken from them," yet t h e peoplP o f t ha t
but the wheat : As a people "they knew not the time of their
Jewish church were shown favor individually, by ha,ing t h P
visi t a tion"-"it was hid from their eyes" because they "sought
invitation t o the gospel, spiritual kingdom offl'l'ed t o thPtn.
it not by faith." We saw too, that Jesus taught that there
We then looked for the parallel to this in the Go,pel ag-<'
would be sn('h a harvest in the end of this age. Matt. xiii. 39.
and found th: t the nomin a l go" pt>l elmr<'h, t.he na ra l l el of t lw
"So shall it be in the end of this world ( age ) ." The character
.Jewish church, was "east off" or "l<>ft d<>.,olatl'." "spewPd ou t "
of the work to be done in this harvest, viz : separating wheat
at the parallel point o f time, 1 878, but was dut' t o ha \ P fa,oJ
from tares, before the wheat should "shine forth as the sun
as individua ls for three and a half yPars,
or until thP a u t u m n
in the kingdom of their Father" or the tares go into the fire
'
of 1 88 1 , during which they wer<> to separate thPm-.phes from
of trouble, when coupled with the fact that the wheat, when
the "Babylon" church. As Peter callrd tho.-p out of t h e g i \ \n
gathered, would he taken from the ordinary duties of life-
up .Jewish church, saying, "Save yourselvPs from this pprn1 , , .
the field, bed and mill, showed clearly that the harvest work
generation," ( Acts i., 40, ) RO, now the wheat of thr Go:<pt>l
wu! d be one, invisible to the natural eye, for the separating
Plmrch is addressed by the Spirit-"Come out of hPr. my pt'l>
sprntually must take place before the wheat is gathered.
pie, that ye be not partakers of her sins and !'P('P!Ve not of
The next point was to notice that in the separating, or harvest
her plagues"- ( the seven last, ) Rev. 18.
ing of the .Jewish age
.Just at this time we met with a sad and very :<Htre tria l .
TRUTH WAS THE SIOKLE
A brother of influence and ability among u. dt>pa rtt>d from
and Jesus in the flesh, the chief reaper or Lord of the han-ett,
the very foundation of all faith, claiming that hP did not nee11
the ApostlPs and "the seventy" under-reapers. The meRsage
any one to pay the penalty for his sins. a" he a n d a l l others
of each of them and of .Jesus himself was the sickle which did
did that for themselves when they died-in a wor d . tha t thl'
the dividing work, viz : that .Jesus was "tht> Christ, the Son of
act of dymg was the payment o f 8111, and that ha ving- dlt'd
the living God," and that, as repreRPnted in him "the k ingdom
they all forthwith had a rig h t to lifl'. a n 1l in consl' q U(>Il l't' n f
of God was come nigh unto ( them ) -repent and believe the
that 1-ight a l l would be l'I'Urreeted.
[ Tiw a ro-nm>nt wa"
good news."
specious and led astray many who had not rccgmn'd t h a t
Thus "He cam<> to his own, but his own received him not,"
the ra<'e was deprived of li fE' hE><'aU><I' all \\'E'rl' sinnrrs. a n ti
excepting the few. The parallels of these two ages showed
that all must continue dead forevPr unl<>ss a ransom fo1 s1n

tal raised immortal and exerCismg powers peculiar to his

new conditions, he would appear and disappear and they could

[ 18 9 ]

Z I O N 'S

( 4 -S)

WA T C H

h .Hi bP<'Il f!' I V <'ll . a nd that "Christ died fot our sms according
to tht> St:n p t m P." and that his r ight to restore to l i fe by a
rt'UI I t>C't 1 <'11 wa by virtue of hanng paid the price--or
J H' H a l t y " m Ju o w n body on the tree," when as Daniel had
o;,t t d " m thP nud.-t of tlw week" hr made a n "end of sin"-" m a d > 1 t'c o n l ' i h a t i on for iniquity . " ]
B u t t lus was onl,\ the beginn i ng of our tnals from this
"Ill <'<' II.t v i ng dPmed that the Lord bought them- ( 2 Peter.
1 1 , 1 . ) -h c speed i ly w<>nt into further error, denying one
a itPr a no t h Pr of th<> aboYe mentionPd points of evidence until
ti n a l ly he ha s dPmPd that Christ is present and seems to have
gone completely out of the l ight which w e as a peopl e hol d .
T h i s we saY wa a <'vere and unlooked for trial and troubled
us m u ch, 1in t i l WP noticed that it wafl the exact fulfillment of
onP of our L O I < l ' pa rable!', where ll<' tells how, when the
K m g came in J lht prior to the marriage, he found among
t ho<> who were e.xpecting to ])(' unitP<l to him "a man not
h a vmg on a wedding garment," a person trusting in his own
I l ghteouIH's. hel i eving that he did not need to have his sins
jo l''l l l I'll . t h a t he could dte fo r htmself and pay for his own
" i n . I n t h e parable this one was "cast into outer darkness"
-the cond i ti o n of ignorance in whirh the whole world is, con<"ernmg 'The day of the Lord" and the fact which we see, so
l']pa rly. t h a t we are now "In the d ays of the Son of Man."
\\ i t h t 1 1 1 parahle ful fi l l <>d in harmony with all the others and
w 1 t h onr poition i n general, wh i l e b itterly lamenting our
l n o t h r r ' conrfle, we were strengthened by the harmony of the
t J uth.
ThP rcRt! lt t o om little company was a sifting and shaking
\\ h i Ph shm\'Pd u anotlwr !wripture.
Paul had said t o us
'"Td k f' unto you the whole

ARMOR OF GOD
t h a t ye m a y l w a l,f1 to 1/'ithstand IN T H E EVIL DAY"-the day
of th<> Lon! . Eph. v 1 . 1 3 . Rome wen> unable to stand the se
vpnty of t ll i tr i a l and l ik e the above mentioned brother,
ha , " drotcn lm r'k from the light.
Thr tht thrPP and :t lut l f year from 7 4 to 78 seem as
\\ P l oo k hack a t them, to h a ,e heen devoted almost entirely
to ll "<'l'l t a i n i n g and prodng the fact of ChriRt's presence and
thr h a rvPt work of Rcparating as now going on. The latter
ha I f of t h i s harwt ha; howevPr, bern spent very differently ;
vpry l i ttlr t i m l' i pent i n pro ring the presence and very much
t J mP i pPnt 1 11 11 pplying that truth , in urging holiness
o f hPart and pnrity of life a n d conecration t o his w i l l and
wn1 k, of a l l who would "be like him a n d see him as he is."
TIH' l i ght upon our pathway still shines and i s more and
morp rlorion : True the time arguments etc., proving Christ's
prPrn<'<' ,,pre very CRentia I and en joyable, and we got all that
wa nf'N! fu l to 11 of that kind of light, enough to satisfy all of
t h P ('OI rP<tnr"" of our poition. RinPe 1 878 the light has been
of a <. t i l l more gloriou spiritual and elevating character pointl ng o11t PIParly the foot prints of him in whose steps we are
to fol l ow. Let ns rPfrPh your memory on some of these points
"t ho11gh ye know thPm and he CRtahli shed in the present
,
truth .
For in<>tance,

"THE WEDDING GARMENT"

, , 1 h w< t l 1 rnught 1 1 to the consideration of our standing as
new ,.1 P a t u re'- 1 11 (' ] 1 1 i t a n d a l l Raw more fully than ever before. how "h<' ,, hn k u ew no sin," took our place and suffered
r!eat h as t h o ug h hP h n <l heen the Rinner, while we though
n d u a l ly i mw r and i m prrfet't a re on tha t account accepted
q s per fect ; how h < ' bore o u r Rins, and w e bear a n d wear h i s
nghtPoii ,IW'- a o u r wc<lding gannPnt. Our sin'! imputed to
11 1 m . h i rightPOliIIP<;s imputed to ll'<.
ThP <on <. i dcration of the sam.e gene ral topi<" :
What is the
ra n om p r i ('P led 11 to Pxamine tlw law which Paul says is
\\le C '-a m i n P<I a to how the blood of bulls and of
a ,J1 1ul<J IJ)
goa t took away sin typi,a l ly, to IParn how the guilt of the
world 1, rPmmr<l rea l ly. Th i s proved indeed a mine of wealth
1 11 \\ h i < - h mwh d i ggmg may be don<'.
[ Tract No. 7 will be
d PvotPd t 0 t h i nbJc<'t] . ThP type of the day of atonement
<r ma k i n i( at onp w i th God by sacrifices for sins, Lev. xvi.,
wa q,111p <.f tlw wPetrflt food we had tasted a nd seemed to be
" m ('a t 1 11 <In c <,Pa0n," for it f'howed us more clearly the intim a t e rclation..,hip hetwP<>n u s and our head, not only in the
glory to fo l l ow, hut in the suffering s of the present age, "the
d a v of a t onement."

we <,aw that all who ever become memherf! of the divine

family on thP p i r i tual plane mut lose the fleshly being and
nature fir..,t ; that a<, the hul ] <,.k wa a type of .Jesus' earthly
human nature l a i d down a " " ransom, o the two goats repre"ented the church wh J I'h "fi l l 'l up the meaRure of the affiictions of Christ whi ch arf' hehind " We flaw that the overoomcr., "the little flock" of t },, (Ililt Ph, wprr typifiPd by thP Lord's
goat which in every particular fol l owed in the footstrps of the

TO WER

PITTSBURGH , PA.

bul lock as we are to walk in the footsteps of Chris't, our ex

ll m ple. And we saw how the second company, alas, the "great
company" of Christians, fa t l to thus crucify and offer them
selves, and must be "sent away" ( as was the scapegoat ) into
great tribulation "for the destruction of the flesh that the
spirit may b e saved." This l e d t o searching inquiry : A m I a
Fharer in Christ's suffermgs, being made conformable unto
his death ? Am I a living sacrifice ?-resulting, we hope, in "a
closer walk with God" on the part of some.
Next came the subject of

"RESTITUTION FOR WHOM'? "

1 11 th'IS we saw the h ope 0 f bel'levers 0 f th'Is age t0 b e
that of becoming new creatures, of the dirine, instead of the
human nature, to which new spiritual conditions we are now
begotten and hope soon to be born, and for which we pray.
"Finish, then, thy new creation."
Th i s we hope soon to realize, by being made l ike unto
Christ's glorious body. We flaw these hopes of the Phurch
strongly contrasted with the hopes of the world, as held out
in the scripture, when we saw for the first time, that
restitution was all that God had promised the world in general-restitution of all that sin had destroyed through Adam's
disobedience, so that they would again be perfect men whoRe
safeguard from future di sobedience and A in would he their
knowledge of, and experience with it, in the pre;;ent h fP.
We saw that the basis of all restitution waR the paymrnt.
of the debt of sin, and that to this end "Je,;u;; Christ hy
the grace o f God tasted death for evet'1J rnan." 'Ve next i n qui red if his death brought restitution to us, and found t h a t
it does, not actually restoring us to the condition of perfe<-1
men, but by God's reckoning all believers petfeot ( though
none are so actually ) .
We saw that we ( who believe i n
the ransom ) are so reckoned in order that we might han
something to offer on God's altar, RO that ''the nghteons!IP%
of the law is fulfilled in us." If we had not been thus justified and reckoned righteous we could not present om AelveR as
"living sacrifices" for sinful creatures would no t he <I!'C'P)ltahle
sacrifices. But we are JUstified ones, redPPmcd from a l l 1 11
perfect attd restored in God's sight, through Christ "by wh om
we h.1/Pe received the AT ONEMFNT." ( Rom. v : l l . )
"In w h o m
we have redemption through his blood, the forgivPne;-; o f
sins, according to the riches of his grace." ( Eph . i . 7 . )
And now our mission as new oreattwes, dit:ine, i to y i el d
up our human life, body and talents to God, "doing good
unto all men as we have opportunity, especially to the houRe
hold of faith." Next

"THE NARROW WAY TO LIFE"

opened up before us and we saw that the life here referred to,
iR immortal life--or the perfection of life ; and this brought
to our attention the fact that God has many different orders
of beings, all of whom, when in harmony w i th him are ]Jerfeet, though each is perfect on his own p lanp of being, as for
instance, perfect angels are one order and pPrfert men ( when
restored to perfection ) are another ord er. These orders, one
on the human plane and the other on the spiritual , would
each be supplied with life forever from the great fountainGod-and thus supplied enjoy e Pet-lasting l i fP.
But this
showed u s that the great prize for whirh we are running, is
not merely continued existence, but if we are o rr1-comns the
promise is immorta l life ( or l i fe in oun;elves ) a quality or
perfection of life, said to be possessed only by Father a n d
Son a n d promised only t o "thP l i ttle flock" who w a l k the
narrow way"The way our Leader trod."
"And few there he that find it." Afl sPript11re bega n to narrow
d.own to the overcomers, as thosp upon whom thP prize for
which we are running should be bestowrd it had the effect
on many of stirring np to greater a<"tivity that "no man take
our orown"-a feeling akin to that of Paul when he said : "If
by any means I might attain 11nto THI resnrrrotion," ( the first
resurr.ection which includes JesuR our head and a l l the mem hers of his body who "live and reign with h i m a thousand
years"--only over-comers are to reign ) . Therefore we seek to
walk separate from the world.
Fresh light was shed upon the subject of

BAPTISM
a nd we found the watery grave to be a very beautiful type. or
i l lustration of our dymg to the fleshly or human nature,
yct that it is not the rea lity ; and. though we shal l Rti l l use
the water symbol as we think the Lord desires, and with
sti l l deeper pleaRure sinPe we see its perfect meaning, yet
we now see and apprePiate the baptism referred to by Pan!
a s the esspntial one ; in which a man being plan ted would
surely be in Christ's likenesR in THY- ( firs t ) resttrreotwn-"F01
if we have been planted together in the likeneRs of his death

[ 190]

FBRUARY, 1881

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

w e shall b e also in the likeness o f his resurrection." ( Rom.

vi : 5 . )
This taken in connection with the other statements
of the same apostle-that we are to be made comfortable
unto his death if we would be in his likeness i n the ( first )
re-surrection-must be dead with him if we would live with
him-must suffer with him if we would reign with him-shows
us plainly that Paul referred to the same baptism into
death of which Jesus spoke, when He said to His disciples who
asked to s.it in His throne of glory :
"Are ye indeed able
( wi lling-the ability comes of God ) to drink of the cup that
I shall drink of and to be baptized with the ba p tism that I
am baptized with ?"-death. Thi s is our incentive to "both
labor and suffer reproach ; " that we may honor him and bless
oth!'rs, and receive the crown of life and glory.
And now we come nearer to the time when
OUB CHANGE SEEKS DUE
( We know not the day or hour, but eYpect it during 1 88 1 ,
possibly near the autumn where the parallels show the favor
to Zion complete and due to end, the door to the marriage
to shut and the high calling to be the bride of Christ, to
ceae. ) and light on that subject is becoming clearer ; we
see that as the voices and trumpets of 1 Thes. iv. 16, are
symbolir, so also, the clouds are symbolic of the trouble gath
<'ring-, in or during which, we shall be caught away to meet the
Lord in the air, which we find is another symbol and used to
represent the spiritual-supernatural-control of earth's affairs
now possessed by Satan the prince of the powers of the air
who i s soon to be bound and give place to Jesus and his
bride-the n ew powers of the air- ( spiritual powers ) .
And further we have learned that the change and marriage,
while intimately associated, are not the same, that we shall
be changed to be on the same spiritual plane as our Lord
"he like him"-like unto Christ's glorious body-the perfection
of our new nature before being joined or united with him i n
the glory o f pou:er o r office.
We have noted how this was typified by Rebecca's meeting
Isaac, which we believe to be a type of the church meeting
her Lord. When the servant had made known to Rebecca
the p1esence of I saac, she put on a vail and went to him and
he took her and she became his wife. So we ue under the
lead of the Spirit, which as God's servant is bringing the
bride to the Bridegroom. Our Lord is present and the spirit
iq n ow ( through the word ) making known this fact, and when
all who constitute members of that little flock have come to
realizE' hiR preqenPe, they all will as RebePca did, paRs beyond
the vail and be with him and be united to him. Otl1er fea
tureq a ppPar!'d relative to our condition
AFTER CHANGE BEFORE GLORY
and the work we hall do, aft!'r our change, under the vail
of the flPsh. for tlw "great <'Ompany"-instructing them,
separating th!'m from the world, etc., under a series of judg
ments reprpented by the first three plagues upon the Egyptians
and Israelites.
The first three plagues were vi sited upon tlH' typiea l peo
ple by the hand of Aaron, who was a type of th tra nql a ted
church. AA Aaron was the mouthpiece of Moses, so we expect

TO WER

(5)

that, when changed, we shall, under the vail, be the mouth

piece of the kingdom of God for a time. This same general
truth we found illustrated in the building of the t emp l e
the temple built representing the church in its changed or eom
pleted condition-yet unglorified until the Levite<; and P r i <,tR
had come into full harmony in God's praise.
And now, dearly beloved, as you look back and see how the
light of truth has shone upon our path-way more and more,
and especially as we see its richness in spiritual teaching, dur
ing the last two years have we not reason to do as one of
old-"thank God and take courage" ? Do not brother Paul's
words "Ca,; not away your confidence," come to us with great
force T In view of God's past leading and blessing, have we
any reason to cast away our confidence in his presence ? Do
not these precious truths so freely given to us, themqelves
evidence his presence, when we rememrer that he said, con
cerning this time : "Behold, I stand at the door and knock ;
if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come i n
a n d sup with h i m and h e with me." "Blessed a r e those senantR
whom the Lord when h e cometh ( has come ) hall find watch
ing ; verily, I say unto you, that he shall gird himself and
make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and
serve them."
( Rev. iii., 20. Luke xii., 37 . )
What wonder i f we have meat to eat that the world know
eth not of ? The Master is come and himself is serving uq
with the meat in due season. But let us look more closelv at
the words of Paul. He says our confidence has

A GREAT REWARD
We have seen that it will have. Next he adds : "For you
have need of patience so that having done the will of God,
you may receive the promise ( things promisd ) ; for yet a very
little while indeed, the coming one will come ( be present )
and will not delay."
This has now been accomplished ; he has come and no
longer delays. What now must we expect ? That we soon
shall walk by sight of the natural eye and not by faith,
as all through the Gospel age since Pentecost ? Is this what
we may expect ? 0 no ! Though the way is very clear and
the light strong, yet we must still "walk by faith and not
by sight." So says the next verse, ( 38 ) . "But my jmt one
by faith shall live, and if he should shrink back my soul doe
not delight in him." The just one referred to, is first of all,
.Jesus, and secondly all those who constitute members of the
body of Christ. The conditions o f all are the same ; none o f
them are children o f God o n the human plane, but o n the
divine, and when the evidences of the word are presen te<l.
they are expected to walk by faith, if they would be acceptahl,
with the Lord. "If any man draw back [to walk by sight l . my
<oul shall have no pleasure in him."
There must be something at this time to which the apo5tle
rPfers calculated to make some draw back from the a fore
nwntioned light.
Brethren, "cast not away your confidence
which hath great recompense of reward." \Ve surely ha\ e
every reason for greater confidence than ever in the correct
ness of our position as we call to mind our leading in the
past, "\Ve are not of them that draw back."

A SORE HEEL VERSUS A SORE HEAD

"I

w il l put enmity between thee and the woman, and between th v

PPd and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head and th o u sh.dt
bruise his heel." Gen. i i i : 15.

This prophecy was made at a time when all seemed to

be lost, at the door of l i fe, at the door of dPath. W i th a l i fe
of pure unsullied enjoyment in prospect, the new pair had
taken possession of the new earth. They had a richer dowry
than had ever fallen to the lot of morally intelligent beings.
( The pow<'r of transmission, and this power in the lower order
of animals was for man's bfinefit. )
They were not the first
children of their father, i. e., not the first created, but the first
of their class.
In their c om pl ex structure the animal and the intellectual
were wonderfully united, and they were made capable of re
ceiving ( through faith ) a divine nature, ( l Peter, i : 4, ) which
from an embryo condition ( 1 Peter, i . : 3-5, ) shall finally ( in
the resurrection ) come forth a spiritual, immortal body, ( 1
Cor. xv. : 44, ) the gift of God through Jesus Christ.
Some
have taught and do teach that man had and still has a
spiritual nature ; but Paul, speaking of the first and second
Adam, ( 1 Cor., xv. : 45-45, ) says "The first man Adam was
made a living soul" [ literally animal soul or living being, l ;
the last Adam was m a ch a quickening spirit." Howbeit that
waR not first whieh i spiritual, but that which i na tum l, and
afterward that which is spiritual.
There are sPveral seriptures, wh i <"h , taken a lonr, would

!'leE'm to some to indicate a combination of the natural and

spiritual, such as 2 Cor., iv. : 16. "Thoug-h our outward man
perish, yet t h e inward man is renewed day by day." That the
inward man here is the renewed mind, we learn from Rom ,
vii. 22 -23 :
"For I delight in the law of God a fter the
imcard man, but I see another law in my m e m bers, warring
against the law of my mind and bringlllg me mto ea p t t v t ty
to the law of sin which is in my members- ( th e na t u m / m a n ,
tho soro heel ) ."
Again, that the inward man is the rPnewed mind, or the
begottPn life, we infer from Col. iu. 1 0 , where Paul says
that thPy "have put on the new man which i s l'fll Ciccd in
knowledge a fter the image of him that created him "
_-\nd
this harmonizes with what John said to those who came to h i m
P ,fntt. iii. 2 . ) suying : "Repent ye [ change or h.tve a n o t hPr
mind] for the kingdom of hPavcn i at hand." The royal
h e i r was then prese11 t though ttn knotcn .
We wish to hring before the m i nd of thosp who read tltis,
the thought that through tlH' i n fi n i t P wisdo m a n d l o t' <' of t h e
Pver blessPd God, only the a n i m a l n a t u re of m a n ( .ca l led t h e
heel ) will be overcome and fall into t h e h a n d - o f t h e Plll'llll
for a time/ that the superior p a rt, the h fe . t l w seed, ( hid
with Christ in God ) shall psea pe. a nd "' <'n f,ll a sore h a l

[191 ]

Z I O N 'S

(6)

WA T C H

tht>re 18 an excellent preparation.

Doubtless the splendid
dL'wry of this wonderful pair excited the cupidity of the enemy,
and he thought, that if this marvel of creation, with the
power of transmitting its life and qualities, could be smug
glt'd into h i s kingdom, a powerful ally would be gained.
That Satan knew that man would d i e, is, to our mind ex
tremt>ly doubtful ; he had God's word for it, the same as
they had. but d 1 sbelieved God's word, just as all Satan's chil
<lren do
He had never seen one die and dibelieved in death
a ltogether and accordingly said : "Ye shall not surely die,
for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, your
eyes sha l l be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and
<'VII." Though the latter was tJ Ue ( Gen. iii. 22, ) yet they all
oon k n ew that the former was false. And yet the enemy
still constJ a ins people to believe a nd t('ach that they are im
mor t a l . and that he will get th(' most of them and hold
tlLHlllnwn of the most cruel sort over them eternally. But
"thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our
Lor d Jesus Christ ! " Satan was foiled and man was to die.
\\"h at 1
Thank God that man was to die ? Yes, "the min
t1 ation of tl('ath written and engraven in stones was glor
wus." 2 Cor. i i i . 7 .
T h e c-ondemnation was glorious because through its execu
t w n infinite wisdom and love were seen providing a penalty,
from whi eh eternal life could be extracted ; that out from
the dying race the one should come, who would destroy the
deccn er. Then and there the mandate went forth, and in1- t ea d of man becom ing an imnwrtal ally of the deceivers,
the truth of the words "du"t thou art and unto dust shalt
thou r('turn," and "I will put enmtty between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed," took immediate
clfect, and the first death soon after, showed that the enemy
o n ly had hold of t h e heel--the natural man.
A warfare of six thousand years has not lessened the en
m ity, but yet the malice and art of the enemy have not been
a ole to rt>ach higher than the heel of "the seed." Thank God !
\Yhat he evidently expected to gai n ( and what orthodoxy
teaches that he did gain, viz : an immortal race, ) dissolved in
h i s grasp.
"Li ft your glad voices in triumph on high ;
The plan was complete and man was to die."
But-"Through death he shall escape from death,
And life eternal gain."
Let us notice here a mark('d d ifference in humanity ; a
'
rla::. with a sore head an d a clas with a sore heel ( We speak
soberly ) . \Ye say a marked difference in humanity j the latter
r I a-,-. are not reckoned in the flesh, because they have crucified
t h e tlt-..,h, and the renewPd mind, inner man, wars with it, and
'-:t.Y" with Paul, ( Col ., ii. : 20 ) "I [the natural man] am cruci1itd '' ith Christ, neverth f'h"s I [ the inner man] l ive, yet not I
hut Clll i t [ the divine n n t11 1 e l liveth in me," ( in the renewP-d
mwd)

We understand the sore or bruised heel to represent the

p h ysica l rondition of C h r i st and his <'hurch, both as i ndividuals,
a n d a eollective body. He humbled himself unto death, even
t h<' d r ath of the cross, that he mi gh t open a new and living
way whereby these captive C"oul d be set at liberty. And those
who h u H made, and will make a covenant with him by sacrifire. i. e. who are will inr to ulfer with him, and "fill up that
which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in their flesh
( hee1 ) for his body's sake, which is the churC'h," shall also
be glorified together with him and have the e),.alted privilege
of helping to lift up a fallen world in the "ages to come," and
thus how t1JP "exceeding riches of his grare in h i s kindnes
toward u."
The sore or bruised head we understand to represent the
"llp('rior or thinking part, the mind, and by metonymy, thl'
whole being.
Satan i'l the corruptor of the human race,
and those whom he eorrupts are called his children ( John,
viii. : 44, ) and are inJured in the head, ( Ver. 43 ) . "Why do ye
not understond my speech ? Even because ye cannot hear my
word." Thec are the ones spoken of ( Ver. lli ) as "thy seed"
and who are to be at enmity with the se('d of the woman,
( Christ and those who are his, who are said ( I Peter, i. : 23, )
to be "born ( begotten ) not of corntptible seed but of incorruptible, by the worrl of God, whiC'h liveth and abideth
for ever."
This bruise upon the head is corrupt and smells of mortality, and such a henri ( mmd ) i lia ble to in "against the
holy ghost, ( reject light wh!'n thrv see it 9 1 and is in "danger
of eternal damnation" ( ageJa.,ting eond<'m nation ) whether
he lives in "this wor!rl or tlJt world ( age ) to rome." ( Mark
iii. : 29 ) . But this in.] nry to "the sPed of the woman" is not
corrupt above the heel ( the phy.,ieal nature ) and it, (head
and body ) when compl<'te, will have put off mortality and will

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have life in itself; for ( Rom. ii. : 7 , ) to them "who by patient

continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and im
mortality, eternal life" shall be given. But this injury to
the heel is an affliction to the renewed mind, and such, like
Paul, "find a law in their members warring against the law of
their mind, and bringing them into captivity to the law of
sin which is in their members," and cry out with him, ( Rom.
vii. :-24-25. ) "Who shall deliver me from this body of death'"
Answer-"Jesus Christ our Lord," thank God. So then, with
the mind, I myself serve the law of God ; but with the flesh
[sore heel] the law of sin."
( Chap. viii. : l . )
"There is,
therefore, now, no condemnation to them which are i n Christ
Jesus ; " ( "renewed in the spirit of their mind, " ( E,ph. iv. : 23, )
who walk not after ( down toward ) the flesh, but after ( accord
ing to ) the spirit."
Great as the annoyance and distress is to have a sore
heel, it is infinitely better than to have a sore head j and the
thought that we are so soon to be made perfect should inspire
us with patience to bear with fortitude the pain and vexa
"For we which
tion attending it, ( 2 Cor. iv. 1 1 , 1 6, 1 7 , 18. )
live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the
life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh
. . . . for which cause we faint not ; but though our out
ward man perish, ( individual and collective physwa l ) yet the
inward ma n ( mind-Eph. iv. : 23, ) is renewed day by day. For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh out for
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while
we look not at the things which are seen, for the things which
are seen are temporal; but the things which are no t seen are
eternal."
We would here recommend the remedy to which we have
already referred, which is excellent ; we have never known
it to fail to relieve a limping disciple ; it is referred to in
Eph. vi. : 1 5 ; and is called "the preparation of the gospel of
peace." We have tried it and can "speak that we do know
and testify that we have seen." We can remember the time
when our heel was so sensitive that certain stghts and sounds
eensibly affected it ; we have known instaiH'es where the
sight of money caused some to limp badly ; we call to mind
one notable ease where the sight or mention of "thirty pieces
of silver" caused one to stumble and fall "headlong." This is
one of the worst eases of bruised heel we ever knew, and should
think it was the head ( for as we said that involves the
whole being ) if it were not for the statement made in Matt.
i . : 8 ; from this we infer that it was a desperate case of sore
heel. Another one, a.t sight of danger, falsified and swore, and
<tfterward at the sound of cock-crowi ng "wept bitterly."
We have seen some stumble at sight of show-bills and at
sound of musi c ; and we have known some to stumble at sight
of others stumbling ; this is not unfrequently the case. We
have known some to stumble and fall at the sight and smell of
whisky ; and strange as it may seem, we have known many
who limped so badly that they would stumble over a cigar
or a small bit of tobacco ; and we have known cases quite
numerous where even a feather or a little shining object like
a pearl or a diamond were hard to step over.
But this preparation if faithfully used will rure all this
and enable one to walk firmly and upright, though there
may be a sli"ght twi"nge 1 11 the 1,=1
occa
But the

. s 1 (>nally
bruise upon the head is terrible, much worse than that upon
the heel, though some of its manifestations are similar, for
instance:
We have been credibly informed of cases which
were excited to the highest pitch at the sound of the word
office, who were totally deaf to the words "Christ crucified,"
and very many who could distinctly hear the little word
self at any time, but if you were to add the word denia l to it
they could not distinguish the sound.
One of the terrible phases of bruised head, is, that those
thus afflicted will believe that nothing ails them, and conse
quently wi11 have nothing done for them, while the sore
heel class know full well what the trouble is and continually
try to get better, and look forward hopef11lly to the time when
tlley shall be well.
Light and heat, are the first requisites for a sore head,
but it is very difficult to get such to come to the light. John
iii. 19-20. There are many dark places now into which they
ran get away from the light, but the light-bearer is at hand,
and though they shall call for the rocks and mountains to
eover them that they may remain in the dark, yet the light
will shine ( Isaiah xl. 5. ) "and the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of
the Lord hath spoken it."
One word more to our dear brethren of the bruised heel
( we all limp at times ) . This preparation is not only a protection, like a shoe, but it is an emollient if rightly used ; we

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find that pouring ( or having poured ) into it the "spirit of

truth" is a great i mprovement, we have known of its being
used without the spirit of truth and it became dry and hard.
For the benefit of those who would like to get it, we would say
that they will find explicit directions in Luke xi. 1 3 . It has
an invigorating influence upon one, see John vi. 63.
We need, dear brethren to be well shod, and have on the

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whole armor of God, for there is something worse than flesh

and blood to contend with. Eph. vi. 1 2 . May the Lord enable
us, "having done all to stand," for the restored and perfected
body of which Christ is the head, shall soon rest its crush
ing weight upon the head of the monster and triumphantly ex
claim, "thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through
J. C. S.
our Lord Jesus Christ."

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

RussELL-! have read carefully your articles in
recent papers, touching the distinction between our human
nature to which we become dead, and the divine nature to
which we art> begotten, and hope soon to be born into its
perfection. But I inquire : Is there not to some extent a
vein of truth in tho claim made by some, that before we reach
the divine nature and image we must be perfected on the
natural plane, as human beings ? In other words, while we
see that to the gospel church alone, of all human beings, is given
the "high calling," or promise of the spiritual nature, and the
balance of mankind are to be merely restored to perfection as
menatural, earthly beings, is there not a sense in which the
church share this restitution as well as the inheritance of spirit
ual things ? And does it not seem that we must first come
to the condition in which we can keep perfectly God's perfect
law, which cannot be kept except by perfect beings ?
ANs. 'l'o your first question we reply. Yes, we think
there is a vein of truth in the claim that all mankind must
be restored to perfection of the human nature before the divine
nature is attainable. But as there is a difference between the
final attainment of believers-the divine nature--and the
final attainment of the world in general--restitution to the
perfection, etc., of humanity, so there is a difference too in the
way in which the church and world partake of restitution.
"Jesus Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every
man"-thus redeeming every man from sin and its con
sequences ; and because of this purchase or ransom, aU men
must go free from sin and all its results ; and it is for this
reason, there is to be a restitution.
The restoring of mankind in general will be of the most
literal kind ; they will during the Millennia! age, come again
to perfection of body and mind, so that no longer will they
be "prone to sin as the sparks to fly upward" but again at one
with God. Having come to know good in contrast with evil,
their restored powers will lead them to take pleasure in doing
good and living in harmony with God. This will be to them,
the full completion of the great work of at-one-ment, bring
ing into full harmony God and his creature, man, who has been
out of harmony ever since sin entered the world. Thus we see
that the effect of restitution to the world, will be the bringing
of them again to a condition, where they will have full fel
lowship and communion with God, and be able to do those
things which are well pleasing in his sight.
But now notice, that all these blessings of restoration to
God's favor, etc., which are to come to the world in the
next age are possessed by believers now-in the Gospel age.
Restitution to God's favor, etc., comes to believers by faith
now. It comes to us, not actually as it will to the world. In
stead of having a mental and physical restitution, we are
justified or reckoned of God as though we were actually per
fect, and instead of exacting of us perfection of thought,
word and act, our best efforts in these directions are accepted
of God as being perfect. In a word, as our sins were laid upon
Jesus, so his righteousness is laid upon us. As he who knew
no sin was reckoned and dealt with as a sinner, bearing the
penalty of our sins-death-"in his own body on the tree," so
we who were siuners are reckoned righteous and dealt with
as such. He bore our sins ; we bear his righteousness. As when
he took our place and was treated as the sinner, the Father's
face was withdrawn and in his dying anguish he cried, "My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me," so we who are
justified, come into t.1e light of God's countenance and are
no more reckoned sinners, but saints ; no more aliens, but
sons ; "and because we are sons, he hath sent forth his Spirit
into our hearts, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Jesus cried
as a sinner ; we cry as sons.
But this condition of reckoned righteousness-justification
-is only of believers, and is entered into only by faith, and
cannot be obtained by works "to him that believeth on him
that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteous
ness
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and
whose sins are covered." Rom. iv. 5-9. This righteousness
or justification comes "upon all them that believe," "there
for we conclude that a man is justified by faith." ( Rom. iii.
1 9 -28. ) This is our restitution, thus we who were aliens and
afar off are made nigh to God by the blood of the crossBRo.

1-1 3

restored to his favor, as Adam was before sin. And it i6

our high joy that our standing in God's sight is no longer
as sinners, but as sons in Christ "not having on our own
righteousness . . . . but that which is through the faith of
Christ." ( Phil. iii. 9. ) And if God reckons us justified and
sinless, we should so reckon ourselves.
Our harmony with God comes because of justification
"Being justified ( by faith ) we have peace with God." This
same result will be reached in the next age by mankind in
general : Being restored fully, they will have "peace with God."
This same result will be reached in the next age by man
kind in general :
Being restored fully, they will have
"peace with God." We are apt, however to under-value our
justification-our righteousness ( ours because given to us by
our head Jesus ) God however puts a high value on it, reckon s
us-"whiter than snow," pure as he whose righteousness we
bear-if we abide in him. Paul valued it properly when he
said : "Who is he that condemneth [us] ? It is Christ that
died. . . . . Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect ? It is God that justifieth." Rom. viii. 33. There is no
appeal from this : The Judge of the Supreme Court of heaven
says that we are j ustified freely from all things.
We have already given our views of why, and now repeat :
that restitution to perfection of the human nature ( which is
something grand and glorious, and inferior only when com
pared with the high exaltation of the church to the divine
plane of spiritual perfection ) is the full fruition of all prom
ises held out for the world in the Bible ; but "God ( has )
provided some better thing for us, that they without us should
not be made perfect," ( restored-Reb. xi. 40 ) .
Therefore
because God has a "better thing" for us-our high calling to
joint-heirship with Jesus Christ our Lord, he has found
it necessary to gi ve us a schooling and discipline in the school
of faith, and calls us out from the world while evil is allowed
to triumph in order that, as his sons, we may be trained to
ourcome evil. He calls us out from the world that we should
"walk by faith and not by sight."
These lives are justified then given to us that we may have
something to offer. As our Leader ( Jesus ) was the just one
and gave his life a sacrifice, so when we come to realize
that we are justified we esteem it a privilege to "present our
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, our reasonable
service." It is acceptable because it is holy ; it is holy be
cause it is j ustified ; it is j ustified because Christ died.
To your second question I reply : It certainly is true, as you
say, that none but perfect beings can keep God's perfect
law, and I will go further and add that none but perfect
beings are acceptable with God. And when God's plans are
all accomplished there will be nothing i mperfect-all things
will either be brought to perfection or destroyed.
But as we have just proved we are perfect beings, being
justified by Christ Jesus and therefore are acceptable with
God by Jesus Christ. And though "by the deeds of the law
shall RO flesh be justified in his sight." we, being justified not
by the deeds of the law but by faith, can "do those things
which are well pleasing in his sight." ( 1 John, iii. : 2 1 ) . And
"the righteousness of the law [ love] is fulfilled in us who walk
not after the flesh but after the spirit." ( Rom. viii. : 4, ) i. e. :
We are reckoned as having kept the law perfectly while we
walk after the Spirit-use our endeavors to follow the leadings
of our new nature.
In conclusion let me say : If we receive our share of res
titution n.ow, and present our justified lives a sacrifice accept
able to God, we need look for no second restitution, nor can I
think that any Christian who realizes his perfect standing in
Christ, and the begetting of the Spirit to newness of life
( the perfect spiritual ) has imy desire for the restoration of the
old ( human ) nature which he has crucified, but rather for the
new-divine nature--into which we so soon hope to come, wht>n
we shall be like him and see him as he is.
If only perfect beings can keep the law of God perfedly
does it not prove that Jesus was more perfect than his hu
man nature was spotless from the imperfections of the rat'P
whose likeness he took ? \Ve think so. How then, sa v soml',
Jesus was as imperfect physically, etc., as any inemht>t
of the fallen human race-- "on the lowest 1 ound oi t hP

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ladder"-yet all admit that Jesus kept the whole law.

QUES. Dear Editor, please explain 1 Cor., xiv. : 34. "Let
the women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted
unto them to speak ; but let them be under obedience as alao
saith the law."
( Gen. i i i. : 1 6 ) .
ANs. It not for us to say why, when God gives no reasons.
Neither can we tell whv Jesus sent none of the noble and
good women who belie,e d on him to preach, when he sent first
the twelve and then the seventy before his face. However,
murl1 may be said of good accomplished by women in the
temperance cause, etc., we nevertheless believe that this
cripture has never been disregarded with impunity. We be
lieve woman to be a type of the church, and man the type
of Christ the head of the church, and we might draw the
lesson that we, the spouse of Christ, are not to dispute or
instruct in the church, but listen to the voice of our Head
give ear to his word.
QuES. Bro. Russell, please give us your views of Job vii. 9,
and xiv. 1 2 .
Does Job mean that man will not have a
resurrection ?
ANs. In considrring these and other scriptures, we should
remember that different statements are true from different
standpoints ; for instance. Isaiah said "Unto us a child is
born. " This i s true, and in the past ; he also said : "The
government shall be upon his shoulders." This will be true
in due time. David said, personating Jesus-They gave me
gall, etc., and parted my raiment among them. This has
been fulfilled but some other matters are still future, as for
instance : "The Lord reigneth ; let the earth keep silence,"
etc.
This last will not be fulfilled until he shall take his
great power and reign, when we shall reign with him a thou
sand years. So in the saying of Job. He saw mankind going
down into death, and that being sinners they had no hope
of sanng themselves, and says, "He that goeth down to the
gra,e sha l l come up no more." This was properly the human
standpoint for remember that as yet Jesus had not died-the
ransom price had not been paid, and the resurrection was
l i ttle understood until .Jesus "abolished ( vanquished ) death
and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel."
( 2 Tim. i. 10 ) .
The necessity o f pardon for sins is recognized in Ver.
2 1 . .Job well knew that he could not "climb up and win
l i fe for himsel f ; " that sin would cause him to sleep in the
dust ; and yet he seems to realize that God intended furnish
ing a ransom for sin-to take away the sin of the world
and he looks forward to the millennia! or restitution morn,
for though he should be gone to dust, yet he says : "Thou
sl1alt seek me in the morning." In xiv. 12, the same general
hope is expre<;sed : "So man lieth down and riseth not." A
tree might be cut off and sprout again, but not so man, he
cannot sprout, he rannot help himsel f ; be must await the
great Deliverer, who says : "I, [the Redeemer of the race
Jesus,] have the keys of death and hades" [the grave] "Till
the heavens be no more, [ symbol of present rule of evil or
Satan"-the prince of the powers of the air"-heavens ] they
shall not awake nor be raised out of their sleep."
We have heretofore noticed, that Job was used as a
representative of the world in general-the great restitution
masses, ( whether he personally will have anything more than
restitution we are not prepared to say, ) but in his life he
Is used as a great illustration of the race. Pm;sessing much
at first he loses almost all, and then a time of restitution
comes and he has as many sons and daughters, comforts,
friends, etc., as at first. So our race was at first possessed
of wonderful blessings of life, health, etc., almost all of which
is now gone ; but like Job their type they are soon to have
a "retitution of all things which God hath spoken by the
mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began." ( Acts
l li. 2 1 . )
And not only does Job represent the world in his experi
ence, but he speaks for them when he says-"Oh that thou
woulde'it hide me in the grave ; that thou wouldest keep me
'iC<ret ( hid ) until thy wrath be past ; that thou wouldest
appoint me a set time and remember me . . . . Thou shalt
call and I will answer thee ; thou wilt have a desire to the
work of thy hands." ( Vs. 13-15. ) The saints are to be raised
before the day of wrath for "This honor hath all his saints
to execute the judgments written." ( Psa. cxlix. 9. ) But the
da'i'l for whom Job speaks do not arise until the time o f
trouble is over-the present heavens ( Satan's control ) be
no more and the new heavens ( spiritual government of Christ
and his bride over earth ) be fully establi;hed.
QuEs. Please explain Rev. x. 6 : The angel swears "that
there should be time no longer."
ANS. Many are the "times and seasons which God hath
put in his own power," and no doubt each of these will end

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as its work is accomplished ; many have so ended already

for instance, the time of God's favor to fleshly Israel-th
Jewish age--ended ; and the time of favor to the gentiles
the gospel age-during which God is taking out of the gen
til es a people for his name ( his bride ) is also to end and
it is this Gospel time or age which we understand to be
referred to as the "time to be no longer." Verse 7 shows
this : "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel
"the seventh trump"-"the last trump"-"tbe trump of God."
l l Cor, xv, 52, 1 7'hes. iv, 16, a.nd Rev, xi., xv., xix. l r during
which the first resurrection and change of living saints
occurs] the mystery of God should be finished."
Both God's plan and his church are called a "mystery."
Neither is comprehended by the world.
When, however
the Gospel age or time ends, the church is exalted ; and afte;
the time of trouble the great work of blessing all the families
of earth begins, the mystery both of the church and God's
plan will be finished, and both will shine forth to the praise
.
of h1m
who loved us and bought us with his own precious
blood. God will no longer veil his plans and be thought
vengeful and merciless, but the bud that had the bitter taste
will bloom to a beautiful and fragrant flower. His goodness
in full glory shine declaring : "God is LOVE."
Qm:.s. Bro. Russell, please explain the command concern
ing feet washing. John xiii : 14. It seems to be so plain a
command I wonder why it is so little observed.
ANs. To our understanding, the lesson here taught the
disciples by our Lord is humility, and that they should love
one another to such an extent that they would consider no
service too great nor too degrading which would minister
to each other's comfort. "Let him that would be chief among
you become servant of all." "If I, your Lord and Master,
have washed your feet, you ought also to wash one another's
feet." And if you and I lived in the same warm country
and wore the same kind of shoe or sandal which permitted
the feet to be soiled and sored by the dirt and sand, it would
no doubt be a great comfort and privilege for us to wash
one another's feet. But while we live as we do, under totally
different circumstances, climate, etc., it would be anything but
a service to me if you were to insist upon washing my feet
as frequently as they do in Palestine-several times a day.
But there are hundreds of opportunities of showing the
meek, lowly and loving spirit of our Master.
Would that
Christians could realize that, as God's stewards and servants,
it is not self we are to minister to and serve and pamper,
but it is our mission to "do good unto all men as we have
opportunity, especially to the ho-usehold of faith," remembering
that we are to walk in His footsteps who "came not to be
ministered unto ( served ) , but to minister ( serve ) and to
give his life a ransom for many."
QuEs. Please explain Rev. xx. : 5. The rest of the dead
lived not again until the 1,000 years were finished.
ANs. We understand that the resurrection is of two gen
eral divisions : One of which is the resurrection to the im
mortal condition. [ "Neither can they die any more." ( Luke,
xx. : 36, ) "on such, the second death hath NO POWER." ( Rev.
xx. : 6, ) ] and is composed exclusively of "overcomers." This
is scripturally called "the resurrection," "the first resurrec
tion," etc.
This first resurrection ( to immortality ) com
menced 1,800 years ago in the person of Jesus our Lord "who
i s head over the church ( of overcomers ) which is his body"
and it will be complete when the "overcomers" of this age are
made like him the Bridegroom and Bride-head and body
united.
This will complete the resurrection to "Immortal
life." ( See article "The narrow way to life," October No.,
1880, "Z. W. T." )
All the balance of mankind are to be raised, but "every
man in his own order." The second company of the Gospel
church-the great company who "come up out of great trib
ulation" will be second in order. These come to the spiritual
condition but never reach immortaUty, the prize for which
all christians now are running and of which Paul says : "So
run that you may obtain," & c.
After these comes the resurrection of Jews and Gentiles
of all ages, ( in what order we know not except that it will
be God's order. ) Their resurrection includes not only raising
to partial life but also the bringing to perfect life, hence it
is the restitution and takes place during the Millennia! age.
"The times ( years ) of Restitution."
The words found in Rev. xx. 5 of the common version of
the Bible, viz. : "But the rest of the dead lived not again
until the thousand years were finished," are not found in the
old and authentic copies of Revelation.
Read the chapter, omitting these words, and you will find
it more and better connected, and in harmony with the balance
of the Bible. [See Z. W. T., vol. I, No. 6, page 8.]

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VoL. II

PITTSBURGH, PA., MARCH, 1881

No. 9

THE MELCHISEDEC PRIESTHOOD

( Continued from page 86 )
This, I admit, seems to overturn my new ideas, but
let me know how Melchisedec was without father or mother !
A. It would scarcely be necessary to remind you that
Christ was not without a Father. Call to mind His words
"fi'ath er, forgive them ; " "Father, glorify Thou me with the
glory which I had with Thee beforl:l the world was."
It
could not then refer t o Christ in H i s pre-existent state, nor,
can it apply to Him as "the man, Christ Jesus," for Jesus
was "born of a woman." Wakefield's new version renders
this ( Reb. vii. 3 ) "Of whose father, mother, pedigree, birth,
and death, we have no account." There was a strict record
kept of parentage, birth, death, &c., of every Levite, so that
any one claiming to be a priest or Levite could prove it by
the records.
The Diaglott renders this text, "without father, without
mother, without genealogy, having neither a beginning of
days nor an end of life, but having been made like to the
Son of God, remains a priest perpetually." Some take the
view (as does Wakefield, quoted above ) that this text only
means that no account was kept of his birth, death, &c.
While we may feel sure that he had a father and mother
and a beginning of days, we are not sure that he died. Verse
8 seems to imply that he, like Enoch and Elijah, did not
die-"Here, indeed, men ( the Levitical Priesthood ) receive
tithes, who die ; but there, one ( Melchisedec received tithes )
of " hom it i'> affirmed that he lives." This is a positive
statement that Melchisedec did not die. We must suppose
that he was translated.
B. Would not the fact that he was called a priest, and
that he did not die, give strength to my suggestion that he
was Christ ?
A. No, the very reverse. It is testified of Melchisedec
that he did not die, "that he lives," but it is testified of
Christ that He did die. This same Paul could say of Christ :
"Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for every
man." We conclude, then, that as Christ, on the spiritual
plane of life, had a Father, and on the earthly plane a
mother, and did "die for our sins," "even the death of the
cro." therefore He was not the same person as Melchisedec.
B. Yes, now I see clearly that they are not the same,
hut can you show why the two priesthoods are given, and why
thPy are contrasted ?
A. Jesus fills up so large a work, and so varied, that
many types are required to illustrate His work.
David
B.

illustrated His king ly power-putting down all enemies.

Solomon represented His peaceful reign ( the :Nhllenmulll J , and
His wisdom. "In His day the righteous shall flourish." But
these were only imperfect types. Their kingdoms and I n c
had an end. A type was needed which would show that His
kingdom would have no end.
Again, the Aaronic Priesthood was a type of the Christian
priesthood, during the time Christ and His body suffer
and die, down until they shall appear in the glory of the
khl.gdom. Here the Aaronic type ceases, and where tt ceases
the Melchisedec type begins.
The Melchisedec type show!>
no death, no sacrifice, only the reigning and blessmg-kmg
and priest.
How beautifully it illustrates what tee must
shortly be. With Jesus our head, we soon shall be "kmgs
and priests unto God, and reign on the earth." One of the
most notable events of that reign will be the blessing of the
natural descendants of Abraham, as shown in the type ( Gen.
xiv. 1 8-20 ) : "And Melchiscdec, king of Salem ( type of Christ
-head and body ) . . . . blessed Abraham." Then "the elder
( natural Israel ) shall serve the younger" ( spiritual Israel ) ,
and pay them tribute and homage, as Abraham paid tribute
and homage to Melchisedec.
"If He were on earth He could not be a priest," says Paul.
I am not trying to prove to you that Jesus' claims as a prie<;t
are based upon titles of the law. No, we claim that He came
of Judah, the kingly tribe. As a priest, He did not attempt
to usurp your office. No, He was offered on the great altar
-the earth itself, and when He went in with the real blood
of sin-offering, He did not attempt to go into the holy places
made with hands. but into the real ones, of which yours i<;
only a type or shadow. Soon the sacrifice will all be over.
He has left a measure of suffering and death to be filled up
by us, His body. Soon all will be over, and we "shall appear
with Him" to "bless the people" ( as you do in symbol ) , but
it will be with kingly power united to our priestly office.
And then, too, when complete, our priesthood shall continue
forever. See, God gave you a type of this higher priesthood
in Melchisedec, "King of Peace" and "Priest of God," of
whom it is testified "he lives."
So when our priesthood
reaches the plane typified by Melchisedec, we will never die,
but abide a "Royal Priesthood" forever. How indispensable
are both of these types, the Aaronic, showing how we must
die with Him, and the Melchisedec, how we shall live with.
Him and bE' glorified together ; "no cross, no crown."

WAITING AND WATCHING

[Crowded out of its proper plaee in reprint of April, 1 880, issue.]
Waiting and watching the livelong day,
Lifting the voice of her heart to pray ;
She stands in her sorrow the bride and queen,
Counting the hours that lie between.

Abroad through the earth is a sound of war,

Distress among nations, wide and far ;
And the failing of strong men's hearts for fear
Of the dreadful things that are drawing near.

Lone as a dove, on a storm-swept sea,

Teaching her heart hope's minstrelsy ;
With a cheerful note, though a weary wing,
She learns o'er sorrow to soar and sing.

Famine and pestilence stalk abroad ;

Scoffers are slighting the Word of God ;
And the love of many is waxing cold ;
Dimmed is the sheen of the once fine gold.

But she stands in her safety, the bride and queen,

Leaning as only the loved can lean
On the heart that broke in its love for her,
When bearing the burden she could not bear.
-British. Evangelist.

THE SHEEP AND GOATS

[With the exception of the paragraphs below this article was reprinted in issue of August, 1 884. See pages 654 and 655 ]
But why is man thus crowned with glory and honor, a
king in all the earth ? The Lord makes them answer-because
"I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me
drink, I was a stranger and you took me in, naked and you
visited
me,
in
clothed me,
I
was
sick
and you
prison you came unto me."
But, they answer, when
saw w e thee hungry, o r thirsty, or a stranger, or naked,
o r sick, o r in prison, and ministered unto thee ? Hear the
reply-Ye have done it to each other ; ye are all my Father's
children ; I also am his Son, though on a higher plane, and
all we are brethren : ( Christ and the saints of the Gospel age
-children of God on the spiritual plane ; mankind in gcncntl

will be sons of God on the rctored. or flC'shly plane as Ad:1 m

was before sin. ) The love yon have shown to the knst of my
brethren, I count as shown t o me. No great dC'eds nrc a !>signC'd
as the ground for this honor and favor-they have simply
come into harmony with God's l:lw, lore. and p1 ovptl i t by
their works. "Love is the fulfilling of the law," ( Rom. s i i 1 .
1 0. ) and "God is love," so when man is restored ag.1in to t h e
inwqe of God-"very good " m an also will bC' l ovP .
Then the message to those on the left-"Depart from me,
ye cursed" [condemned as unfit vessels for the glory nnd
honor of life, who would not yield to the moulding h:111 d
of the potter-the moulding and shaping influences of di\'inc

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W A TC H

love) .
When these my brethren were hungry and thirsty,
naked, sick and in prison, ye ministered not to their neces
sities, thus continually proving to be out of harmony with
the law of the heavenly city ( kingdom ) and "there shall
in no case enter into it anyt!Wn,g that defileth." Depart from
me "into everlasting fire ( symbol of destruction ) prepared
for the devil and his angels." Satan is to be detttroyed, as
we read-"That old serpent which is the devil and Satan
was cast into the lake of fire j this is the second death.''
Christ will "detttroy . . . . him that has the power of death,
that is the devil." "And these [ the goats) go away into
eYerlasting cutting-off [ destruction ) but the righteous into
life eternaL"
( Never ending. )
Diaglott.
To the "slwep" it is said : "Inherit th e kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world." But because God
gave it to man at first and designs restoring it to him again,
when he had prepared and repaired him for the great trust, we
are not to suppose that God intends man to rule it except as
u nder, or in harmony with his heavenly laws. "Thy will be
done on earth as it is done in heaven" will be the rule.
There could scarcely be a better illustration of man's
dominion under God, than that afforded in the government of
this country.
Each state is permitted to have dominion
oYer its own territory, but all must be subject to the general
government of the United States. And no one state may
make a law which will conflict with any law in the United
States. When in the late rebellion some of the states at-

TO W E R

PITTSBURGH, PA.

tempted so to do, the general government was obliged to

reduce to subjection the refractory states, and' when they
were restored to harmony they were again permitted to occupy
their former position.
So we learn that God's government is a general govern
ment over all his works ; that he rules in justice equity and
love ; that "his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and
all dominions shall serve and obey him ; " that "the Most
High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever
he will"-but the kingdom of earth is sure to man after he
has learned that the heavens do rule. ( Dan. iv. 1 7-26 . )
When the perfect man to whom it was first given, through
sin lost his ability and right to reign, the dominion was
taken away and given to his adversary whose reign of
terror and death lasted 6,000 years. But a limit was set by
the Almighty to his time and power to hurt mankind and
while used for man's discipline and final good, the remainder
of his wrath was restrained. When the powers of darkness
have accomplished their part in God's purpose, the Son of God
is sent to restore all things and to bring order and harmony
out of confusion.
When his work is finished he "gives
up the kingdom to the Father that God may be all and in
all." ( 1 Cor. xv. 28 ) .
This parable as we now understand it, is in complete
harmony with the ide!ls advanced in article headed "The
restored dominion." See Vi'ATCII TowER, Dec. 1880.

SPIRITUALISM

[Reprinted in issue of September, 1 8 8 1 . See pages 265-267.]

THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

[Reprinted in issue of September, 1 88 1 .

See pages 260 and 261 . ]

LOOKING UNTO JESUS

There are two principles involved in the word look, two

mediums by which we are enabled to discern objectslight and the eye. Without these mediums there may be
ever so many or imteresting objects to be seen, but they will
not be seen ; there must be both light and the instrument
of seeing ( the eye ) . These are the requisites in natur e ;
these are the n ecessary things for material sight, and the
basis of our understanding of spiritual things, the things of
God. Light in nature is the means of knowing ( or seeing)
natural things ; so in spiritual things means of knowing are
called light-"By using such lights as we have we arrive at
probability, if not certainty."
Explanation and illustration are other means of knowing or
understanding and are also called light : "one part of scripture throws light on another part." Point of view-situation to
be seen, is called light-this is a use of the word taken from
painting ; "Yet every thought be presented in the strongest
Ught." Looking in the natural is to direct the eye--i n the
piritual to direct the mind of the understanding ; "the eyes
of your understanding being enlightened."
With these terms in mind let us considt>r the subject
)){>fore us, "Looking unto Jesus." Let us bring in the lights
and turn the eyes of our understanding toward the desire of all
nil tion'>, the h ope of the world.
How "we see Jesus who
,, as ma d e a little lower than the angels for the sufferimg
of rirnth"-Heb. ii. 9. 0 earth ! bow down, hide thy face in
the dust, the Lord of life dies for thee. The mystery of God
j ., a mong m!'n.
Did we see rightly ? How was he made !
A ltt tle lowl'r than the angels ? L e t us look closely. Does
P a u l mean just that ?
Yes, it seems so. But man is a great
rl e n l Jow<'r t h an the nngel>.
Did he not take upon !tim
t h<' nn tw-e of man 1
Yes, he took the "seed of Abraham."
HPb. i i . If\ :
Wrll, if he took on him the seed of Abraham
rl 1 <l h e not take a nature much lower than angels, even the
fn l/r?l nn t ll re, and work h i s way up to this position a little
Jnwl'r t h a n the angels ? We think not-let us see. Hold the
l i ght tlt i " way a little, Brother ; there, now.
What said
t h e ;.Ni pture;, ? "ABRAHAM believed God and it was counted
u n to h i m for righteousness . . .
How was it then reckoned ?
Wh e n he was in circumcio;ion or in uncircumcision ?
Not
in ci rcumcision hut in unci rcumcision
. . . for the promi f' that h e <;hould be thr h!'ir of the world, was not to
A brah a m or to his seed, t hrough the law, but through the
rightf'onsnr-s>o of faith."
Roman'l iv .
10-J:l. Abraham was
JU. ttfierl hy fa ith-reckoned in God's sight a perfect and
ri )!!ltcous man, who will say that .Tt>'lU!l m us t have taken the
frl llcn natur!'-impcrfect, h!'Cause it says : he partook of the
"<'(>tl of Abraham."
But was he not made of the seed of
Ahraham acr:rmling to th!' ftesh.1
W!'ll, y ; he was "made of
thP eed of David according to the flesh." Rom. i. 3.
"When
.

"

the fullness of the time was come God sent forth his son,
made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of
sons." Gal. iv. 4-5. But he was "made not after [down
towards) the law of a carnal [fleshly] commandment but after
the power of a n endless life ; for there is verily a disannulling
of the commandment going before for the weakness and un
profitabless thereof ; for the law made nothing perfect but
the bringing in of a better hope did [viz : Jesus, the per
feet one, in whom was no sin] by, the which we draw nigh
to God." Heb. vii. 16, 18-19.
But was he not made in
all tlWngs like unto his bretM-en r And does not this plainly
show that he took the fallen nature of man, the lowest step
that could be taken ? "In all things it behooved him to be
made like unto his breth.ren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high p riest in things pertaining to God, to make
reconciliation for the sins of the people." Heb. ii. 17. But
was he not made like other men, was he not in his fleshly
nature just as low in the scale of beimg as any other m!ln,
only that he did not actually sin ? No ; if he had been, he
could not have resisted actual sin ; the fallen human nature
is "prone to sin as the sparks to fly upward," and as long as
we are of the fallen Jw,man nature we cannot avoid sin. Of
such "there is none righteous ; no, not one." [ It is only whe n
justified, new creatures, that we can realize ourselves as no
longer sinners and enemies, but sons of God.]
Again, if on the depraved plane of being he could not be
said to have been "made a little lower." He as a perfect one
was to mediate and bring about a reconciliation between God
and his fallen carnal creatures who by sin had become his
"enemies ;" hence Jesus was made a little lower than the
angels, "for the suffering of death," that he might raise us
up to a point but a little lower than the angels, ( as perfect
beings-justified or reckoned perfect, ) thus becoming our
mediator j "for if whrn we were enemies we were reconciled to
God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled we
shall be saved by his life.'' Rom. v. 10. But in what sense was
he higher or superior to Adam ? In this, that Adam was
created of God, but Christ was begotten of God ; now do we see
how he was made like unto his brethren r Not like unto
fallen man, they are not begotten of the spirit Christ and
his brethren are. "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, [ and
Jesus) are children of promise. But as then he that was
born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the
Nevertheless what saith the
spirit, even so it is now.
scripture ? Cast out the Lord the bond woman and her son ;
for the son of the bondwomen shall not be heir with the
son of the free women. So then, brethrrn, we f nor Christ 1
are not rhildren of the bond woman, but of the free." Gal. iv.
28-3 1 . But was he not for our sakes made poor that we

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Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

through h i s poverty might b e made rich ? Yes, h e became

poor for our sakes ; when he died upon thEj cross he con
summated his poverty, giving up all, even life itself, and thus
reconciled us to God ; for, as by Adam's death in or because of
sin all die, so by Christ's death in or because of righteous
ness all are made alive ; but we who are reckoned in the
Adamic nature by the death of Christ are much more" . . . .
"saved by his life ; " we begin to be new creatures in Christ
Jesus, and_ so we are not ( reckoned ) in the fallen condition,
as tke world, but in that which he recognizes as brethren.
"For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are
all of o-ne for whick caUJJe he is not ashamed to call them
brethren." Heb. ii. 1 1.
He came low enough to reach us and
taste death for every man, but a little lower than the angels
was low enough for that, for from that intermediate position
God can reach us tkrougk Christ and "raise us [from otr
fallen condition where we were with the world] up to
getker and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the ex
ceeding riches of his grace in his kindmess toward UIJ tkrougk
Christ Jesus." Eph. ii. 6-7. Now, if we can see clearly that
his being made a little lower than the angels was for no other
reason than that he might suffer death ( to which he was not
legally subject) and destroy him who had the power of
death for us, do we not see that there is no reason for his
being made a lttle lower, or even as low as the angels again
for us whom ( in our brotherhood condition ) he was made like
unto ? He was as we are ( reckoned ) and we sha 11 be as he
ts now.
"Beloved, n ow are we [reckoned] the sons of God, and it

TO WER

(5)

doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that
when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see
him as he is. And every man that hath thi<; hope in him
purifieth himself even as he is pure." l John, iii. 2 - :3 .
Now let us look close, ( hold the light steady a n d keep an
hum b le position, ) there, now, if it behooved him to be made
like unto his brethren, if we can get a good view of him
we can get a good idea of what his brethren are, for thev
will be somewhat as he was. "Wherefore, holy brethren, par
takers of the heavenly calling, co-nsider the apostle and high
priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to
him that appointed him." He was "appointed heir of all
things." "And ye are complete in him," "in whom yc are
builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
Now, dear brethren, is i t not cl!'arly God's design to glorify
his Son and his church ( bride ) by what he shall accom
plish through them ?
Think you they a re to be exalted
and honored m erely for the honor ? Ah, no ! Honor and glorv
and happiness are in store for those "who u rc the calle;l
according to his purpose," and tha t pu1pose is the bring
ing of "many sons unto glory," and to accomplish that pnr
pose it was necessary that the captain of our salvation sl10ull
pass through suffering, "leaving us an example, that ye should
follow in his steps." Dear brethren, a re we willing to do that '
Is the lesson so often set before us in the WATCH TowER
( drawn from the word ) forgotten and overlooked in our eager
gaze at the coming glory ? Wherefore let us suffer "accorrl
ing to the will of God and commit the keeping of our souls
to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator."

NUMBER THREE

PART I
is the general expression or revelation of the Father. we should
We have found in the past that the number seven is a
expect this important testimony of the three witnesses to
fruitful and interesting topic ; and that on this sacred number
have reference to the revelation of God's love for the \Yorld.
many things in God's plan are based. The investigation of
"God is Love," and he wants us to believe it.
Let Paul
the Tabernacle with its three apartments has suggested that
number three is also a sacred and important number. We
speak :
"Because the love of God is shed abroad [ made
known] in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto
are convinced that three is fundamental in heaven and earth,
us." Rom. v. 5. Here is one of the three witnesses telling
as to God and man, in the structure of the universe, in the
us of God's love for us while we were yet sinners. How are
plan of the ages, and in the process of Christian developwe to know that love ? What is the Spirit's testimony-tht>
ment or of coming to God. For these reasons and in harmony
record that God gives concerning his Son ?
Listen-"For
with the Spirit and method of prophecy, we think a glimpse
when we were yet without strength in due time CHRIST DIEL>
of God's plan was the basis of the pattern which the Lord
FOR THE GODLY." Verse 6. The death of Christ must, then,
showed Moses in the mount, from which pattern the tabernacle and all its arrangements were made. No part can fail.
be an important event in God's plan.
In seeing these underlying principles in the construction
Hy reference to Daniel ix. 26 the "due time"-the time
appointed-will be seen.
"After the threescore and ttw
of the word, we have additional evidence that the Bible re
veals a science. and is God's truth. As men can be made
weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himst>lf"
it was for sinners. This shows that the death could not
to see these things, it will be like taking the vail of un
have been from his birth, nor all the pt'riod of h i !'a rthl
belief from their minds, which will let in a flood of God's
light and love. One motive in our writing is the desire to
life, as some maintain. Tht' week" m a rk tht' t i mt' o f h i
guard some against the overspreading wave o f unbelief.
baptism, after tchich h e should ponr out h i s '<on ! ( lifl' ) unto
death. He came to hi-; rleath by the way of watt'r a iH I h lo o< l .
The number three is surprisingly prominent, as the subHis baptism in wahr \\ a> a symhol of h i s ha ptJ-.m mto dPa t h
ject opt>ns before us. We may not, in every case, see its sigand beoause it was a symbol i t became a pledge that he
nificance-sometimes little, perhaps, but often much. Others
may enlarge on thoughts suggested. Our hope is that all who
would die, in obedi!'nce to the Father's will.
It w.t s h i
consecration to the cross. For this reason if for no other,
read may love the word more and more, as the rich treasure
it could truly be said : "Th u; is he that came by H a irr a 11d
house of its great Author.
blood--even the anointed Saviour ; not by water o11ly, hut hy
We would first call attention to the Divine Three-Father,
water and bloorl ." I Jno. v. 6. The coming, or m a m fP,ta
Son and Holy Spirit-often mentioned in the Bible. This
tion of the Messiah, taken as a whole, was to mn kc knm\ n t h e
is fundamental, as shown by the commission of Christ ( Matt.
love of God to the world, and the manifestation incl iHl c d t h e
xxviii. 19. ) , and is related to our faith in the Creator,
death.
Rerleemer and Regenerator, and suggests the three steps in
But is the death of Christ, after tke tcecl>s, an exprc,;"ion
bringing men into the Divine image.
of God's love ? Listen to Paul again :
"For scarcel y for
Man, in his composition, is spoken of by Paul as having
three elements-"spirit and soul and body," which he prays
a righteous man will one di(' : [ that " ould he a gr('at '< t rPt ch
of Jove] yet possibly fo r a _q norl man some v. onl<l ('\-<'11 d.t 1 !'
may be sanctified wholly and preserved blameless unto the
to die. But [ wondrous beyond m('asure] God commendcth Jn ...
coming ( presence ) of our Lord .Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. v. 23.
love to\u trd u" in th a t. tch!le we 1ccrc ye t si11ncrs, C h 1 15t
The Divine Spirit is the Sanctifier, and the Word of Truth
died for U'>." Rom. v. 7-8. Thl' riP a t h of Christ. a \'conlm!.!
is the instrument. 2 Thes. ii. 1 3 and Jno. xvii. 17.
to verse 1 0 and onward, secur('S rPconciliation in til(' ,.,cn,'e
Man's spirit, in the above passage, which needs sanctifying,
that it rHPrses the curse that en me on all by the first Adam .
should not be confounded with the indwelling Spirit of God,
and becaiiR(' of this removal of the !'ncumlH a nPe, it opn1s f h r
by which we are sanctifierl. The distinction is observed by
way for the in1partation of the Spirit to the obedient, and.
the apostle when he says :
"The Spirit itself beareth witso for the gift of eternal l i k Hence it is \\ r ittPn t h at I f
ness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."
Rom. viii. 1 6.
when W!' we re enemies " e were reconciled to God b, th('
We would now call attention to
death of his Son ; much more b!'ing recon r i lc,J . we ' shall
be saved [the higher and spi i itual foi HI of sah.t t ion ] b
THE THREE WITNESSES.
his life." Christ is thus shown t o be both t h P R!'tOI <' r ,,f
"There ar' three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit and
the old, and Giver of the h igh!'r l i fP-th e s!'cond A d a m .
the water and the blood : and these three agree in one."
1 .John v . 8. The three witnesses agree i n one testimony.
No one who cn n a p p re e i a t P t hP :-; p i 1 1 t s t P t l l1wny ,,t n
ignore or belittle the dPath of Clu i Rt. l i P not o n ly \'<1111<' ( ,,
What is their tt>stimony ? It is God's testimony concerning
his Son. It must be imp ortant. "If we receive the witness
his death by the \\ ay of \\ a t e r :uul blnod. a t h e :-- p 1 1 1 t h a t h
of men, the witness of God is greater." vs. 9. As the Son
borne witness, but the water a11d blood t hat tlo" cd fi om his
.

"

[ 19 7 ]

...

( 5 -6)

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

;;id{' when h{' was pierced add their tetimony to that of the
Spirit that he was dead. and also that it was a voluntary
death. He poured out his soul unto death.
The statement of John concerning the testimony of the
three witnesses finds its foundation in the gospel written
by him :
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his
side and forthwith th{'re came out blood and water. And he
that saw it bear record, and his record is true : and he
knoweth that he sayeth true, that ye might believe." Jno.
xix. 34-3.').
The Spirit says, "Christ died for our sins" and
that "he gave his life a ransom." The separaticm of the
wa ter11 port w n of the b lood, gave proof that he was already
dead, 'and had been dead for some time ; for had he not been
dead, the flow would have been red blood.
We offer this as evidence that his death was not the
direct result of crucifixion.
The record is that he lived
only si.x hours on the cross, from the third hour until the
ninth hour of their day, ( Mark xv. 25-34. ) while men who
were crucified usually lived much longer, even for days. The
ease of Jesus was so exceptional that when Joseph, the
counsellor, asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, Pilate
marvelled if he were already dead, and would not believe it
until he had called the centurion and knew it from him.
:\lark. xv. 43-45.
The Jews had no thought of the possibility of his being
dead so soon, when they "besought Pilate that their legs
might be broken." The soldiers on account of finding him
dead, made an exception of his case, and so, "brake not his
legs :
But one of the soldiers pierced his side." Thus a
prophecy was fulfilled : "A bone of him shall not be broken."
A type too was fulfilled, no bone of the passover lamb was
to be broken. Num. ix. 12. And in the piercing of his side, the
foundation was laid for the fulfillment of another scripture
in reference to the nation of Israel, when at his second
coming he appears for their deliverance, viz : "They shall
look on him whom they pierced." Zech. xii. 9 : 10. It was
therefore for all these reasons, necessary that he should die
sooner than crucifixion by men would secure.
We are led to believe that Christ's death was a voluntaq-y
act in the divine administration. This is in harmony with
the idea which was shown sometime since, in our paper, that
Christ was both human and divine, and thus became the anti
type of both priest and sacrifice----A aron and the beast. Not
the life of the priest, but the lotver nature, as represented
by the beast, was required as a sacrifice. The divine is the
priest power both in Jesus and all his true followers. A
body was prepared for him and he offered it. Reb. x. 5-10.
We are to sacrifice our bodies. Rom. xii. l. The power by
which we do this is the indwelling divine Spirit. Rom. viii.
13. Christ said he had received power or authority of his
Father to lay down his life. "Therefore doth my Father love
me, because 'I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me (this could have no force if it
referred to his pre-existent life. No one thought of taking
that. The force of thl' statement is sure in that while men
might seem to take his life by crucifying him, yet they
were mistaken ; in reaUty] ; No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself.
I have power to lay it down,
11 nd
I have power to take it again.
This commandment
[authority or power] have I received of my Father." Jno.
x.
1 5-18. And when speaking of the temple of his body,

( u:hich is equally true of his own person and of his body,

the church, for it is

Christ that raises all the dead, i. e.

God in Christ, of Chri'>t as a divine person ) he said : "Destroy
thi< temple and in three days I will raise it up." Jno. ii.
I !l-22.
" I will raise them up at the last day."
This, when
applied to the church, is the seventh. tlwu8and from the first
Adam aml the t hird thousand from the second Adam.
Now we can see that the real crucifying power is also
the saving power, ami therefore that the only way of salva
tion is by following Christ. As the Divine is the priest power,
'>0 when the humanity of Christ was forsaken of that divinity
which held the human in his hands, it was ( the writer
thinks ) the antitype of Aaron killing the beast ; so Jesus
immediately bowed his head and died.
It seems certain that the sacrifice was a special prepara
tion of God and in the act of sacrifice was a vo'tuntaq-y
offrring. In this fact as well as in the ransom thus provided,
we may well see the Father's love commended, "in that
while we " ere yet sinners Christ died for us." And as God
h a d i wn U'> the combined testimony of three witnesses to
the truth , let Wl believe in the truth, and thanking him for
i t, may we bP able to see also the value of Christ's example,
anrl F.O follow the Lord in sacrifice. If we are made conform
able to his death we shall share in his glory.

T O WE R

PITTSBURGH, PA.

PART II
There are three baptisms spoken of as related tc God's
dealing with men, that of water, of Spirit, and of fire. All
are mentioned by John, "I indeed, baptize you with water
. . . . but he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and
with fire." Matt. iii. 1 1 .
This statement doubtless had reference, primarily, t o the
disposition made of the Jewish nation, at the end of their
age, and is intimately related to the harvest work of Christ,
mentioned in the next verse, which also has three elements,
separation of wheat and chaff, gathering of wheat, and
burning of chaff. This work covered a space of forty years,
not being complete until the destruction of Jerusalem in
A. D. 70. Jesus was clearly the Lord of the harvest, and
himself the chief Reaper, though he had assistants under his
control.
John baptized and addressed a mixed multitude, of which,
when passed over to Christ, some were baptized with the
Spirit and some with fire. It seems clear that the baptism
of the Spirit agrees to the gathering of the wheat into the
Gospel barn, and the baptism of fire to the burning of the
chaff, or judgments on the rejected nation. Those who bore
the fruit Christ was seeking, were counted worthy, and
were filled with the Spirit as the sons of God : and those
not bearing good fruit, were cut down, and cast into, or bap
tized with fire. Read the context and sE>e if the "wrath to
come," the baptism of fire, and the "unquenchable fire," are
not identical.
It may be observed here, as has often been shown, that
the harvest of the Gospel age, as mentioned by the Saviour,
in the parable of tares and wheat, ( Matt. 13. ) is parallel
to the Jewish harvest, and also has its three elements,
separation, gathering and burning. Then, it was the Jewish
nominal church, wheat and chaff, that was disposed of ; now
it is the nominal Gospel church, wheat and tares, that is
to be disposed of.
The harvest here, according to the
prophetic periods, (see "Day Dawn"] also covers a period of
forty years, reaching to and including the year 1 9 1 4.
The Saviour says : "The harvest is the end of the age,"
( verse 39 ) and in the next Yerse includes the burning of the
tares in the closing work of the age ; so let us not overlook
the fact that in some sense the age, and therefore the
harvest reaches to 1914. The tares are not to be burned
after the end of the age, but in the end of the age.
According to the order of events, as the Saviour ex
plains them, the shining forth as the sun is not due until
after the tares are burned. We believe it must be "Day
Dawn'' until 1914. Of course the aa:altation to glory precede<;
the shining forth in that glory.
The extension or prolonging of the Jewish age after A.
D. 33, and of the Gospel age after A. D. 1878, is an expres
sion of the long suffering of God to his defiled people. He is
not willing that any [of them] should perish, but that
they should come to repentance. 2 Pet. iii. 9. His encourage
ment to the lukewarm church, is, "As many as I love I rebuke
and chasten ; be zealous, therefore, and repent." Rev. iii. 19.
And it seems from the Saviour's parable of the lost Bheep,
that he will not be content until he finds and brings in
the lost one [of the sheep, not of the world. ]
There is nothing in what is said above, on the extension
of the harvest, to militate against the idea of the exaltation
of the king and priest company immediately, if the Lord so
wills ; in fact, it has often been shown that the little flock
are to share in the administration of the coming judgments,
which will purify the defiled, or ripen the unripe wheat.
Returning from the seeming digression, we would say,
that while the three baptisms had primary application to
the Jewish nation, there seems to be a sense in which they
are applicable to each Christian. Water baptism is of course
external, and has to do with external relationships ; but it
is important as an act of obedience, or expression of loyalty to
the Saviour, and may appropriately be regarded, on account
of the place given it by the Saviour in his commission, and
by the apostles in their practices, as an incipient step in a
life of loyalty. And we know that it is the obedient who
can claim the promises attached. And as a symbol, we may
safely say it represents all there is of Christianity,-its
faith or foundation, in the death and resurrection of Christ ;
its life, in dying to sin and rising to walk in newness of
life ; its hope, in the death and resurrection of the saint.
The baptism of the Spirit, we understand is necessary, to
enable the Christian to carry out what was symbolized in the
water baptism ; in other words to enable him to keep his cove
nant. That to be baptized with the Spirit, is to be filled
with thE> Spirit, seems char by Pomparing thP promise of
Christ, ( Acts i. 5, ) and the fulfillment.
Acts ii. 4. He

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said, "Ye shall be baptized with the holy Spirit, not many
days hence ; " and when the day of Pentecost was fully
come, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit." Speaking
of the same thing- Jesus said, "After the Holy Spirit has
come upon you." Acts 1. 8.
While, as has been clearly shown bv another, the company
who received the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost, repre
sented the whole church ; and it has remained with the
church ever since ; yet, there is of course, a time when each
individual, passing from death unto life by faith, receives
that same Spirit. So at the conversion of Cornelius and
his family, "The Holy Spirit fell on all them who heard the
word." Acts x. 44. And all with Peter were "astonished"
. . . . "because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the
gift of the Holy Spirit," ver. 45. Peter said they "have re
ceived the Holy Spirit as well as we." ver. 47. And he after
ward said, "And as I began to speak the Holy Spirit fell
on them lUI on us at the beginning" &c. Acts xi. 15-17.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is to all that obey the gospel,
"even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts ii. 38-9.
"And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy
Spirit." Acts xiii. 52. Paul exhorts the church at Er.hesus
to "be not drunk with wine . . . . but [to] be filled tmth the
Spirit." Eph. v. 18.
We understand the baptism of fire, in the individual is
equivalent to the trials, chastisements, affiirtions, and tribula
tions, through which we must pass in order to overcome and
so reign with Christ. The baptism into death which the
Saviour endured, and with which he said his disciples must
also be baptized, is the very thing pledged in water baptism,
but it has often been shown that it can only be carried
out by the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ. Rom.
viii. 13.
The baptism of fire and of death seem to be
identical, or rather different parts of the same thing, the
former being the process and the latter the completion of the
work. To be baptized into the Saviour's death means far
more than to be baptized into watM", though the former is
represented by the latter.

TO WER

(6--7)

It is doubtless true that much of our chastisement and

affiiction comes for our own natural conditions, and the Apostle
tells us that, "whom the Lord loveth he chastiseth
that we might be partakers of his holiness." Heb. xii. 6-10.
As judgments and troubles are represented by fire in the
Scriptures, so the Christian's trials are called "fiery trials." 1
Pet. iv. 12.
Some of these trials come from the enemies
without, but the Christian's greatest enemy is his old self,
or carnal nature, against which the Spirit within, or new
nature wars. Rom. vii. 15-25.
It is one of the great mistakes of the nominal church
that it is considered so eiUiy to be a Christian ; as if we might
sail to Paradise by balmy breezes, and rest on flowery
beds. The road the Master went was a thorny road, and he
said, "Follow me." The way of the cross 1s the way to
the crown. The cross is a symbol of death by crucifixion.
The word teaches that through much tribulation ( fire ) we
must enter the kingdom of God. Acts. xiv. 22.
The Lord is represented as a refiner of silver, watching
his children in the fire, and thus he will purify the sons of
Levi. Mal. iii. 3. These trials are often severe, but they
have their attending joys. Jesus said to his disciples, "In the
world ye shall have tribulation, but in me ye shall have
peace." John xvi. 23. Paul says, "We glory in tribulations
also," because of the good effects on character. Rom. v. 3-6.
None of these things can separate us from the love of God in
Christ. Rom. viii. 35-39.
It seems that the fiery baptism whether it be of a nation,
church or an individual is permitted in mercy, as a purifying
process, without which the final good is not attainable.
We understand the baptism of fire is for the destruction
of the flesh-the old nature ; that as a means to that end
we need the baptism of the Spirit ; but the Spirit has the
double work of killing, and of makin g alive with a new and
immortal life ; and we believe that both are represented by the
baptism of water-which is a symbolic death and resurrection.
J. H. P.

JUSTIFICATION, SANCTIFICATION, REDEMPTION

These are the three steps by which we are to reach "the
prize of ou1 high calling"-glory, honor and immortality. Not
one of these steps can be omitted by those who win the great
prize, nor can they be taken in any way but their order
as directed in the Scriptures.
Justification comes first as a necessity, because, all the
human race being sinners, as such God could not either
sanctify or glorify them ; therefore, by some means, they must
be "made free from sin" ( brought to a condition of sin-lessness ) in order that they might "have their fruit unto holiness"
( sanctification ) , and eventually receive "the end thereofeternal life" ( redemption ) Rom. vi. 22.
As sinners, men "are not subject to the law of God,
neii:her i ndeed can they be." ( Rom. viii. 7 ) .
We are
"made free from sin" by faith j that is, we are told of God
that a ransom has been given for our sin, and that if we by
faith accept the ransom, he no longer regards or treats us
as sinners, but as perfect and sinless beings. This cleansing
from sin is a complete work. You are justified-reckoned of
God just and perfect, but it cannot be seen with the natural
eye. You cannot realize that physically you are any more
perfect than before you believed yourself justified.
It is
entirely by the eye of fa;ith that you know yourself now as
a being, justified freely from all things. God's word declares
it and you believe him.
We need not fear that our justifi cation is incomplete,
for Jehovah himself is the justifier, as we read, God is "just
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" ( Rom.
iii. 26 ) ; and again, "Who shall lay anything to the charge
of God's elect ? It is God that justifieth."
Upon what grounds doea God reckon human sinners as
justified or righteous persons ? Because the ransom for our
sins has been paid by Jesus, who "himself bare our sins in
his own body on the tree." ( 1 Pet. ii. 24 ) . For "Christ
suffered, the just for the unjust ( sinners ) , that he might
bring us to God" ( Pet. iii. 18 ) as justified beings. Jesus
was treated as a sinner on our behalf, and we are now
treated as just persons on his behalf. As we read again,
"Ye are justified in the name of the LoTd Jesus." ( 1 Cor. vi.
1 1 ) . And again, "Being now justified by his blood, we shall
be saved from wrath through him." ( Rom. v. 9 )
But
ONLY BELIEVERS ARE J'O'STIFIED
during this Gospel age. They who do not believe that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that ''he
rose again the third day" for our justification ( 1 Cor. xv.
14 ; Rom. iv. 25 ) , are not justified : "Ye l!l'e yet in your sins."

89 we read, God, "is the justifier of him which believeth in

Jesus."
Again, "All that believe are j ustified from all
things" ( Acts xiii, 39 ) , and "A man is j ustified by faith."

( Gal. ii. 16 and iii. 24. )

When we believe the "good news" of our justification, it
causes us joy and peace to realize that we may now come to
God ; and we no longer dread but now love God, because we
see his goodness and love, for "herein is the love of God
manifested." ( 1 Jno. iv. 9 ) .
We are thus brought into fellowship with God as j usti
tied human being& -"Being j ustified by faith, we have peace
with God." ( Rom. v. 1 ) .
Few, very few, lay hold upon
justification fully ; few believe God that they "are justified
from all things" and are in God's sight clothed in the spot
lessness of Jesus, in whom was no sin ; consequently very few
have the joy wnd peace which spring from believing. And it is
no uncommon thing to hear, in church meetings of all de
nominations, men and women tell God that they know them
selves to be "miserable sinners." Poor creatures, no wonder
they agonize and daily ask the forgiveness of those sins
which God's word declares are forgiven. 2 Pet. i. 9. They
know not that they partake of the justification by believing.
If they would only believe God, they would have the realiza
tion of forgiveness, and consequently j oy and peace. "For
without faith it is impossible to please God." Beyond this
point of rejoicing in a consciousness of forgiveness of sins,
and acceptableness in God's sight, few Christians go.
Did you ever think why God has made known to us our
justification now, but keeps it hidden from the great mass of
the race until the millennia! age, though the ransom price
is eventually to release all mankind from sin and its penalty,
and bring them to the same condition of acceptance--sinless
ness-perfection which we now enjoy by faith 1 It is because
God has a plan which he is working out according to the
counsel of his own will, and a part of that plan is that
he will select from among mankind a number who will
eventually be transferred from the earthly conditions and
human nature to spiritual conditions and the "divine nature"
to be "heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord."
God's object in the development of this "little flock" is
two-fold : first, he will make them everlasting monumen ts of
his goodness, to be known and read of angels and men. A"'
Paul expresses it ( Eph. ii. 7 ) , God's plan in the development
of the Gospel church of overcomers, is, "that in the ages
to come, he might sh01.v the wceeding riches of his grace, in
his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." The second

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WA T C H

part of GoJ.'s plan, in which we are directly associated, is,

t l a t he pm poses t o use _us during the next-Millennial--age as

J... mgs ( rulers ) ami p1 wsts ( teachers ) , when we shall reign

wi t h Christ a thousand years. ( Rev. v. 10, xx. 6 ) . Thus
shnll the ''seed," of which Jesus is the Head, bless all the
families of t h e earth . ( Gal. iii. 29 ) .
_ No _s i n n ers ar called. to have part in this "high calling,
whtch Is of God m Chnst Jesus." True, Jesus called "sin
ners to rcpen tn n c e "-so does the word of God, and all his
children seek to bring men to repentance and faith in Christ
and consequent j ustification. But only the j ustified ones are
cnlled to be "kings nnd priests unto God, and to reign on
th earth ."
It is wore than useless to present the grand
.
pn7l' fo r "Inch we 1 11 1 1 to the attention of sinners-the un
J IISI I(icd._ For the nu 1 1t1 al man receiveth not the things of
_
th . RJHnt of_ God, neither
can he know them, for they are
Rpn ttna l l y dtscerned-they are foolishness unto him.
There
forP, ''cat not your pearls bC'fore swine, lest they trample
t hP m twle1 t he i r feet, and turn again and rend you."
:
Ti n s be n g _true, that none are PalleJ. to the high calling
PXCPpt t]J(' J U stified one'i, the fact that you know of your j usti
fication may be the proof to you that you are one of those
w ! wm God h as "called" to spiritual life and joint-heirship
w t t h Jl'"Ufl.
What a blessed privilege to be called with such
a high calling .
Now do you realize that you are called to
hP a nwmber of the bride of Christ ?
Then remember who
c a l l ed you-G oJ. ; and that "Faithful is he that calleth you
who a lso will do it."
( 1 Thess. v. 24) . Our Father mock
none w i t h a call which they cannot attain to.
His grace is
suflicient for us.
All who are called may take the second step-

SANCTIFICATION
To sanctify is to set apart or separate to a special thing or
H'iP. God's will is that all justified ones should be sanctified
o r et apart to his service as we read :
"This is the will of
God eYen our ( believers ) sanctification." ( 1 Thes. iv. 3 . )
There are two parts t o sanctification-first ours, secondly
G od's part. As we have seen, God provides for our justifica
t ion as men and then calls us to set apart-sanctify--or
consecra te to him, that justified humanity.
When we do,
thus consecrate or give up our will, our time, talent, life and
all we haYe and are to God, and ask him to take our little all
and ue it as seemeth to him good, and agree to let the
will of God dwell in us richly-when we have done this we
have done all that we can do ; and here God who accepts of
every such sacrifice, begins his part of the sanctification work.
He begin<> to use this will resigned to his care and "to work
in you both to tcill and to do" in harmony with his will.
From that momPnt it is no longer you ( the human) but
"Christ in you."
Even the earthly ( human) body, under
the new control ling will ( God's ) is used in God's service
and is thereby made holy.
From this moment when we give-consecrate-ourselves we
are reckoned dead, as human beings ; for the human will
should be buried from that moment forward ; and when the
w i l l _ of God-the mind of Christ-the Holy Spirit takes pos
sessiOn of us so that it becomes our will and our mind we
are called "new creatuTes"-we are thus begotten to new'ness
of life.
This new creatuTe is only an embryo being.
It
is not complete ; but it grows and develops and "we all with
open face, be olding as in glass the glory of the Lord,
are changer! mto the same Image from glory to glory even
as by thP f' p i rit of the Lord." ( 2 Cor. iii. 1 8 . )
Thus as
w sp i ri tu l cr.eaturs we grow in h_is likeness during the
_
time WP n ln d e m this earthly condtbon.
As the spiritual
n n t u re g rows tronger the human nature grows weaker and is
t l 1 r ra-;1er t o Tceep dead, for I must not only give up my
w i l l to C od, but kePp it i n a sun endered condition, "keep my
br, , j , u n der"-un rl r r Gorl's will.
\-, tl 1 P new <, p i ritual nature grows it longs for its per
fNtir,n "'h P n it w i l l no longer be trammeled and fettered by
h u uwn condition, but be "like unto Christ's glorious body."
Th i'i i prom 1 Prl m-wr have been begotten, and by and by
o-ha l l hr /,rmL of the Spint-'ipiritual bodies, for "that which
h bn 111 of the S p i rit h Spint," just as truly as "that which
w a <; hrn 11 of t h P fle<,h wa., ftl''ih . " Our begetting we have and
o u r p i 1 i t u a l l i fe is begun.
It is to be completed perfected
'
" h Pn tlll ro1 t u pt ihl e , _and mortal co1_1ition shall give plac
.
tr, t h r , m rorn1 p b hie, m n n o r ta 1 conditiOns of the spiritual
_
_
Lorly.
fh 1 '\\ I l l be at t h e moment of resurrection to those
who <,] PPp in .Tf'lh-ra J <,erl spiritual bodies ; and it will be
f hr momrnt of chonqc to the living ( from the fleshly body to
t hetr ou,n spiritual bodies-theirs as new creatures. )
Thus,
"" r whirh a re al ne a n d remain shall be changed in a
m r,ment. "
I Cor. I 5 : 52.
Tid clumyc of nidr nee or condition, from the earthly body

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

to the spiritual body is the third step of our development, viz :

REDEMPTION
This redemption from the present earthly conditions
finishes and completes our salvaticm and the glory of power
will follow.
Toward this the end of the race we are looking with
longing eyes, "Ourselves, that have the first fruits ( begetting)
of the Spirit, even we groan within ourselvei!! waiting for
sonship-the redemption of our body" ( the body of which
Jesus is the Head and all overcomers are members. ) Rom.
viii. 23.
THE POWER WHIOH SANCTIFIES
_ I is not te power of physical force that is used by the
Spirit of God m our development, but a mental power which
appeals to our minds and wills.
The Spirit appeals to our reason, and uses the Word of
God as its agent. In the Word, the Spirit has in former
ages stored up, both by prophetic utterances and Law shadows
an types, those truths which God designed should during
tht.s G? spel ge be the food to sanctify the body of Christ and
build It up m the most holy faith. And we act wisely if we
( "Thy words were found
make use of this spiritual food.
and I did eat them." Jer. xv. 16 ) . It is furnished us for the
purpose of sanctifying us. If we go to our Father and say,
Father, I give myself all to thee ; I pray thee, set m e apart
as holy to thy service, both now and hereafter. Give me
needed strength to do thy will. He answers, Yes, my child,
I have already provided a rich store-house of truth from
which, if you eat, you shall have the strength yo ask.
"Knock, and it shall be opened unto you"-"seek, and you
shall find."
The seeker returns, saying, Father, I found the store
house, but saw little but plain food exposed to view. Most
of the cho ce viands mu t have been locked up in the great
closets w ICh the keys dtd not seem to fit. Father, give me
strengt m some other way. No so, my child. Part of your
!essn IS to learn that my .way Is best ; that my way of giv
ng Is your best way of receiving strength. Go ; your strength,
JOy, zeal and love for me will increase as one after another
these closets open before you, revealing their rich treasureR.
Yes, the Word of God is the treasure-house of our Fathl'r
in which h ha st? rd truth to san tify the church in ever
age, wherem IS , given us exceedmg great and precious
.
pouses, that by th.ese we might bevome partalce1s of the
dHJtne n a ture . ,
( 2 Peter 2, 4)
In it i'l revealed "thP
love of Christ ( which ) constraVn.eth us." (2 Cor. v. 14 ) , and
.
by means of It our Master prayed that we should be sancti
fied : "Father, sanctify them throug-h thy truth. Thv word 1s
truth." ( John xvii. 17. ) What Christian, then, wlw desire;;;
sanctification can aff rd to ignore the Scripture> ? Which one
.
Will say he has no time to examine and seek in it for truth 1
As well say he has no time for sanctification. "It is the power
of God unto salvation."
( Rom. i. 16. )
Let us, then who
seek this great sa lva tion-high calling-say to ourseles as
Paul said to Timothy (2 Tim. iii. I 5- 1 7 ) , "From a child
thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make
te wise uno salvation." "All Scripture given by inspira
tiOn of God Is profitable, for doctrine, for reproof for cor
rection, for instruction in righteousness ; that the m n of God
may be perfect, th?roughly furnished unto all good works."
Now call to mmd the steps : First, justification of the
hluma.n nature; second, a consecration or sacrifice of that
human. nat'!"'e to God, its o_n sequent death and the beginning
of your existence as a sptn.tual new creature in the human
body ding the present life ; third, the completion of your
n:ew, dwme n_atre, b the power of God, when you will be
hke unto Christ s glorious b ody-who is the express image of
the Father's person. Glorious, high calling ! You are called.
Do you sk how you can make it sure t I answer, by
.
domg accordmg to your covenant ; give up your all to Father
and let him use you as he sees best-

"All for Jesus ! all for Jesus !

All your being's ransomed powers ;
All your thoughts and words and doings,
All your days and all your hours."
"If you do these things ( which you covenanted ) ye shall
never fall : for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you
abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ." ( 2 Pet. i. 1 0- 1 1 . ) God will surely keep
his part of the agreement [ Faithful is he that called you] .
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him." ( 2 Tim. ii. 12. )

[ 200]

If I in thy likeness, 0 Lord, may awake '

And shine a pure image of thee,

Then I shall be satisfied when I can break
The fetters of flesh and be free.

QUESTIONS OF CORRESPONDENTS
QUESTION.-Bro. R., how could Moses appear on the Mount
of Transfiguration if not translated ?
ANSWER.-Moses was not translated ; h e died. ( See Deut.
xxxiv. 5 . ) He could have been resurrected by God's power,
but not as a spiritual body since Jesus was "the firstborn
from the dead" to a spiritual body ; "put t o death i n the flesh
but quickened by the Spirit." Moses may have been o n the
Mount as a fleshly being but nothing in the narrative demands
it. Jesus doubtless knew all about it and he charged them
straightly, sllying, "See that ye tell no man the vision until,"
etc., ( Matt. xvii. 9. )
If he thus calls it a vision who am I
that I should call it a reality.
QuEs.-Bro. R., why do you advise us to read the tracts
carefully before handing to others ? I read them many times
and have been much instructed by so doing. I don't know why
I should doubt the truths they teach.
ANs.-The habit of giving tracts, etc., of whose contents
the distributors are ignorant, often does harm. We should be
as careful about not distributing moral poison as any othermore so. If all our readers learn to examine the tracts it
will a id them in the use of the same care with other writings,
to see whether it be food or poison. If by reading they are
convinced that the tracts are food, such as many are starving
for, it will fire their zeal in distributing them.
Then. too, we should like to think of all readers of the
'WATCH TowER as preachers of God's plan and truth : "living
epistles known and read of all men" "ready always to give
a n answer t o every m a n that asketh you a reason o f the hope
that is in you, with meekness ." ( 1 Peter iii. 15. ) The reading of the tracts might be God's way of making ready your
answer.
QuEs.-Dear Bro., do you not see that we, the people of
these U. S. are the seed of Abraham, the lost tribes of Israel !
ANs.-Abraham was the father of two seeds, the children
of the flesh [ twelve tribes of Israel] and the children of
promise, [ faith ] , of which two seeds Ishmael and Isaac were
types.
( Rom. ix. 8, and Gal. iii. 23, 28, 3 1 . )
"There are
piritual promises for the spiritual seed, which is Christ,"
"and if ye be Christ's ( members ) then are ye Abraham's
( spiritual ) seed."
( Gal. iii. 16, 29. ) None of the spiritual
promises belong to the natural flesh lf seed, though any of
them may give up their earthly promises and with the
"fi<'ntiles become fellow-heits and of the same body [of Christ]
and partak('fs of his promise, in Christ." Eph. iii. 6.
Almost all of the fleshly seed are so blinded by the fleshly
promises, that they do not see the greater spiritual prize. ( See
Rom. ix. 30-32. ) "What, then, Israel hath not obtained that
\\hich he seeketh for [the chief blessing through Abraham ]
hut the election [the remnant, the few, in connection with the
Gmtiles] hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." But,
"they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted
in again"-into the spiritual promises.
[ That is, as a nation they lost those spiritual promises and were cut off from
them ; but believing Israelites, as well as Gentiles, may be
grafted into the spiritual vine by faith.] But, I would not,
( spiritual ) brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this
mystery . . . . that blindness in part [to the larger part] hath
happened unto Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come
in [to the spiritual blessings] And [thus] all Israel shall
be saved." [Receive the things promised them as the natural
seed, viz : 1 "There shall come out of Zion the deliverer ( the
spiritual seed ) who shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
( fleshly seed. )
For this is my covenant unto them." ( Rom.
xi. 7-23-25 and 26. )
These two seeds of Abraham are referred to in Rom. iv.
1 6 : That "the promise m ight be sure to all the seed ( natural
and spiritual ) not to that only which is of the law ( the
natural ) but to that also which is of the faith."
We know not whether the people of these United States
and o f England are the natural, fleshly descendants o f Israel
or not. It could make no difference as regards the spiritual
"prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus." If they are, and
were made to know it, the effect of those earthly promises
would probably be to blind them to the spiritual prize as it
did the others, 1800 years ago. If they are of the natural
seed, they will receive grand blessings in the coming age,
after the spiritual seed has been exalted to glory and power;
as it is written. "They shall obtain mercy [ God's promised
blessings] through your mercy" [ through the spiritual seed] .
Rom. xi. 3 1 .
Bro. A . Hipsher, for answer t o your question : see "Unpardonable Sin," page 3.
QUEs.-Dear Bro. what kind of bodies will little children
have in the resurrection !
ANs.-Paul gives us an answer to this question in 1 Cor.
xv. 38 : "God giveth
to every seed his own body. "There
is a natural body and there is a spiritual body''-vs. 44.

Adam, the perfect man will serve a'l an illustratiOn of a perfeet natural ( human ) body, what the earthly onPs hall a l l
be when the work of resurrection and restitution, i com p l ct P .
Christ's body after his resurrection will erve a'! an illw,tra
tion of a spiritual body. Like him, we who ha \e been be
gotten of the Spirit shall be, " hen we get our birth, a'l 1 u ;
have borne the image of the earthly, ue shall also hear the
image of the heavenly.-Vs. 4 8, 49.
Now, let us use this rule : Were these children begott('n
and born of the flesh-fleshly bodies ? Yes. Were they aft(r
ward "begotten of the Spirit by the word of truth ?" X n
Then they remained natural, or human, and a'l such belong t n
the natural seed, and in the resurrection, God w i l l gin tn
every seed his own body ; consequently they as part of thr
natural seed will have a natural body, while we who haYe brPn
begotten of the spirit, and arc therefore of the SJHrifurtl 9red,
will have our own bodies, viz : spiritual bodies, "like untu
Christ's glorious body.
While they are designed ultimately to reach thP anw
grand perfection of powers, and being enj oyed by the hf'll rl
of the human family, ( Adam ) , yet we do not suppose that
they will come out of their graves thus perfect. \Yc p1 e81011r
( merely ) that they will arise children anrl rlf'nlop.
TlH
government, etc., of children will be much ea"Icr \\ hf'n t llf
curse begins to roll away ; besidl's, in past agc'l the pro po rti o n
of deaths in childhood, was much less than now.
Bro. J. Baldwin : It would require the entire spacr of Z .
\V. T. for a year or more to answer all your questions in full.
We commend to you the reading of all the tracts 3 or 4 time'\ ;
then read "DAY DAWN." You need not expect to obtain all
the truth on so great and grand a subject at one swallow, it
is a continuous eating. You must seek. "He that seeketh
findeth." "Then shall we know if we follmr on to know th<'
Lord." ( Hos. vi. 3. )
QuEs.-Dear Bro. R., may we be sure we belong to the
"little flock," or must we be in doubt ?
ANS.-"1 know in whom I have bel ieved, and am persuaded
that he is able to keep ( preserve) that ( life ) which I have
committed unto him against that day." Paul thus expreses
his and our confiden<'e in God that he is both able and will
ing to do for us, all of hio; part of the connant. The qn<'s
tion, then, of our membership in the little flock depends entirely upon our keeping our part of the covenant. \Ye arc
his spiritual sheep, ever since we entered our covenant rPi a tionship,-we are his workmanship. If we are entirely gin'n
up to him, so that his will is accomplished in us f the human
nature crucified] he will give 11" the grand prtze. If we hind<'r
the work by opposition o f our w ills, w e Jose the prize and arc
obliged to come through the fire of tribulation in onlcr to
obtain the spiritual body.
We may not be able to say : the prize will surely be mi ll(' ;
but we can say if now entirely given up,-The prize is mine>
today unless 1 lose it tomorrow ; and by God's grace 1 will
"keep my body [humanity] under lct after having preached to
others [of the grand prize] 1 myself should be a castaway"
( from it. )
QuEs .-Do you, Brother Russel1 ' ful l,\ agrrr with t 1 H'
articles from Brother Jones' prn in a recc>nt nnmhc>r
ANs.-In the main, yes. Perhaps no t\\'O write! " would
express the same thoughts in exactly the same words, hut the
sentiments, l'tc., I endorse, as being in my judgment I ll har
mony with the teachings of the Word. Let m<' guard yon .
however, against supposing that t he change from natural to
spiritual bodies will be either a gradual one. or one of wh i ch
you might he in doubt. We shall be "changed in a mom<'nt.
in the twinkling of an eye," and it will be a ra d i ca I cha ng'
No longer, na tnral, earthly, weak and COIT!Iptill lr. but powrrful, spiritual, incorruptible, immortal-"lik<> unto Chr i t ' ;;
glorious body ; " though appearing ( as seems to h<' taught
in the types ) for a while to mankind in gencr.d. a t l! O I I flh
we had not been changed. \Vh m thus changed, we> ran ('f>
all others on the spiritual plane. the Lord, the prophet;; anl
resurrected gaints and those similarly changed. The ra i l will
be only to those on the natural plane. Therefore be not
deceived into supposing either yourself or others changrd until
you can do as Jesus said everyone born of the Spirit can do.
and as he did when he was born from the dl'ad. Yi7. : go
and come like the wind. and no man know whence vou came
o r whither ou went. "So is every one that is hon o f t h e
Spirit." Jno. iii. 6.
How beautifully clear it is that our change from n,thtral
to spiritual conditions if not the marriage but a prl'paration
for it. The Bridegroom is since his resurrection a !<piritua l
body. and how fittingly proper it would sPem that t hP hri rJ,,
should be ehangPd to the same image and nature bdore
sharing the glory of power with him-the marriage.

[ 20 1 ]

( 8)

AN OPEN LETTER
"Dear Brother Russell, I write to ask your prayers for
Mr. C., his wife, son and daughter. They are steeped in
sin. Pray that they may be saved and become members of the
bride of Christ."
My dear Brother, your request would be considered a
very reasonable and proper one by most of Christian people ;
but from our standpoint it would be the height of presumption.
I can and do thank God that they and all others of our
race ABE SAVED, are redeemed, and that in God's "due time"
they will be entirely released from the bondage of sin and
death, and during the next ( Millennia! ) age will come to a full
knowledge of their Redeemer, and have abundant opportunity
to come to the condition of perfect men and women for
"Jesus Christ, by the grace of God tasted death for every
man," "gave himself a ransom for all to be TESTIFIED I!{ DUE
TIME."

To ask God to convert by any other means than the

1cord "which is able to make them wise ( now ) unto salva

tion," would be to ask him to perform a miracle. If this be

his WILL he can do so ( as in Paul's case ) without my asking
him ; and would do so whether I ask or not. If not God's will
to make an exception of Mr. C. and family, who am I that
I should ask him to change his plans to suit mine 1 Oh,
no ! rather reverse the order and change my will to suit his
plans.
His plan is to give "Restitution" to the billions in the
next age, but to select now during the Gospel age "a little
flock" ( from among the billions who are redeemed from
death ) -to take out a people for his name-to be "the
bride, the Lamb's wife" and bear his name. It is not our
business to help the Lord decide who shall be of that selected
company.
The key to many unanswered prayers is, "Ye ask and re
ceive not, because ye ask amiss." To be sure of an answer we
must ask in harmony with God's plan and word. Suppose
now that I should ask the Lord that Mr. C. and family may be
a part of Christ's bride, and suppose Mr. C. should not be the

Lord's choice for that exalted position, one of two things

would surely follow : either the Lord would take some one con
trary to his will, or my prayer would go unanswered. And
undoubtedly it would be the latter-an unanswered prayer.
Unacceptable prayers come from one of two causes : Either
they are the desire of our old ( human ) nature or of the new
spiritual nature uninstructed as to how to ask and what to
ask for.
Now brother, your request was undoubtedly made by your
spiritual nature. So far it was good ; but our new nature or
new mind can at present operate only through the natural
body and may consequently make mistakes ( therefore, "in
this tabernacle we groan"-longing for our spiritual body,
which will be fully in harmony with our new nature---u
-o r
birth ) . It is because we are thus hampered by the imperfec
tions of earthly conditions that "the Spirit helpeth our in
firmities ; for we know not what things we should ask for as
we ought, but the spirit maketh intercession for the saints
according to the will of God."
( Rom. viii. 26. ) Therefore,
sometimes God answers very improper prayers in a very gra
cious manner, though not according to the asking.
If we would ask and receive, we should study to ask aright.
"Let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our
heart be acceptable before thee, 0 Lord, our strength and our
Redeemer."
There is only one source from which we can learn "what
things we should ask for," and that is the Spirit's text-book
the Bible. How important, then, it is for us to use our text
book and be well acquainted with God's plan that we may
ask in harmony with it and receive. How fully this point
was covered by our Lord Jesus, when he said : "If ye abide in
me ( first condition ) and my words abide in you ( second condi
tion ) , ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto
you."
Truly, your brother in Christ.
Truth itself, severed from the love of the truth, may be
an idnl.-Pascal.

TWIG TO BRANCHES
Brother Sunderlin, in closing a letter, recently received,
said : "This twig sends love to all the branches of the vine."
We take this opportunity of sending it to such branches as
are readers of the WATCH TOWER. It expresses a very beauti
ful sentiment, and shows the modesty of the "twig." This,
as has previously been shown in the WATCH TOWF..B, is the
right understanding of the word "branch," as used by our
Lord. It is common to hear people speak of belonging to the
Methodist branch of the church, or the Baptist, or other
branches, thus recognizing the fact that THE CHURCH is not
a branch, but a vine, composed of all truly united to Christ.
A careful reading will convince anyone that Jesus recognizes
no denomination as a branch. Jesus deals with us as in
dividuals ; each Christian who consecrates himself to Christ
is a branch of the vine. ''I am the vine, ye are the branches."
If all could know and appreciate this, it would make them

less particular about having their names enrolled on earth, and

more particular about having their "names written in heaven ; "
less careful about the "voice" and "authorities" o f a n earthly
institution, and more careful about the authority and voice of
the Master and Head, Christ.-"The bead of every man
[believer] is Christ, and the head of Christ is God." [ 1 Cor.
xi. 3.]
Well, we thought that most of the branches would appreci
ate Bro. S.'s sentiment, for love is the essence of the branrh
as well as of the vine, and in answering him, we suggested
that be write some for our paper, which would be one means
by which he might add to the spiritual health, comfort and
fruitfulness of some of the "branches." He has concluded
to do so, and we have added his name to the list of con
tributors on first page. This number contains two articles
from his pen.

TIME SERVERS
The trimming, hesitating policy of many reminds us of
Luther's words to Erasmus : ''You desire to walk upon
eggs without crushing them, and among glasses without break
ing them ! " This is a difficult game to play at, and one which
is more suitable for a clown at a theater than a servant of
Christ. When you are attempting to compromise, you have
to look around you and move cautiously as a tight-rope dancet ,
for fear of offending on one side or the other. A little too
much this way or that and over you go. A cat on hot cinders
is in an unenviable position. No true-hearted man will ever
bear such wretched constraint for any length of time, or in
deed at all. Think of being able to go no further than the
aforementioned timorous, time-serving Erasmus, who said, "I
will not be unfaithful to the cause of Christ ; at least so far

as the age will permit me.''

Out upon such cowardice : life is

too dear when bought at such a price.-Spurgeon.
When a cloud comes between us and the sun, it robs us for
the time of the enjoyment of its beams. It does not prevent
him from shining, it merely hinders our enjoyment of him.
Exactly so it is when we allow trials and sorrows, difficulties
and perplexities, to hide from our souls the bright beams of
our Father's countenance, which ever shine with changeles11
lustre in the face of Jesus Christ. There is no difficulty too
great for our God ; yea, the Teater the difficulty the more
room there is for him to act m his proper character, as the
God of all p ower and grace. It is the privilege of faith to
find God behind the cloud in all his faithfulness, love and
power.-Sel.

DEAD AND BURIED

In the fourth century a young earnest disciple sought
an interview with the great and good Macarius, and asked
him what was meant by being dead to sin. He said, ''You
remember our brother who died and was buried a short time
since. Go to his grave and tell him all the unkind things
you ever heard of him. Go, my son, and hear what he will
answer.'' The young man doubted whether he understood ;
but Macarius only said, ''Do as I tell you, my son ; and
come and tell me what he says." He went, and came back,
(7-1!)

saying, ''I can get no reply ; he is dead.'' "Go again and

try him with flattering words-tell him what a great saint
he was, what noble work he did, and how we miss him ; and
come again and tell me what he says.'' He did so, but on
his return said, ''He answers nothing, father ; he is dead and
buried.'' "You know now, my son," said the old father, "what
it is to be dead to sin, dead and buried with Christ. Praise
and blame are nothing to him who is really dead and buried
with Christ.'' (Rom. vi. 3.) -Belected.

[202]

CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
"The true doctrine is not our right to think for ourselves,
but the right of the other man to think for himelf!
The impression very widely prevails that the battle for
Christian l iberty has been fought and won. So far as re
gards precaution of the more active kind, this is the case in
the larger part of the civilized world. The right of the minor
ity to free speech and free action in the line of conscientious
conviction, is, in theory at least, conceded.
But it is a mistake to assume that because harsh laws
have been softened, human nature has been radicaiiy changed.
The grosser forms of persecution have disappeared, but subtler
forms remain. The intolerant spirit has survived the death
of many institJtions by which intolerance was once mani
fested. Christian liberty is still, in a considerable degree,
conceded only in theory. Mt>n still endeavor to punish those
who have the temerity to differ from them.
There is no cause for astonishment at this manifestation of
inconsistency. It is one of the curious things in human his
tory to see how generally the persecuted have be
come in turn the persecutors the moment the power
was lodged in their hands.
And why !
Bcause the
true principle of Christian liberty had not been grasped,
and is to this day apprehended by only a few. The right of
any body of men to differ from others has always been claimed
by them ; there is no novelty in that. From the beginning,
every Christian sect that has arisen has vehemently contended
for its right to differ from others. It has protested against
persecution-that is to say, the persecution of itself by others.
But in few cases has any sect conceded the right of others
to differ from it, or forborne to persecute when it had the

power. And in our own day each man is prompt to claim

and assert the right to think for himself, but how loth mot
are to concede the equal right of all other men to think for
themselves. Every one resents any attempt to coerce him
into the avowal of anything that he does not honestly belie\e,
but how few fail to attempt to coerce otherb.
The true doctrine of Christian liberty is not our right to
think for ourselves, but the right of the other man to think
for himself. There is no danger now that our right w i l l not
be insisted upon and enforced, particularly if our thinking
happens to fall in with that of the majot ity. It is the other
man's liberty that is in danger, particularly if he is in the
minority.
It is his liberty that demands defense at al l
hazards ; for, if liberty is denied him, how long w i l l it be
conceded to us ?
To demand liberty for the other man, even when he dtffer>
from us, is not to admit that truth and error are e;;sentially
one, or to deny that it is of great consequence what th e other
man believes and teaches. It may be our duty to oppose wtth
all our might what he teaches, to denounce it as a deadly
error. But this may be done without identi fying the man with
what he teaches, and without the display of the spirit of iu
tolerence and persecution. We need not try to make the
man odious because his opinion is odious to us.
To be
loyal to the truth, and yet faithfully to recognize the equal
rights of all men to free thought and free speech, is not always
an easy task. The two may, however, be combined. And
nothing can be more certain than the preservation of Chris
tian liberty for any if conditioned on the concession of that
liberty for all.-N. Y. Ea:aminer.

THE IRON WOLF

"I conducted, two months ago," said a clergyman, "the
funeral services of one of my parishioners. He had been a
farmer. Forty years ago he had commenced work with one
hundred acres of land, and he ended with one hundred. He
was a skillful, industrious workingman, but he had laid by no
money in the bank. I understood the reason as I listened to
the comments of his friends and neighbors.
" 'It was always a warm, hospitable house,' said one. 'The
poor man was never turned away from that door. His sons
and daughters all received the best education which his means
could command. One is a clergyman, one a civil engineer, two
are teachers-all lead useful and happy lives.'
"Said another : 'Those children sitting there weeping are
the orphans of a friend. He gave them a home. That crippled
girl is his wife's niece. She lived with them for years. 'l'hat
young fellow who is also weeping so bitterly, was a waif that
he rescued from the slums of the city.'
"And so the story went on-not of a miser who had heapea
dollar upon dollar, but of a servant of God who helped many
lives, and had lifted many of them out of misery and ignorance
into life and joy.
"On my way hume from the funeral I stopped at the
farm of another parishioner, who said to me in a shrill,
rasping tone :
" 'So poor Gould is dead ! He left a poor account--not a
penny more than he got from his father. Now I started with
nothing, and look here,' pointing to his broad fields. 'I own
down to the creek. D'ye know why ? When I started to
keep house I brought this into it first thing,' taking an old iron

savings bank in the shape of a wolf out of the closet. 'Every

penny I could save went into its j aws. It is surprising how
many pennies you can save when you've a purpose. l\1y pur
pose was to die worth $ 100,000. Other folks ate meat ; we atl'
molasses. Other folks dressed their wives in merino ; mine
wore calico. Other men wasted money on schooling ; my boy,
and girls learned to work early and keep it up late. I wasted
no money on churches, sick people, paupers, and books. And,'
he concluded triumphantly, 'now I own the creek ; and that
land with the fields yonder, and the stock in the barns, are
worth $ 100,000. Do you see it ?'
"And on the thin, hard lips was a wretched attempt to
laugh. The house was bare and comfortless ; his wife, worn
out with work, had long ago gone to her grave. Of his
children, taught only to make money a god, one daughter,
starved in body and mind, was still drudging in the kitchen ;
one son had taken to drink, having no other resourse, ami
died in prison. The other, a harder miser than his father,
remained at home to fight with him over every penny wrung
out of their fertile fields.
"Yesterday I buried this man," continued the clergyman.
"Neither neighbor nor friend, son nor daughter, shed a tear
over him. His children were eager to begin the quarrel for
the ground he had sacrificed his life to earn. Of it all he had
now only enough to cover his decaying body. Economy for
a noble purpose is a virtu e ; but in the house of some it
is avarice, and like a wolf, devours intelligence, religion
hope and life itself."-Friendly Companion.

DEATH NOT LIFE

I think we are not warranted in concluding ( as some
have done ) , so positively concerning this question, as to
make it a point of Christian faith to interpret figuratively,
and not literally, th,e "death" and the "destruction" spoken
of in Scripture as the doom of the condemned : and to in
sist on the belief that they are kept alive forever.
"Life," as applied to their condition, [the condition of the
righteous] is usually understood to mean "happy life." And
that their's will be a happy life, we are indeed plainly taught ;
but I do not think we are any where taught that the word
"life" does of itself necessarily imply happiness. If so indeed,
it would be a mere tautology to speak of a ''happy life ; "
and a contradiction to speak o f a "miserable life ; " which we
know is not the case, according to the usage of any language.
In all ages and countries, "life,' and the words answering to it
in their languages, have always been applied, in ordinary
discourse, to a wretched life, no less properly than to a
happy one.
Life, therefore, in the received sense of the word would
apply equally to the condition of the blest and the condemned,

supposing these last to be destined to continue forever Ih

ing in a state of misery. And yet, to their condition the
words "life" and "immortality" never are applied in Scrip
ture. If, therefore, we suppose the bearers of Jesus and hi
Apostles to have understood, as nearly as possible, in the
ordinary sense, the word'! employed, they must naturally ltaw
conceived them to mean ( if they were taught nothing to tlw
<'Ontrary ) that the condemned were really a nd l iterally to
be "destroyed," and cease to exist : not that they were t o
exist forever in a state o f wretchedness. For thev are never
spoken of as being kept alive, but as fot feiting iife ; as for
instance : "Ye will not come unto me that ve mav han' lift> . "'
"He that hath the Son hath Jife; and 'Iw tl{at hath not
the Son of God hath not life."
And again. "perdition ."'
"death,'' "destruction,'' are employed in numerous pa ;:sagE>
to express the doom of the condemned. All which ex p re!lion
would, as I have said, be naturRllv takE>n in tht>ir uual a n d
obvionR sense. i f nothing were taught to tilE' <'On t ra ry
A rchbishop Wh11 tely

[ 203]

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IMMORTALITY AND INCORRUPTION

Thl' following. in answer to a correspondent's question,

may be of g"<'lttra I inhrl',;t to our readers : Tht G ntk word aph t h a1sia i s rendered immortality in Rom.
I 1 7 : a u d l n orrupl ! u l e 1 n Hom. l : .l, I Co1 . fl : 25 atHI l !i : 52,

F.ph. tl : :!-! and Titus 2 : i ; a nd 1 11corruption in 1 Cor. 1 5 : 42, 50,

;; :!, .->4.
The G re<>k word aph t h a rtos is rendered immortal in 1 Tim.
1 1 7 . a n d l ll 'uJ ruptl ulc m H o 1 1 1 . 1 : 23 ; 1 Cor. 9 : 25 aml 1 5 : 52,
a n d 1 l'tt. 1 : 4, 23 a n d 3 : 4.

'l'hec are the only o<mTences of this word. The Greek

wun1 a tlw na. z a is tr an l a ted imm01tality, but th1ee times
) Cur. l !i : .iil, 54 and l Tim. 6 : 1 6.
l lt>t h t he word.., a g wn tlw :>ense of 1 11w1 0rt a l , hy l ex icogra
phr,:. Li d le l l an1l Scott, -. ta u dard authorities, give it thus.
P l u t .u h u -e, o ph th a rto:; a" 1 11 t.:orr u p t 1 b lP, immortul.
And
rt !><'l'lll:> to be the cxat word COI'I'l'Mponding to our words,
uwurru p l l ile I not l i abl e to l'urrupt, or to be corrupted] , and
1 111 1/Wr/a l [u o t mortal-not su l1ject or liable to death] .
. t n thmw 8 w , w h i l e i t 1 s properly translated immo1tal ac
conl l llg to lhage, does not so much have the sense of not
l w blc to die, as that of mwhangeability.
Hence apthartos
1s t h e word whil'h most c l o s el y corresponds to our word im
mortal, i. r. , n o t mo rt a l . not perishable, not corruptible. This
I s s ho wn !Jy the re l ati o n h i p between corruptible and incor
r u p t i b l e in I Cor. 1 5 : G:l a n d 54, which in the Greek as in thl'
English ;.tand related, of the same root, the Greek being
]Jh t luu fus n n d (tpl! tlt a l tus. Not so, however, the words mortal
and tmmortal in thP arne verses. In the English these words
are closely rehtt!'l. lmt the Greek uses words totally distinct
and not r .. latP<I-tlwrtos and athanasia, the sense being, "This

mortal (dying condition] shall put on [or assume] immortal

ity" La lasting or unchangeable condition ] .
o, tht>n, t he attempt of some to make out that inco1-1'uptible refers to one state, and immortality to another, i11
without foundation, and probably the result of lack of thor
oughness in the examination of the subject. Prof. Young,
Liddell and Scott, and all translators are right in using the
two English words immortal and incorruptible interchange
ably. As above suggested, however, we would have preferred
it had athanasia been translated unchangeability in the three
cases where it occurs, although our word immortality covers
the idea of unchangeability.
With this change 1 Cor. 1 5 : 53, 54 would read thus :
"The [ special] dead [ i . e., the saints] will be raised incorrupti
ble [i. e., immortal, not liable to corrupt, decay, o r perish] and
tve [of the same special class] shall be changed." "For of
necessity this corruptible diseased, perishable condition ]
must be invested with incorruptibility [ imperishable quality]
and this mortal [ dying condition] must be invested with
immortality" [unchangeability] . "And when this corruptible
[perishAble condition ] shall be i nvested with incorruptibility
[ imperishable quality] and this mortal [dying condition] shall
be clothed with unchangeability [ immortality ] , then will that
prophetic promise be fulfilled [which says] "Death will be
swallowed up in victory." That is to say : when this special
class, the dead and we, the overcomers, the saints, are changed
to undying, changless conditions, then will that prophecy of
Isaiah 25 : 8 begin to be fulfilled to the world-the Millennial
work of abolishing death and restoring life will then go on
successfully.

AN ACCUSER SILENCED
Two fellow-travelers were seated together in a railway
l'arriage engaged in earnest conversation. It was of a religious
nature, and one of them, a skeptic, was evidently seeking to
cxt:use hi-. ;,keptieism by expatiating on the various evils
whic-h uttl i<t Christendom. He was detailing, with manifest
pleasu re, tl1!' hypocrisy and the craft and the covetousness and
t h e d i v i w n s fouml in the professing Church, and then he
pomted to '>orne of the leaders, as the most markedly corrupt
uf the w hol e .
In front of them sat a Christian who was compelled to
ltPar all this. Had he felt the accusations to be false, he
might have suffered them all, as a part of the hatred the
w o rl d hPars toward Christ, and been truly hAppy in so
uiTering- ; but he knew them to be true--too true to be con
l'ealed from the most charitable mind, so all he could do was
to bow his head and bear the deserved reproach.
Soon. however, the a('cuser, anxious to extend the circle
of his aud ience, addressed this fellow passenger in front of
him.
"I ee you are quick to detect evil," answered the Chris
t i a n , a n d you read character pretty well.
You have been

uncovering here the abominable things which have turned

Christendom into a wreck, and are fast ripening it for the
judgment of God. You have spared none lmt given all a
good measure. Now I am a Christian, and I love the Lord
Jesus and his people. Not a word shall I offer in defense,
but I here solemnly challenge you to spm k the first word
against the Lord Jesus Chnst Himself."
The skeptic was surprised. He seemed almost frightened,
and sheepishly replied, "Well, no ; I couldn't find fault with
Him. He was perfect.
"Just so," said the Christian ; "and therefore was my heart
attracted to Him ; and the more I look at Him, the more
I found I wasn't like Him at all, but only a poor, sinful,
guilty man. But tell me yourself i f I haven't a right to be
happy and to love Him when I found out that He had died
for me ; that on the cross He had fully paid all my debt, and
thus cleared me of all guilt ? Ever since then I truly love
Him, and all the evil which professed followers of His may
do, cannot turn me away from Him. My salvation hangs on
what He has done, and not on what they are doing."-Hora tius
Bonar.

DISCORD PRECEDES HARMONY

to me the
arc a l l m a k iug m fit
<haract'I for e te m i ty .
<lid you I'\ (r go the1 e

trials and the temptations of this life

for the life to come--building up a
You have been in a piano manufactory ;
for the sake of music ! Go into the
t u n m g roo111 and you w ! l l say, "My dear sir, this is a dreadful
p l aee t o IJe i n ; I c an n ot bear i t ; I thought you made music
here." They say, "No ; we do not produce music here ; we

make the instruments and tune them here, and in the process
much discord is forthcoming." Such is the church of God on
earth. The Lord makes the instruments down here, and tunes
them, and a great deal of discord is perceptible, but it is all
necessary to prepare us for the everlasting harmonies up
yonder.-Spurgeon.

-Sub<;cribers write us saying that they are "very poor

and will end money for the paper as soon as they can get
1 t ."
To an -.wer all such at once let us say that if you are
1 ery por,r we do not want you to send us any money.
Let
u k n ow that you want it and you can have it free.

Truth itself, severed from the love of the truth, may be an

idoL-Pascal.

It

see m

A GOOD man incarnates goodness.

fragrance are one.

The flower and its

GOD'S LOVE TO ME
I l ove to '>it, and think,
How Je<;U'l cam e to me ;
A n d brought his box of jewels
Which ange l 'l longed to see.
He

He said, "My chosen one,

Put on these jewels bright ;
And follow where I lead you,
To lands of pure delight.
I soon will take you hence
My home to share, with me ;
There you shall ever be my bride,
Throughout eternity."

opened wide the lid,

And took them. o n e by one ;

J l ,. "howe<] them u n to me
Tiwi 1 I i gl r t was like tire sun.
I!IJ J

--MRH. A . M. R.-Newarlv , N .

[204]

.1.

PITTSBURGH, PA., A PRIL, 1 881

VoL. II

THE RESURRECTION
The death and resurrection of a human body as a thing
distinct and separate from the intelligent being, is never men
tioned in the Scriptures.
W e never read that Abraham's
body died, nor that Jesus' body died nor any one's bod!f died.
Being sjgni fi es existence, and there can be n? bemg or
existence without life and body both. Withdraw hfe and the
being or existence ceases, for life is but a power or principle,
the same in the l ower animals as in man ; the difference i n
qualities between man and the brute, consisting not in a different kind o f life, but in a different kind of body.
.
.
Any being is properly called a sou l or person.
Thl Is
the Scriptural sense and usage of the wor
soul, so httle
understood ; viz. Being ( l ife and body combmed. )
Thus we
read of the creation of Adam-"And the Lord God formed
man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life ( ruach-the same breath said to be given
to beasts, birds and fishes ) and man became a living soul,"
( being. )
Gen. 2 -7.
.
We will cite a few il lustrations of the Bible usage of the
word soul showing that it signifies being :
Lev. v, 2, "If a
soul ( being-person ) touch any unclean thing he shall be un
clean." Verse 4.
"If a soul ( being ) swear." Verse 1 5.
"I f
a soul ( being ) commit a trespass." Lev. xxii. 1 1 , "If the
pnest buy anv soul ( being ) with his money." Prov. vi. 7, "I f
he steal to sa ify his soul ( being) when he is hungry," Prov.
xxv i i . :w, "The full soul ( bein g ) 1oatheth the honey-comb, but
to the hunory soul ( being ) every bitter thing is sweet." Prov.
xix. 2, "T at the soul ( being ) be without knowledge is not
good."
Verse 15, "An idle soul ( being
shall suffer h?nger."
Luke 1. 46, l\Iary said, "Iy soul ( beng ) doth magnify the
Lord."
,J eu said, "Iy soul ( being ) is exceeding sorrowful
t v n
u n t o death.''
M a t t . Xll.l i. :8, ''Thou shalt lovE> the
Lord . . . . with all thy soul ( beffi.g ) . " Matt. xxii. 37. T e
r i <'h m a n sa i<l, "tloul ( b eing-self ) thou hast much goods lud
up for many years ; take thine ease, eat drink nd be merry.
.
H u t ( : otl -.a i d . Thou fool . t h i s night thy soul ( betng, existence )
wi l l ( cea s e J bt> required of thee." Luke xii. 19, "For what
1s a man profitecl if he shall gain the whole world an
lo e
his own soul ( existence, being, ) or what can a man give m
excha1we for his soul ?" ( being, existence. ) Matt. xvi. 26. How
many
lustrations of this scripture are furnished s in every
dav life.
l\Ien and women labor for wealth, to gam as much

a s possible of the whole world only to find when they are rich
that wea l t h has come at the expense of health.
How many
o'f those who opend their life in laying up earthly reasur e,
.
fi n d that their verv bewg-existence-has been sacrtficed m
gaining wealth.
Ti1en what would they not give to ge ack
.
_
aga in health, etc. They lansh their wealth upon phystcians,
They made a poor ex
tra1 eling, etc, but it is of little use :
change when they gave their being for money.

il

In Acts ii. 4 1 . There were added to the churcl1 about 3,000

souls ( beings per>.onH. )
Acts vii. 1 4, "He f'al hd .Jacob and
h i s kmdred 7'5 souls." ( beings. ) Acts xxvii. 37. "There were
m all m the slup 276 souls" ( beings. ) "Some purified their
souls '
more purely ) in obeying the truth."
1 Pet. i . 22. "The law of the Lord is perfect converting
( changing ) the soul" ( being ) .
Psa. xix. 1 7 .
Other souls
( being s ) were subverted, turned from the truth by error. cts
1 5 : 24, Other, unstable souls ( beings, persons ) were beguiled,
2 Pet. 2 : 1 4 .

( bemgs-lied

The word soul is used, also to represent the being's affec

tions.
"0 thou whom my soul ( being's affection s ) loveth.''
Cant. I : 7. The soul of David ( affections ) was knit unto the
soul of Jonathan . . . . ( The two beings were united. )
Sam.
1 : 18 [ The word soul is used with reference to fish, fow l and
beasts, as it is of man ; to represent their being or exis ten ce,
but is usually translated "life" in our Bibles as in Gen. 1 : 20
& 30, etc . ]
With t h i s view o f t h e meaning of the word, soul, viz : That
it includes all being or existence ( a combination of l ife and
bo<ly ) let UR inquire, VV hat dics-tlw principle o f hfP. or tlw
body ?
W e answer, Neither ; the life principle is one which
pervades all creation j ust as does ele<'tricity.
This princi
ple of life pervades and is an essential element of all IJCing,
in tree, in fish, in fowl, in beast, in man, in angels, and in
thE> fullest degree in G od who is its source or fountain. This
principle cannot be said to die though i f it be withdrawn
from any creature to who God has given it, that cre atu e
.
will die-cease to have betmg.
Thus the breath of hfe IS
taken from beasts, birds, fish and man.
Neither can it be properly said that the body dies, since,
separate from the prinmple of life the body never had life and

('Ollbe(ptently could not die.

The body without the spirit
life ) is dead an d that which i dead cannot dte.

( of

WHAT THEN I S DEATH-WHAT DIES?

\\"e an -.wer, The being dtes-ceases to have bemg or e .nst

e n ee.
Death is the dtssolution, or separation of the thing>
whi<' h combined, constitute being,-namely, life
and body.
Thus wlwn the spirit of life returns to God who ga\ e it ( a l l
n ature i'l His reservoir of l ife ) then, the
is dead and
soon the body will return to the dust from whence it \\ a
taken.
We see clearly then, that not the body but the berrtg
<'alled in Scripture soul-dies.
Let us notice ome i n t a i.H:e
m whi<'h this is stated in so many \\ ords : ,Job 3 1 : 3 9 ( m argmal
reading ) "eauRe the sottl of owner!:! thereof to exp i re"- ( d i "
solve, die. )
''Their soul dieth in youth, etc."
.Job. 3G : 1 4 ,
margin "To deliver their soul ( being ) from death and t o keep
them alive in famine.''
Psa. 33 : 1 9.
"He spared not their soul ( being ) from death ( di o l u t i o n 1 .
He keepeth back his soul ( being ) from the pit" . . . . ( death. )
Job. 33 : 1 8.
" H e shall deliver his soul ( bcr n g ) from the
grave." Psa. 89 : 48. "All souls ( be-in gs ) are mine . . . . the
soul ( being ) that sinneth it shall die."
Ezek. lS 4.
It wa
the soul ( being ) of ,Jesus which was given for our ransom.
' ' Thou shalt make his soul ( b eing ) an offering for ;,in" . . . . .
"He shall see of the travail of his soul and be sati<>fied.''
"He
hath poured out his soul ( being ) unto death .''
I sa. 53 : 1 0 - 1 2 .
But, ( Acts 2 : 3 1 ) "His soul ( being ) was not left in hE'll"
( hades-the condition of de ath . )
He was raised to being
again but a being of a higher order-having a grander than
human form-body.
"Put to death in the flesh but quickened
by the Spirit.'' And now we come to t he point-\\ hat will
The b o dy, says some one.
be raised up, i n the resurrection ?
Not so I answer, it is the BEING that God promises to raise up.
It once existed, and lost existence and is to be raised up to
existence or being again. Men can resurrect a body from the
tomb ( that is, bring a body out of a tomb to the surface ; )
but only God's power can resurrect or bring to existence again
a being who has died.

bemg

We see then that resurrection means the restoring of be

ing.
Now, "with what body do they ( these heins ) l'Ome"
into being again ? ) is a question asked by Paul.
( 1 Cor. 1 5 :
35.
[\\'e have seen that being is made up of two elements,
body, and ;.pirit of li fe-hence if restored to being they must
have some sort of bodies provided them . ]
Paul pro<'eeds
to tel l us, that while each must have a body, yet, in the resur
rection all beings will not have the sa m e l. l11d of bodies.
He
says that therP are two general sort-; or kinds of bodies
the earthly or natural bodies and the spiritual-heavenly
There are two, p e r fP<t i l l ustrations of these two
bodieR.
kinds of bodies :
Adam " a R the head of the ea r th l y , h u m a n
family and a pattern o f t h e pPrfpet human being.
Christ
.Jesus at His resurrection was the first born from the d t> ad to
th e perfeet n ew nature the piritual and liP, "tim born of
the Spirit, i spiri t."
( .John 3 : 6. )
HiR i a ample o r
i l l ustration of a perfect Spiritual body.
All humanity belongs to one of two PlnP r 1 t h e r t ht>
are n a t ura l men-The AnAnc RF:Eil, or t h <' v han htt>n begot
ten of t]l(' Spirit through tlw \lord of t ru t h a n d haw gn en
themselvPs up to Chrit. that the " i l l of God m ig ht l.Je done
in them .
This is the nen/y bE>gottpn m a n : he h e l on s t o t h e
SPIRITU A L HEED.
Now says P au l , ''God gi\eth it a bo dy as i t
hath pleacd Him a n d to e!lel'!f seed hi,. own body."
Th a t i.
those who haw, during the pre e n t l i ft>. bt<'onw pa rt .l k l' r of
the divine nature must needs h a ve a d1 n 1 1 e fonn -a " :; p i r i t u.i l
body" ''like unto Chrbt:s gloriou,; body" whil.- t h o,. e who haH
not thuK ehn nl-{ed nature woultl have no rhangl' of body. W hen
again brought into being, t!H'Y w i l l ha \ e n at u ral. h u m a !l
bodiE'R.

Tlw rt >-.UIT<' d i on whi<'h somt> " i l l havc-. to s p i r i t u a l con

d i t i o n of helllg-with
i r i t u a I ho<lw-i,; i n cr i t ur, thJ g
nattd a;. i a l . by calli ng it "Thc- first r<':; ll l rect inn." 1i 1 ,; t
in impm t a Be<cluef.
It 1,; a l -<o frc-qu e n t l- de,.Ig'!Hi t <'d by t he
a r t i d c T H E ( \ PI"\' n o t i<'ea h l t> Ill tht> G nl'k t P \. t : hut l ,; s ,.,,
'
in o u r Enghh t I a n Rlat ion s ) for i l l n,t ratiOn-nnt Jct> t h t iol 10\\ ing in.;; ta n<'<'" ( LukP 20 : :l ."l . )
''Thc-y t h a t ,;ha l l 1-..' a t

pt t

sp

wo rt h v t o obtain that \l o r l d a n d T i l l " rurr<'<'t ll'n

m: tr l j nor a rc- giVPII in m a r r ingt' "
Aga m . P.11Il
a l wn .v s t a ug h t. t h a t tht>I P w ou ! t ! ht> " : 1 rt>,;urnd i n B b.,th 0 i t i t ,
j u:-t a 1 1 d tht u n J U:'t ; '' yt't It( !<liY" ' " f f hy any ll l t'.l l h T m i )! l l t
a t t a i n u n t o T H J:: rt>-.urntt i o n . "
P h i l . :l : I I
Tht' ti rs l - t o
.\g.un hP ,Jt,Ig na tt-< t I n
p i ntua I <'OIHI i t w n a n l ht'lllg.
rPsll l'l'l'<'tion t o p i i i t ua l b.- i ng a -. ''ll 1 8 1 1'81/l rt'!' f w n , " ht c'd ll>C'
('Ollllt<'d

Jll' i th l' r

[ 205]

(I)

Z I O N 'S

WATC H

ir

Jt'sus was the first one so raised from death to sp i tual bemg.
"That I might know Him and the power of HIS resurrection"
Then fol
( i. e., t ha t I might be rnised as He was raised. )
lows an account of ltow he might attain to that gwrious
remrrection to spiritual being, viz. :
"knowing the fellowship
of His su
ri ngs and being made conformable unto His death,"
( Phil. 3 : 10. )
Xone will atta in to this chief resurrection, except they con
secra t<> l
s
-. <> ntircly t o God's service. "\Ve beseech yon
t h r fo r brethrcn , by the mercies of God, that you present
-our bodies ( a nd a 1l their powers, talents, reputations-all )
a liviuq sacnfice, holy, acceptable unto God, your reasonable
service:"
So sha ll you be among those who shall be in THE
first
s r ct on for "Blessed and holy are all they that have
part in THE FIRST resurrection : on such the second death hath
no power ; hut they shall be priests of God alld of Christ,
( Rev. 20 : 6. )
a n d reign with Him a thousand years."
We ca n know little about the perfection and grandeur
a nd po" ers of those who shall become spiritual beings except
that they will be "like unto Christ's glorious body."
( Phil.
3 : 2 1 . ) .-\.s the Apostle says : "It doth not yet appear what
we shall be, but \\ e know that when He shall appear we shall
What an answer is this to
be hke H i m." ( I .John 3 : 2.)
those who claim that nothing is real but a flesh and bone
bodv .
\Yho would insist that Jesus, after His resurrection
was the very same flesh and bones He was before He died ?
Wa'l that a glorious body ? No, that was the body he took
for the suffering of death-but being put to death in the
flesh He was quickened by the Spirit, "a. life-giving spirit."
( 1 Cor. 15 : 45 ) Now He is the express image of the Father's
Is the Father and Creator of all things simply a
person.
great Man ? Nay, verily, "God is a Spirit." "It doth not yet
appear, what . . . . . . but we shall be like Him." Away with
that grossness of materialism, which can realize nothing high
er than the na tural, human plane. Let us take Paul's account.
There are human na tural bodies and there are spiritual bodies.
Both will be glorious, but the glory of the human, earthly,
( terrestrial ) is one thing and the glory of the spiritual,
h ea enly, celestial, is quite another and quite a different thing.
See ( 1 Cor. 15 : 40. )
The restored world of mankind shall be indeed glorious
m en like the perfect head of the human race, but that glory
\\ill not compare with "the glory that shall be revealed in us,"
who have given up the human nature and become partakers
of the divine nature, into the perfection of which we hope

ffe

ce

t wm dn
c

re ur e i

TO W E R

PITTSBURGH, PA.

soon to be ushered.
Like the earthly one ( Adam ) such will
they be also that are earthly ( human ) -Like the heavenly one
( Christ then "born from the dead" ) -such will they be also
that are heavenly, ( now begotten to the heavenly nature by
the word of God through the Spirit, then to be born into the
perfection of that being ) . Verse 48.
Paul gives us a slight account of the great cha.nge from
natural to spirituaJ which awaits those who have part in THE
first resurrection : Vs. 42 informs us "Thus is THE resur
rection of THE dead :
It is sown in corruption, it is raised in
incorruption ; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory ; it
is sown in weakness, it is raised in power ; it is sown an
animal body, it is raised a spiritual body." [Diaglott] .
OBDEB IN BESlJBBEC'l'ION

All of God's works and plans are full of order :

It has
well been said, Order is the fi rst law of heaven. While, there
shall be a. resurrection both of the j ust and unjust and all
shall be made alive, and while some shall be made alive as
perfect spiritual beings and others in the likeness of the
earthly one, Adam, yet there are times and seasons and orders
for all this, as Paul says :
"But every man in his own order,
Christ the first fruits- ( Jesus the head and we the "mem
bers of his body"---.yet "all ONE body"-The head raised 1800
years ago, the body very soon we trust, ) afterward they that
are Christ's at his ( parousia) presence"-the "great com
pany."
These are the first orders and include all of those who are
of the spiritual family, but there are others-every man in
his own order-and when all of these orders are co mplete
( Paul mentions only those in which the church's interest cen
tered ) when all have been brought to life and perfection
either on the humall or spiritual plane ( except those who
die the "secOftd death" ) "then ( at the end of the 1000 years
reign of Christ and the saints,) cometh the end," "when he
shall have put down all rule and all authority and p ower.
For he must reign until he hath put all enemies under his
feet-The last enemy that shall be destroyed ( during that
1000 years reign ) is death" ( Adamic) in all its forms ; sick
ness, and pains, as well as the tomb--"Then the end" will
have come--the end of sin on earth , the end of the great
work of ransoming mankind and bringing them into full har
mony with their Creator.
Then-the Son shall deliver up
the kingdom-dominion of earth to God even the Father ;
that God may be all-and his will done in all. See vs. 23-28.

FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD

(A

BlJGGES'l'ION)

"Come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the

world is this at whose foundation the kingdom is

prepared1 If there were only one world, and therefore the
word world always meant the same thing, there would be no
room for dicrimination ; but as there are three worlds.--The
world that was, the world that now is, and the world to come-there is room for the question, "Which world is meant !" The
Gr':ek vord tran_slated world, :wherever he heading of this
arti cl e 1s found, 1s Ksmos, '!hiCh, somebmes means the people, or world of mankmd, as m John 3 : 16, "God so loved the
world," but often means, as Greek scholars tell us, the order
or condition o f. things.
The order or state of things-heaven
and earth-which was, Peter tells us, ended at the flood ; the
second orde en_ds at, ?r duri !lg, the sounding f the seve_nth
trumpet wh1c? IS a ss oci ted wt h the second commg of Chnst ;
and then bems the new _or thnd order ; the new heaven and
earth wherem dwelleth n ghteousnss. 2 Pet. 3.
_
.
Now from the foundation of wh1ch of thes_e th_ree worl s s
the kigdom o f God prepared' Our suggestion ts, that tt Is
.
he tlur world and_ not th first.
That the same expression
J s used m soml' Scn ptur es 1 !1 re_ference to the first world, we
do not ? oubt ; a n d n o; to , h 1ch ts meant the plan of the ages
sh ould m a ll cases deterrnme.

Which

We t h i nk it is clear that the Bible reveals three kingdom

ageo:;-the Jewish, Gospel and Millennia} ages,-represented
by the Saviour as the three mea sures of meal , in which the
We can find no trace of a
work goes on to completion.
In it the typical kingkingdom before the Jewish age.
dom was organized.
In the Gospel age, as shown by many
of the Saviour's parables, the church is called the Kingdom.
It is not perfect, however, nor pure, for in it tares and wheat
grow together, until the tares are gathered out of his kingThey could not, of course, be gathered out unless they
dom.
were in.
Some think the kingdom means the earth, and that to
ather the tares out of Hi kingdom means to rid the earth

foundation of the world." Matt. 25 : 34.

of all the world of mankind, except the saints. But if we

understalld their position, they do not seem consistent, for
they teach that instead of taking out the tares, the Lord
will take out the saints, leaving the world of mankind on the
kingdom ( if the earth is the kingdom ) to be burned up. We
seriously doubt if the earth is ever called the kingdom.
We understand that during the Jewish and Gospel ages,
_
the kmgdom of God has been in a process of preparation i but
it is not fully prepared until the end of the Gospel age when
the tares are separated then the wheat shall be exalted to
glorious power, and the begin to "shine forth as the sun in
the kingdom of their Father."
It seems that when the kingdom is prepared it is time to

set it up, as it could not be set up ( put in power-glorified )

if it had no existence, or before it was fully prepared. Just
so the Papal church ( woman ) could not have been placed in
power-i. e., could not have been set up on the beast (Rev. 17, )
before she had a n existence or before she was prepared for
that step, by the completeness of the falling away, or apostacy
from Christ.
When the counterfeit kingdom was thus pre
pared, and set up-put in power-she was then prepared and
ready to gather within her pale the millions upon millions
who would not previously have listened to her voice. So we
believe when the true church or kingdom of Christ is set up,
she will then be prepared to gather to her pale those who
will hear her voice.
It seems to the writer that the setting up of this king
dom, is laying the foundation of the world-to come--the
third and endless order of things, and that it is so prepared
and set up for the benefit of mankind, seems clear from the
text, and also from the fact that "The Spirit flftd the Bride"
shall say :
"Come."
The scene in our text is l aid when the Son of Man shall
have come in His glory ; and that the saints are with H im
in glory before He thus comes is evident, because the gather-

[2 06]

Z I O N 'S

APRIL, 1881

WA T C H

ing of the saints to Christ must precede their coming or ap

pearing with Him ; and Paul tells us that "When Christ who
is our life shall appear, we also shall appear with Him in
glory."
Col. 3 : 4.
Let this fact be noted and it will be seen
that the "sheep" of Matt. 25, are not the saints who are al
ready rewarded and with Christ, but another class. It is not
our notion, as some think, but Paul's statement, that "The
saints shall j udge the world." 1 Cor. 6 : 2.
With this view that it is the foundation of the tkird
world at which the kingdom is prepared, another passage
appears luminous ; "According as He hath chosen us in Him
before the foundation of the world."
Eph. 1 : 4. It seems
more in keeping with the gospel conditions that we are chosen
during the gospel age, in order to be prepared to share in
laying the foundation of the coming world or order of things,

TO WER

(2-3)

and also as the next verse asserts to adopt children by Jesus

Christ to Himself, than that we were chosen, as some ex
press it, "Away back in the counsels of eternity," when we
had no responsibility in the matter.
The means by which
we are chosen in Christ are not omitted by the apostle, which
show that though the Lord is the prime mover in the work,
yet they involve the mental action and obedience of the chosen
one : "Through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth."
We do not doubt that the plan to the end was
known and arranged from the beginning, but the man is
chosen when the truth is applied and obeyed.
We regard it
as a wonderful privilege thus to be called out, and so to be
present at the laying of the foundation of the future order
of things-"The world to come," in which all nations shall
be blessed.
J. H. P.

NEW VERSION OF THE N. T.

The necessity for a better translation of the New Testa
ment and from older and more authentic MSS., has long ex
isted and now seems about to be realized in the New Version
just completed and soon to be published.
[ We hope the
translators have been bold enough to correct not only the
many mistranslations of words ; but, also the interpolations
without the fear of man which bringeth a, snare. A number
of these interpolations have been noticed in a former num
ber of the WATOll TOWE R as lacking in all old Greek MSS.
written previous to the fifth century : such as cTohn 2 1 : 25.
Also the words-"in heaven, the Father, the Word, and
the Holy Ghost, and these three were one.
And then
are three that bear witness in earth"-parts of 1 John 5 : 7,
8; and the words-"But the rest of the dead lived not again
until the thousand years were finished" and part of Rev.
,

20 : 5.

From what we have heard of this work, it will be very

valuable and certainly a, great improvement upon the present
standard version.
But we venture the assertiOn that it will
be a great lever in the hands of Infidelity, and will be used
to overthrow respect for Christianity, its teachings and its
standa.rd-the Bible, in the minds of those who have no under
standing of how and why the changes are rigkt and proper.
For this the church's ministers are to blame.
For years
they have sought to instill into people, and particularly chil
dren, an unreasoning, superstitious awe for the Bible, and
thousands who attend church, have the impression that to
question the correctness of one word in the King James' ver
sion, is infidelity.
Ministers who know, or skould have
known that the word kell in our English text is the trans
lation of more tkan one Greek word and in a large majority
of the cases should have been translated-the grave--or-the
condition of deatk have preached year after year from texts
where the word should be grave and have allowed their hear
ers to understand it as meaning- a lake of fire-for fear, some
one should get the impression that-"God is love," for fear
the church could not stand, except supported by error.
Many
have preached right along from the interpolation of 1 John
5 : 7, 8, and never informed their hearers that the strange
statement that-it was witnessed in heaven, that Jesus was
really the Son of God-was not a part of the Word of God ;
but was introduced by Papacy during the tenth century. Who
there needed such witness-did not all in heaven know it ?
And why did they thus keep the people in ignorance ?
Be
cause they feared that if people knew this, the only text
which gives even a shadow of support to the doctrine of the
TRINITY, to be an interpolation to support a papal error, they
might renounce the error and believe Jesus' words.
( John
5 : 30 ; 8 : 28 ; 10 : 29 ; 14 : 28. Rev. 2 : 27. )
Yes, in the coming and now beginning trouble upon the
church ( Zion's Travail ) the new vrsion of the Scriptures
as well as Infidelity will play an important part, and "From
the time that it, ( the trouble ) goeth forth it shall take you :
for morning by morning it shall pass over, by day and by
night ; and it shall be a vexation only until He shall make
-

you to understand doctrine, ( truth . )

For the ( theological )
bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself in it and
the covering ( doctrines ) narrower than that he can wrap
himself in it." For the Lord . . . . . shall do His work, His
strange work ; and bring to pass His act His strange act.
Now, therefore ; be yet not mockers lest your bands be made
strong.
For I have heard of the Lord God a consumption
( an end-a "harvest," ) even determined upon the whole
earth."
( Isa. 28 : 19-22, margin. )
Yes in the whole world there is to be a separation between
evil and good, truth and error ; but in the church first comes
this harvesting there will indeed be a fearful shaking, both
of wheat and tares. ( Matt. 13, ) as the two classes of the
church ( the tares much the more numerous ) are separated
by the sickle of truth.
There will indeed be a great and
sore trial upon the church when one after another, long
cherished errors are torn away-it will be a hard time for
any to stand as Christians.
Paul entreats us concerning this
commencing evil day, "Take unto you the whole armor of God
that you may be able to withstand in that evil day." Thou
sands who are building on the good foundation, Okrist, are
building with the wood, hay and stubble of kuman creeds and
traditions instead of the gold, silver, etc., of God's Word
"The fire of that day shall try every man's work ( faith struc
ture ) of what sort it is." ( 1 Cor. 3 : 1 3. )
Yes, a thousand ( in the churches ) shall fall at your side,
and ten thousand at your right hand, yet it shall not come
n i gh you if you make God's TRUTH your shield and buckler.
( Psa. 9 1 ) . How important, then, that we should see that
our faith is founded on and supported by the word of God,
"That our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but
( 1 Cor. ii. 5 ) . Then we shall have
in the power of God."
that which neither the arrow of infidelity, nor the pe. tilencr
of spiritualism, nor the purifying fire can destroy. Thus only
shall we be able to stand these evils. And it shall be a trial
only until "He shall make you to understand doctrine"-the
true teaching of His word. Then it will be seen that God's
plan ( bed ) is longer and wider and higher than the creeds
of men, and a man may stretch himself on it and rest, fully
covered with the amplitude of God's mercy, love and grace,
which is sufficient for any man to wrap himself in it.
0, that
Christians might get into this place of rest where they could
realize a little of the length and breadth, height and depth,
and know something of "the love of God which passeth knowl
edge ! "
"0, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God !
How unsearchable are His judgments,
and His ways past finding out." ( Rom. xi. 33. )
"There's a wideness in God's mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea ;
There's a kindness in His justice
Which is more than liberty.
-"Search the Scriptures, search and see
Wisdom's wondrous harmony."

THE COMING STORM

"Oh I sad is my heart, for &torm that is coming ;
Like eagles the scud sweepeth in from the sea. ;
The gull seeketh shelter, the pine trees are sighing,
And all giveth note of the tempest to be.
A spell hath been whispered from cave or from moun-.
tain.
The shepherds are sleeping, the sentinels dumb,
The flocks are all scattered on moorland and mountain,
And no one believes that the Master is come.

[ 20 7 ]

He's come, but whom doth h e find their watch keeping!

Oh, wherer-in his presan ce-is there faith the world
o'er ?
The rich, every sense in soft luxury steeping ;
The poor, scarce repelling the wolf from the door.
Oh, man, and oh, maiden, drop trifling and pleasure,
Oh, hark, while I tell of the sorrows to be,
As well might I plead in the path of yon glacier.
Or cry out a warning to wave of the sea." -A ltered.

THE LORD'S SUPPER

Chnst our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast.
ThP l'a!lsOH'r was a Jewish feast kept annually ( and is
s ! i l l ob!lerved bv t l u m l as a commemoration of their re
m a r k a bl e dcliv>ian<"E" under the tenth plague upon Egypt
thE" Passu1 g -o rer or sparing from death of their first-born.
The circumstancE"s as narrated in Ex. xii-the slaying of
tht> Lamb, the roasting of the flesh with fire, and the eating
of It with bitter herbs and unleavened bread while the eaters
stood. guded and shod, and with staff in hand ready to de
p a r t out of Egpt for the Land of Promise-Canaan-are
,Joubt !t!l fam i l iar to most of our readers. Also, the mean
mg of t h r s e things which were but types : How that Jesus
l'anw-'who is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin
,,f t h e \\ orld,'' and of Christ our Passover was sacrificed for
n.;-how the door posts and lintels of the household of faith
a n sp ri n k le d ( typi<'ally ) with the blood of our Lamb which
pt>akPth better things, and saves in a higher sense all that
a r e in that house-how that we are pilgrims and strangers,
not ma k mg Egypt ( the world ) our home nor resting there,
but w i t h staff in hand-how that the "bitter herbs" repre
Pnt the b i t t er <'Xpcriences and trials of life, which are need
ful to us and trnd to sharpen our appetite for the unleav
Pned bread, ( truth m its purity ; leaven being a type of cor
t u p t i on or error, ) and for the eating of our Lamb, who said :
' l 'nlP<S -e eat my flesh . . . ye have no life in you."
Thus we partake of our Lamb and have Christ formed with
Thus during this night of more than
Ill . t he hope of Glory.
I SOO years, since our Lamb was slain, the one true household
has bePn eating-waiting for the morning of deliverance
the early dawn of which we believe has already come.
When Jesus died on the very same day, and in fulfill
ment of that part of the type-the J,amb-how fitting it
f;eemf; that all Christians should commemorate the day on
which our Lamb died. We certainly have much more interest
111 the day than has "Israel after the flesh," who recognize
only the type. Then, while we keep the feast daily-partak
ing of Christ and His word of truth, would it not be a great
p i Pasure and a beautiful way, to commemorate our Lord's
death on itR anniversary ?
We understand that it was our Lord's wish that this
dny be observed annually as a remembrance of Him, and
that He instituted what is termed, The Lord's Supper, of
hread and wine-emblems of His body and blood, our Pass
over supper-as a substitute for the Jewish observance of
the type.
EYerything connected with it seems to show that this
was His intention. He kept the Passover regularly every
y>ar, and at the last one, the night in which he was be
trayed, He said : "\\'ith desire I have desired to eat this
Pa sover with you before I suffer." What Jesus commemo
rated was the killing of the Passover ( Lamb ; ) and not the
"Feast of Passover," which followed it for seven days. The
Jews at that time kept both, but particularly the latter, ( the
feast. ) They do not now, and have not for a long time com
memorated the killing of the Passover, but the feast only.
Jesus commemorated ( the last time ) the killing only
and th('ll l!aYe Himself as the real sacrifice. When He had
Intitnted the new supper-remembrancers, ( the bread and
\\ inc 1 im,tl'arl of th e old type ( the lamb ) He gave to His
rhsci p les and said : "This do in remembrance of me." ( Keep
no JongPr the type or shadow but use these new emblems
"As often as ye eat
t0 Pommemorate me-the anti -type. )
t h i s bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death.,
I not the typical Jamb's ) till He come," the kingdom be es
t a h i i Fiwrl and the type completed by the passifl,g over, or
"PHrinl! of the firAt-born ( overcomers ) and the ultimate de
In eranPe of the entire "household of faith."
The Passo,er killing-Christ's death, can be remembered

1 Cor. 5 : 7.

at no time so appropriately as on the regular anniversary,

the fourteenth day of the first month. Jewish time which
this year falls on April 1 4th ( commencing at 6 o'clock P.
M. ) The feast of seven days eating unleavened bread, which
followed representing in type the continuous, perfect and
everlasting feast which we enjoy after and because of our
ransom ; ( seven being typical of perfection ) .
We are aware that some christians observe the Lord's
supper every Sunday, and claim that their custom is based
upon the oft repeated mention in Acts of the "brPaking of
bread," and "upon the first dav of the week when the dis

ciples were come together to break bread." ( Acts 20 : 7 )

etc. They evidently overlook the fact that bread-breaking,
was of necessity a frequent occurrence but that there is no
mention of wine in any of these instances which constitute
as important a feature in the ordinance as the bread, nor are
any of these meetings on the first day of the week ever
called the "Lord's Supper" or by any name that should lead
us to such a conclusion.
There are several rPasons why "The Lord's Day" would
not be at all appropriate for the commemoration of His
death, the principal one being, that "the first day," or "Lord's
day" was instituted and used to commemorate an event the
very opposite in its character, viz : The resurrection of our
Lord. The one was in the "night" and called a supper, the
other was observed in the day. The one was a n ight o f
weeping and sorrow, the other a morning of joy and rejoic
ing, saying-"The Lord is risen indeed." The one was a type
of the present n ight of suffering-the Gospel Age-the other
a type of our gathering together and communion in the bright
Millennial day-after the resurrection of the body very
early in the morning."
When Jesus had risen from death He appeared to the
disciples frequently, if not invariably on the "first day" of
the week, and on several occasions made himself known to
them in the breaking of bread at their ordinary meal. Upon
the organization of the church what would be more reason
able, than to suppose that they would set apart that first
day, as especially a day for meeting with each other and
with Him, and that coming from distances as well as be
cause He thus revealed Himself first, they would arrange
for the having of their food in common on that day ? But
this was always a day of joy as the other was properly a
night of sympathizing grief.
The proper observance of this ordinance like that of
baptism, seems to have been lost sight of during Papacy's
reign : This one doubtless, was made void, to allow for the
deathbed administration of the "Sacrament" to keep the dy
ing from purgatory, etc. Protestants have not generally
given the subject much attention, using the words--"As often
as ye do this-" as authority for any convenient time, and
not seeing that "this" referred to the Passover, as oft as ye
do commemorate this event do it in remembrance-not of the
type but of the anti -type-Me.
We do not say that a sin is committed by an untimely
observance, nor that the non-observance, is sinful ; but we
do say that the observance of it as instituted is much more
suggestive, appropriate and commemorative than any other.
We have so observed it here in Pittsburgh for some years
and it has ever been a blessed occasion. We will celebrate
it this year at the residence of Bro. W. H. Conley, No. 50,
Fremont street, Allegheny City, Pa., April 14th at 8 o'clock
P. M., and cordially invite all who can do so, to be pres
ent and join with us. Brethren and sisters from a distance
will be entertained by the friends here. If possible please
send a postal card to "WATCH TOWER" office, No. 101 Fifth
avenue, Pittsburgh, and call there on your arrival.

IN THE FLESH
The proper distinction between "the flesh" and "spirit"
t he signi ficance of each aR used in Scripture relative
to mankind, is but little understood ; yet is very important
to an understanding of Gorl's word and plan.
The word flesh i s used in a general sense to mean man
kind-humamty. As originally created it was "very good,"
an image on a perfect though small scale, of the spiritual
order of which God i the head.
But through sin and its consequences, death and dis
<a e , a blight came and flesh is no longer perfect and beauti
ful, hut marred, infu l , and imperfect to such an extent that
none 0f the race can keep God's law, consequently none can
hP. recognized by a just God except as sinners, and the only
JUAt thmg to do with einners is to punish them, and "The
and

( 3)

wages of sin is death." Hence we read "A ll flesh is g rass

and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the fi eld :
( I sa. 40 : 6. )
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, etc."
There was a time when they that were in the flesh could
please God. That was when Adam and Eve held daily com
munion with God before sin entered ; but now all flesh hac
become "sinful flesh," and therefore now, "they that are in
the flesh cannot please God." If they live as exemplary
moral lives as they know how, their best works will be im
perfect, hence they cannot claim that they are not sinnerfi,
nor could God in justice recognize them or deal with them
in any other manner than as sinners, and punish them accord
ing to the penalty of his just law-put them into the great
prison house of death-the tomb.

[ 208]

APRIL, 1 88 1

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

But as we have already seen, God has a purpose-a double

purpose : the first part of which relates to the present Gos
pel ( good news ) age, and the second part belongs to the in
coming Millennia! age. His purpose is first, to select a
part of the race whose nature shall be changed so that they
will no longer be human or earthly beings, but spiritual or
heavenly beings, and as such enjo;v themselves in his service.
His purpose secondly being that all the remainder of the
race may come again to the perfection of the human nature,
and as perfect earthly beings ever live in harmony and com
munion with Him and His law, as Adam did before sin en
tere d the world ; and on this, their plane, enjoy perfect hu
man pleasure in doing those things that are well pleasin g
to God. Then it will be true of all on both the spiritual
and natural planes-"! delight to do thy will 0 God." Th.en
"they that are in the flesh can please God, because all flesh
will be perfect and free from sin. This is the "Restitutiott
of which God hath spoken by the mouth of all the holy
Prophets since the world began." ( Acts 3 : 21. )
During the Millennia! age all mankind will be brought
to a knowledge of God-His plan, His wisdom, His power,
His Love-"all shall know Rim from the least to the great
est," for "The knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole
earth." And it seems as though to know Him will mean
to love Rim, and to love Him will mean to obey Him, and
to obey Him will mean to have life and enjoy God forever,
to the great majority of the race. That all will then be
called upon to exercise faith, to some extent, we cannot doubt,
for "without faith it is impossible to please God," but every
thing will be favorable to faith. Evil will be restrained,
( Satan bound a thousand years ) error and vice will be check
ed, while righteousnrss and trttth shall be dispensed to the
people by the antitype of the Melchizedec Priesthood--Jesus
and the gospel church as Kings and Priests-"A priest upon
his throne." Priests to instruct in righteousness ; Kings to
enforce obedience to righteousness. Faith then will be easy.
They will readily appreciate the statement-Christ died
for our sins-was our ransom, etc.,-because they will them
srlves be witnees that the penalty, death and pain, and
sickne;R, is being removed, and that they are again brought;
into favor with God ; and it would be only reasonable for them

TO WER

( 3 -4)

to ask why sinners are restored to life, etc., again. Has God
changed His mind and concluded that sin was not f'O bad a
thing after all, and that he had erred when he pronounce<!
sinners unworthy of life and was now repenting of hi'! ac:
tion 1
No, the answer comes, God changes not ; you were j u tly
condemned, but God loved you and gave His son, and .Je'!U
loved you and gave himself a ransom for you. You are re
deemed and therefore restored. Then it will be easy to be
lieve that-"Jesus hath died and there is remission."
But during this age, as many as now hear ( "He that hath
an ear let him hear," ) the good news are by it informed
that Christ died for our sins, that the price of sin has
been paid, and they are justified, if they believe it, and that
they can come unto God not as sinners, but a; righteous
persons, and by faith call God "Father." It is ac; justified
( perfect ) fleshly beings that they now call God Father
because in God's sight restored to the condition occupied
by Adam before he became a sinner, viz : a fleshly or human
son. ( Luke 3 : 38. )
The next step for these justified beings to take, is to
consecrate their justified flesh ( being ) to God. "Present your
bodies a living sacrifice," present it to God alive, for h1
service. God accepts it and reckons you dead as a human
being, but alive as a new creature ( begotten ) to a new life of
a new ( divine ) nature, and your human nature is reekoncd
as dead forever, and in due time, when perfected as new
spiritual beings we will have our spiritual bodies. But no'"''
we, new creatures, live in these old bodies-reckoned dead ;
yet our Father counts us no longer sons on the fleshly plane
to which he justified us through Jesus' ransom, but sons
on the higher plane as begotten of the Spirit, and he says
of such :
"Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so
be that the Spirit of Christ dwell in you."
Those who
have thus given up the human nature-become dead-are
reckoned by their fellow men as being still in the flesh ;
but of God, as being in the Spirit. To those thus dead God
reveals His plan and the exceeding riches of His grace. "Tim
the good news is declared to them that are dead, that they
might be judged ( reckoned ) according to men ( as being ) in
the flesh but live according to God in the Spirit." ( 1 Pet. 4 : 6. )

HOW MUCH WILL YOU GIVE ?

Dear friends we are not going to pass around the contTilmtion box now, but thinking this to be an all-important
qu('stion, upon which depends, perhaps, as much the interest
of every one of us, as any question we could propound, let
us eaeh for himself carefully consider it.
We do not ask how much you will contribute towards
paying for the organ in the church, nor how much will you
subscribe toward paying the minister, nor how much you will
subscribe toward sending the gospel to the heathen, nor even
how much you will contribute for the relief of the poor, though
each of these may be considered commendable objects in their
time and place ; but how much will you give for the gospel
of Christ T
But do you say, is it not a free gospel ? Does not the
prophet say "Ho, every one that thirsteth come ye to the
waters, and he that hath no money come ye, buy, and eat ;
yea buy wine and milk without money and without price ?"
Yes that is a correct quotation, but there i s nothing i n the
passage quoted to indicate that a man who has money can
have the gospel and still keep his money ; those who are to
have it without money are those who have no money to pay.
But sincerely, my brother, my sister, my friend, HOW
MUCH will you give for the Gospel ? It is ea;ceedingly valuahlf'
and you should not expect to get it for nothing, you should
not be willing to take it for nothing if you could, neither
can you expect to give an equivalent for it, for "its price is
beyond rttbies, and all the things thou canst desire are not
to be compared unto it."
Now if you have some faint idea of its value, perhaps,
you will be willing to make some offer for it. Offerings are
in order for it now, this is "the acceptable ( receivable ) year
of the Lord," and we are close to "the day of vengeance
of our God ; " and i f you want a chance in the high calling,
you need to be quick and prompt about it ; we expect the
quota under the call will soon be filled and hope you will
not be among the number who will "stand without knocking and saying open unto us," when it will be forever too
late. Again we ask how much will you giver Suppose we
consider the word gi1'e ( a R it has a number of significations )
ftrst in the sense of yielding, in the phrase to "give ear,"
which signifies to hear, to listen ; now are you willing to
1-14

give your attention and thought to this gospel ? Are you

willing to bend your mind to it ? Are you willing to care
fully, prayerfully and persistently consider it ? Are you will
ing to give it all the thought which you have hitherto given
to matters of little or no importance ? Consider it well ;
think of the hours you have spent reading works of fiction ,
wit and humor, perhaps in playing some sort of game for di
version, or even in reading h istory or secular news, mainly
for the purpose of being considered "well informed," or pos
sibly for the purpose of being qualified for some position
of honor ( worldly ) or fame.
Are you willing to give way, to give that attention to the
gospel that you have to these ? Do you answer in the affir
mative ? That is well so far, but that is not enough. Are
you willing ( notice, these questions are for you to answer
to yourself in the present tense, not tomorrow) to give in
the sense of quitting, as in the phrases to give pine<'. to wit h
draw, to make room ; are you willing if this gospel requires
it, to give place to principles which will antagonize thMe
which you have hitherto enterta ined ? Are you willing to
have a radical change made in your mind, and in your man
ner of reasoning, i. e., so that instead of reasoning from an
earthly or natural standpoint, it shall be from a E<piritual
or gospel standpoint, for earthly wisdom "descendeth not
from above, but is earthly, sensual ; devilish." ,Tames 3 - 1 5.
Earthly wisdom would reason, "If thine enenuy h u n o-e t
let him starve," and everything ('lsE' on tltE' sam(' line. gut
heavenly wisdom waits to have our heavenly Fath('r who
understands all the weaknesses of our naturE>!', and all till'
influences that have been brought to bear upon us. n dj u;;t
matters for us, instead of taking them into our own hn nd
and managing from an earthly plane, and with ('arthly wi
dom, ; that is to say, looked at from an earthly standpoint.
we resign our own wisdom and become fools for Chri,-t'
sake. You think that is giving considerable do you ? Well
it is, but you cannot become a vessel fit for the ma,-tt'r',
use without. Are you willing ? Yes. Very well that is good,
but that is no t enough, for this gospel requirement. V('ry likely
will reveal to you that very many things which you hav('
hithHto eon!drlcred ha rmiN;s in thE>ir n n t ur('. arc really Y('ry
injurious to you and you will be called upon to give in

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the sense of relinquishing, or in the still stronger sense of

a bandoning, i. e., to let go of in the sense of never taking
hold again-a long good bye-to the things you once loved ;
among them may be earthly hopes and expectations ; this
heavenly wisdom will teach you that all these are transitory
and vain, and that the more you depend upon them the more
you will be deceived by them, and the greater will be your
disappointment, for your expectations will fail to be realized,
and your hopes will be blasted. You will find everything
turned around under the influence of the gospel, and that
the things which are highly esteemed among men are abom
mations in the sight of God. Luke 1 6 15.
Notice the words "highly esteemed among men ; " earthly
things needful for our physical well being are not to be
rlespised, nor will heavenly wisdom prompt us to despise
them, nor are they the things referred to as highly esteemed
among men, for men will sacrifice these for the higheat in
terests of the soul, and if you will give way to the induences
of the gospel upon you, you will be led to abominate that
which i!! HIGHLY esteemed among men.
Let us see wha t things are highly esteemed among men ;
what do they make the greatest sacrifice for ? Probably the
gtea test effort that men make is to be worshiped; honor,
fame, a na me among men ; not so much to be superior as to
he regarded superior.
To have m('n <>a'>t out your name as evil, that is a terrible
thing for a man who knows nothing of the gospel of Christ :
to lose his repu tation is one of the greatest if not the great
est calamity tha t can befall a man, he will not mind as
much the loss of his character, but the loss of his repu ta
tio n is most terrible, to the man of the world, for i f you
lose this you will lose your worldly friends mostly, some
of them will stand by if you have plenty of money, but it
will take a great deal even of money to hold many friends
after your reputation is all gone. So if you relinquish your
reputation for the sake of the gospel ( nothing else should
induce a man to part with it ) you will be doing pretty
well, you will be giving considerable. Do you think you
can do it ? Ye-s ? Well can you not say it with emphasis T
"By the grace of God I will ! " That is good. You are giv
ing yourself poor, after the wisdom of this world, aren't you T
NeYer mind, look not at the things that are seen ; they are
temporal. But you have not given enough yet-Have you any
money ? ( No, we are not going to pass the contribution
Yes, some. Well much or little you will need
box now. )
to give it, not to pay for the gospel but out of gratitude
and that it may be sent to others, and there are some of
the Lord's brethren living near your house that are hungry
or si<>k and need help, so your ( 1 ) money will be needed, and
w i th it will go those few friends who stuck by you for your
money's sake after your reputation was gone ; you found by
bitter ( blessed ) experience that a great share of your friends
left you when your reputation did, and now the rest of your
worldly friends will go and you will be left alone ; will you
do it 1 "Yes, by the grace of God I will ! " The sting of
death ( to the worl d ) is past, isn't it ? How much easier
it is to say yes, now. Praise the Lord ! But you have not
given en ough yet.
Now, my dear friend, you are not far from the kingdom.

TO WER

I'ITTSBURGH, PA.

Will you sacrifice your ease, your comfort, yea life, itself if
called upon 1 Will you let it be worn out, or burnt out,
or in any way used up for the sake of the gospel of Christ 1
You will ? Thank God ! I am so glad/ you will be so rich.
Now let us look over this covenant. You have given your
attention, your time, your mind, your reputation, your
friends, your money, your life-seven items. You have given
yourself poor indeed, haven't you 1 I acknowledge the fact,
it is so, poor, very poor, and you have done this willingly.
It makes me think of something I have heard, and while I
am looking at you, your countenance seems changed/ you
remind me of some one I have known. Ah, it comes to me
now, Jesus of Nazareth was this man, why h.ow much you re
semble him, you must be his brother. "You know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for
our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty
might be rich." II Cor. 8-9. Why you have done just as
he did and just what he intended when he said : "I have
given you an example that ye should do as I have done to
you." John 1 3-15. Well that is the best kind of will you
could make, and I am glad to greet you as my brother, I
also having done the same things-"for which cause he is
not ashamed to call us brethren." Heb. 2- 1 1 .
You can afford to be poor and go about i n disguise for
a while now, inasmuch as you are an heir of the kingdom.
"Harken my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor
of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which
he hath promised to them that love him ?" James' 25. And
now you. will learn faster and be able to prepare yourself
for regal employment in the regal family ; for "if any man
will ( wills or wishes to ) do his will, he shall know of the
doctrine." John 7-17. You now belon to tlat company f<o
aptly described by the poet when he sa1d :
''What poor despised company
Of travelers are these,
Who walk in yonder narrow way,
Along the rugged maze ?
"Ah ; thet!e are of a royal line,
All children of a King.
Heirs of immortal crowns divine,
And lo, for joy they sing !
"Why do they, then appear so mean ?
And why so much despised ?
Because, of their rich robes unseen
The world is not apprised.
"But why keep they that narrow road
That rugged, thorny maze ?
Why that's the way their leader trod ;
They love and keep His ways.
"What ! is there, then, no other road T
To Salem's happy ground 1
Christ is the only way to God ;
None other can be found."

J. c. s.

NUMBER THREE
PABT m

Many of our readers are familiar with the outline of

God's plan as embodied in three worlds,-The world that was
before the flood, the world that now is, and the world to
come. This is a striking example of the fundamiental char
acter of number three in the structure of the Bible plan of
revelation and salvation. Each of these worlds, or orders,
is spoken of in succession as having its own ''heavens and
earth." 2 Pet. 3. Here we have the foundation of the idea
of the third heaven. The third earth and the third heaven
are the final and perfect, wherein "the tabernacle of God is
with men," ( Rev. 21 : 3 ) and "wherein dwelleth righteous
ness." 2 Pet. 3 : 13.
Be it observed there are heavens, as well as an earth
in each order. They seem to exist in relation to each other
as cause and effect, the outer, lower and visible as an eiDpression of the inner, higher and invisible. The heavens rule
and the earth is subject. This is at least clearly so of the
second and third orders. In the second, called "This present
eml world," the "powers of heaven," ( by permission and with
limitations of course, as no creature can outwit the Creator )
are ''wicked spirits," all embodied as Satan, their head and
Prince. Eph. 6 : 1 2 and 2 : 2. His kingdom is invisible, but
under invisiblt> control, uses men and nations as visible

agencies, and produces visible results of the most baneful and

atrocious character. The earth is in harmony with the heav
ens ; and we would suggest that it may be that all evil physi
cal coflditions, including wars, storms, diseases, pains and
death are but the pulsations, so to speak, of the powers of
darkness. We see an intimation that this is so, in the fact
that the earth was cursed for man's sake when he sinned.
It was for man's sake, or on account of man, perhaps, in
two senses, drst, it was a consequence._of man's yielding to
evil, and second, it was for man's good, as pain by fire is to
teach us to avoid the fire.
In view of the facts and promises we hail with joy the
near change from the second to the third world. The day
dawn, or transition period we believe has come. In the
third world the power of heaven will be the "spirits of just
men made perfect," or "raised a spiritual body," and all
embodied as Christ, their Head and Prince-"The King of
kings and Lord of lords." His kingdom, having supplanted
Satan's and taken its place, will also be invisible to mortals,
only when for special reasons miraculously manifested ; ( John
3 : 3-8 and Luke 1 7 : 20, ) but it too shall act through visible
agencies, and produce visible results, not baneful and atro
<'ious, but grand and glorious. For all nations shall serve and

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obey Him, and i n Him be blessed.

22 : 1 8.

Z I O N'S

WA T C H

Dan. 7 : 1 4-27 and Gen.

Let me ask the reader to which he aspires,-a place in

the new earth, or a place in the new heaven l'-to be a sub
ject of God's kingdom, and so enjoy its blessings, or to be a
royal priest, and reign with Him. He and His royal asso
ciates will rule to bless. Let us aim high-at "the mark
for the pr_ize of the high [ heavenly] calling of God in Christ
Jesus." Phil. 3 : 14.
This present or the second world has its three ages
Patriarchal, Jewish and Gospel. These are three progres
sive steps from the lower to the higher in the plan of revela
tion.
There are three kingdom ages,-Jewish, Gospel and Mil
lennia!. There is no kingdom of God, mentioned in the Bible,
as in any sense related to the Patriarchal or One Man age.
In the three ages mentioned, the work is represented as being
done by a "Woman"-the church ; and the progression may be
characterized as from the Jewish typical to the Gospel mystical
or hidden, and then to the Millennia! glorious-"the manifesta
tion of the sons of God," by which the growing creation is
to be "delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
glorious liberty of the children of God." Rom. 8 : 19-21.
This work of progression and glorious success, seems to
be illustrated by the Saviour's parable, in which He com
pares the kingdom of heaven to leaven, which a woman took
and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leav
ened. Matt. 1 3 : 33. A very plausible and we will add, for-

TO WER

(5)

cible objection to this application of the parable, is based on

the fact that leaven of bread and of doctrine are spoken of
in the Bible as elements of impurity and of corruption. Would
the 8aviour represent the kingdom of heaven by an element
and process of corruption T We understand the Saviour here
uses one feature of the leaven only, in His illustration, that
is its permeating power. It does not cease until the work
is done, so God's k ingdom will not cease its operations until
the curse is removed.
Another example in which the Saviour uses only otte
feature of a thing to illustrate a point, may Lc seen in Luke
1 7 : 37, or Matt. 24 : 28, when in speaking of the gat hering
together unto Him, He says : "Wheresoever the carcass [ dead
body) is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." "How
could the Saviour," we have been asked, "compare himself
to a dead body ?" The attraction is the point of the illu
tration : as the eagles are, by an unerring instinct, sure to
find the carcass, so the Divine Spirit in the saints will
surely bring them to Him whom their soul loveth.
The Saviour seems to use the idea of progression in thrf'e
steps in reference to the development of the Gospel age end
ing with the harvest, in His illustration of, "First the blade,
then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear." l\Iark
4 : 26-29. This may be regarded as true also in reference
to individual growth in grace and in the knowledge of Christ.
When the Lord sets out to do anything He means to make a
success of it. Let us imbibe His spirit and follow his exJ. H. P.
ample.

PASSOVER
As the time draws nigh for the celebration of the Pass
overj it may not be out of place to consider a few points
therewith connected. As to the proper time of observing

the Lord's supper, there is much diversity of opinion. Some

claim the first day of each week as tlte only correct time ;
others that it should be observed every first Sunday of each
month, while some only partake of the feast once in three
months. If there is a correct time for the observance of the
passover, it is evident that all the above views cannot be
correct ; and indeed it would seem, from the manner in which
many speak of it, that God had left the matter entirely in
our hands ; that we might please ourselves, observing it just
as our opinion of the matter might dictate. From examina
tion of the Scriptures, we feel confident that all the positions
eited are merely inferences drawn by man, and therefore if
not obeyed would not prove fatal ; for there is much differ
ence between the doctrines of men, and the commandments of
God. Without stopping to inquire into the various causes
for such a variety of ideas as to the proper time for the
Lord's Supper, we shall once proceed to investigate the Bible
-our only guide and instructor in all matters of religion,
1ts ordinances, etc. Under the law dispensation, [which was
a shadow of good things to come ; Heb. x : 1,] there was a.
particular time for the killing and eating of the paschal
lamb--"Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying :
In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every
man a lamb, . . . and ye shall keep it up until the four
teenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of
the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening." Ex
odus 1 2 : 3-6.
The month referred to corresponds with the new moon
of April or March ; and counting forward from. that point
the allotted time, will bring us to the passover. That the lamb
slain, pointed forward to .Jesus, there can be no doubt ; and
when we examine minutely, the details connected with His
death ; the time will be seen to be clearly marked. "Then
Jesus, six days before the passover, came to Bethany . .
On the next day [five days before the passover] much peo
ple that were come to the feast, when they heard Jesus was
coming to Jerusalem . . . went forth to meet Him." John
1 2 : 1, 1 2, 1 3. As the lamb was taken up on the tenth ; so
Jesus went up to Jerusalem [where he was sacrificed] five
days before the passover, which would be the tenth. "Then
came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must
be killed . . . and they made ready the passover, and
when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apos
tles with Him : and he said unto them, with desire I have
desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer," Luke
22. The lamb pointed to Jesus, and we in eating the Lord's
Supper ; commemorate His death, and also the time. If this
truth were recognized by christians ; they would not attempt
to commemorate the Lord's death on the first day of the
week ; for Jesus died not then, but rose from the dead ; there
fore, no one should celebrate His death on the day of Hie

resurrection ; unless that day should happen to be the four

teenth day of the first month, at which hme the Lord's Sup
per should be observed. One cannot keep the fourth of May
in commemoration of the "Declaration of Independence ; "
then, neither can any person celebrate the Lord's death on
the day he arose.
It is true that Jesus said : "For as often as ye eat
this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death
till He come ; " [ I Cor. 1 1 : 26. ] However, as he did not say
how often, and all the truth on any Bible subject is not found
in one place ; we must determine what time it would be proper
from the various connections, and the sense demanded by the
type. Therefore, as the type foreshadows it, and the sense
demands i t ; we conclude that the Lord's death should be
commemorated at the time He died.
The night in which they ate the flesh of the lamb : typi
fies the whole gospel age : and through this night of 1 800
years ; we should, as each fourteenth day of the first month
of the Jewish year rolls around, celebrated the passover in
commemoration of the death of our paschal lamb.
The l a mb s]ain wa s to be. "without blemi sh-'' Exo 1 2 : 5.
This shows beautifully, the perfection and purity of our lamb
"For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." 1 Cor.
5 : 7. "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, as silver and gold ; . . . but with
the precious blood [ life] of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot j'' [ I Pet. 1 : 18, 1 9 . ] "And ve
know that He [Jesus] was manifested to take away o u r
sins ; and in Him is no sin." I John 3 : 5.
There are several features to be observed in the applica
tion of this type. The slaying of the lamb [as already found ]
foreshadowed the death of Jesus ; but now we wish to con
sider another point, viz., "And they shall eat the flesh in that
night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread ; and with bitter
herbs they shall eat it." Exo. 12 : 8. In this picture is shown
how we [the church] partake of the nat1tre of Christ. bv
'
eating His flesh ; [ in the figurative sense] for he savs
:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you ; except ye eat the flesh of
the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no l i fe in vou
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh iny blood. hath ete nal
life ; for my flesh is meat indeed ; and my blood is drink in
deed." John 6 : 53, 54. The reader will remember that the
flesh of the lamb was to be eaten with unleavened brea d :
so says Paul : "Purge out therefore the old leaven, [ corrupt
nature] that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleawnt'd
. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaYen.
neither with the leaven of malice, or wickedness ; but w 1 t h
the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Cor. 5 : 7 . fl _
The passover was not only to be eaten with unleave11t'd
bread, but with bitter herbs. This shows the suffazng of t h e
body of Jesus. If w e eat, [partake of Hh nature] w r w t l l
suffer. The truth obeyed, will lead m to ,Q i l'C' u p the world .
resist the devil, and overcome [crucify] the tteh : wh i ch , ,.
hard t o do, and necessitates suffering. Truth dedares : "l i

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have been planted together in the likeness of His [ Christ's]

death. we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection :

Wt'

kn0wmg

this, that our old man [ fleshly nature] is crucified

wi t h Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed ;

for he that h dead is freed from sin." Rom. 6 : 5-7.

Again says truth : "For thy [ Christ's] sake we are killed

all th<> day long ; we are aeeounted as sheep for the slaugh
tt>r . '' I Rom. S : :n. ] and. "All that will live godly in Christ
.T Pu shall suffer perecution." 2 Tim. 3 : 12.
All of these
t lu n g-; re q u i r e un eJfort on our part : self-denial, and suffer
mg : for we bear "about in the body the dying [ suffering]
of the Lord .Jesus. that the life also of Jesus might be made
mmu fest in our body : for we which live are always deliv
t>red u n to death [ o f tht> flesh] for ,Jesus' sake, that the life
a l -.o ot Jesus might be made mani fest in our mortal flesh ; "
[ Cor. 4 : 1 0, I l l and : "Though our outward man [ natu
ra l I perish, yet the inward man [ spiritual ] is renewed day
by day ; '' ( verst> 1 6 ) for : "They that are Christ's have cru
P i lil(l the Jiesh with the affections and lusts." Gal. 5 : 24.
Tht're b no doubt, that i f we follow in the footsteps of
.Jeu'l, [a l i fe of obedience] we shall suffer. This is clearly
mtmwted by our Lord when He says : "Are ye able to drink
of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with ? .
. And He saith
unto them, ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized
W i th the baptism that I am baptized with." Matt. 20 : 22, 23.
lly referring to Matt. 26 : 39. We know the cup spoken of
was m r e f er en ce to His death, therefore we drink of the
sC m e cup ; and are baptized with the same baptism, [ death]
for "Know ye not that as many of us as were baptized into
Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death ?" Rom. 6 : 3. By
viewing this in the above light, it is very significant that
Jesus partook of the passover ; for as He ate it with "Bitter
herbs," [ suffering, ] so also do we, and in this He was our
example and forerunner. Let us therefore, walk in the nar
row [ d l flicult] path of life ; the one Jesus trod : "Forasmuch
then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm your
selves l ikewise with the same mind ; for he that hath suffer
ed in the flesh hath ceased from sin," [ 1 Pet. 4 : 1 ] therefore ;
"Rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's suffer
ings ; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad
also with exceeding joy." Verse 1 3.
The next point in connection with the passover to be
<'Onsidered is : "And thus shall ye eat it ; with your loins
girded, [loins girt about with truth ; Eph. 6 : 14,] your shoes
on vour feet, [your feet shod with the preparation of the
gosp el of peace ; verse 1 5 ] and your staff in your han d ; and
ve shall eat it in haste ; it is the Lord's passover ; for I
viii pass through the land of Egypt this night
.
and
the blood shall be to you for a token .
and when I
see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not
be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of
Egypt." Exo. 1 2 : l l - 1 3 . This type being a figure of the
whole Gospel Age ; and the living phase of the church, being
always repreented, we are brought down to the end of this
dispensation, where the living saints are to be changed and
caught away to meet Jesus, without the tasting of death ;
[ I Thess. 4 : 1 5- 1 7 , ] being : "Accounted worthy to escape all
these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the
Son of man." Luke 2 1 : 36.
The Hebrew word "Pesach," and the Greek "Pascha," [ its
eqmvalent] signifies : "A passing over." This feature of the
type i yet to be fulfilled. Jesus said : "I will not any more
eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God

TO WER

PxTTSauttcH, PA.

. I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the

kingdom of God shall come." Luke 22 : 1 6-18. Hence it will
not be fulfilled until we [the living] are changed into the
likeness of Christ ; at which time we will be gathered unto
Jesus, being those mentioned by the prophets : "Then they
that feared the Lord spake often one to another : . . .
and they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts ; in that day
when I make up my Jewels ; and I will spare them, as a man
spareth his own son that serveth him." Mal. 3 : 1 6, 1 7. As
we are living in "That day." [A period of 40 years,] there
fore ought we to be ready : having our loins girt about with
truth ; our staff in hand, all ready for a journey, [our change]
for we know not how soon we shall see Jesus as He is ; and
so be passed over. It will be observed that only the "First
born," were threatened ; [ Exo. 1 2 : 12.] so now only : "The
church of the first-born." [Heb. 12 : 2a.] is in danger : for,
if we are not passed over : [ "Accounted worthy to escape," ]
we lose our high calling ; and not only so but we lose it
forever ; therefore let us so live, that we may be ready.
Paul says : "Through faith he [Moses] kept the passover,
and the sprinkling of blood, lest He that destroyed the first
born should touch them." Heb. 1 1 : 28. That being the type,
and this the anti-type certainly it is as important that we
do God's will, lest we be not spared as one of the Bride
com.pany.
One more feature of the passover is worthy of notice :
"And ye shall let nothing of it [the lamb] remain until the
morning ; and that which remaineth of it until the morning,
ye shall burn with fire." Exo. 1 2 : I 0. In this there is a
very important truth to be observed ; viz. : That those who
were passed over, had eaten during the night. So, during
this Gospel Night, we partake of our Lamb, [ Christ] and
apply the blood of sprinkling ; but as there was none of the
lamb to remain until the morning ; so in like manner here ;
for, when we are ushered into the full dawn of day and the
morning has fully come ; no one can eat of the lamb, [that
is, partake of the Divine nature--Immortality] as the Lord's
Supper will be a thing of the past, for it is to be fulfilled
when the kingdom has come, [that is, when the living saints
are changed ; and we are thus passed over , ] and we need
not longer keep it in remembrance of His death ; hence it
will be an ordinance forever past, as also will be baptism
into Christ ; for the Christ [anointed] head and body ( .TeRus
and Bride ) will be complete, therefore, these ordinances pass
away with the ending ( harvest ) of the gospel age, and people
( those in the light ) will then look back on these things ;
[now glorious privileges] as we now look back to those ordi
nances obtaining under the law.
Finally brethren and sisters in Christ, seeing these things
are true ; ought we not to be earnest ? and espedally as
we have reasons for believing the time very short , for i f
we have not Christ formed within-and under the blood of
sprinkling when the door closes the prize now offered, [ Im
mortality and heirship with Jesus] is to us forever lost.
Can aught on earth compare,
With the glory we shall share ?
Is there aught to us so dear,
'Twill take the place of Jestts here T
Ah no ! methinks there naught can be
To ever sunder Him and me ;
For to Him myself I give,
Hence, I shall with Him ever live.
A. D. J.

THE STRANGERS IN ZION

The idea which has become general among Christians,
that It is a very easy thing to be a Christian, a life free
from trouble, very respectable, containing all the pleasures
of natura l conditions without any of its evils, is one of
t h e great evils of the present system of evangelization.
The Evan<rel ist says : Come, leave off liquor, profanity, lying
a n d all
reat presumptuous sins, join our church, attend
Its meetin " giVP to its support regularly and believe, that
you may o to hPaven and you are one of the best of Chris
tian.
You will find through the church the passage way
to u:ealth , to social standing and the most advantaeous
matrimony, and if you desire a valuable aid to political
arnhitwn'l. Thus you will have the most pleasant and happy
t i me of any peopiP I 1 1 mg on earth : come, then, with us.
I n th is wav Z i o u i'l full of "strangers"-they are in her

-her ch i ! rl r (' n , hut not of G od's begetting. They are tares

own by the wicked one ; begotten of evil desire-desires of
tlw Jlp;:,h . The deJ;ire that she might be great, and her out

g
g

ward appearance and prosperity such as would commend

her to the world and cause her to be admired ; that by
the numbers and wealth of these strange children she might
build grander and costlier edifices with higher steeples ; that
her ministers should be noble men of titles and large reve
nues-the language artists of earth ; that her music should
be the most refined and artistic.
Thus she draws nigh to the Lord with her lips, and
honors Him with her mouth, while her heart is far from
Him, courting the world and its vanities and pleasures.
She has ceased to know as of yore that "the love of God
constraineth," and "the goodness of God leadeth to repent
ance," and now she knows Him only to fear, and God says :
"Their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men."
Because of hllr love of the woild, ( which Is enmity against
God, ) therefore has He permitted blindness to come upon
her, and her teachers hath He covered.
The prophecies and visions of God's word are become

[212]

APRIL, 1881

ZION'S

WA TCH

unto her "as the words of a book that is sealed, which

men deliver to one that is learned [a Doctor of Divinity,]
saying : Read this I pray thee : and he saith I cannot, for
it is sealed ; and the book is delivered to him that is not
Read this I pray thee--a nd he saith I
learned, saying :
cannot, I am unlearned. . . . Therefore behold I will proceed
to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous
work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise men shall
peris.h, and "the understanding of their prudent men shall
be htd., I sa. 29 : 1 0- 14.
How bast thou
0 Zion how hast thou defiled thyself !
become Babylon ! How hast thou multiplied thy riches but
not thy joy ! how bast thou increased thy child ren but not
of God-for the multitude of thy strangers is as the dust.
How is the mustard seed become a great tree, spreading
itself in all the earth for the wicked, yea the fowls of the
earth find a home in thy branches. Thou are become the
habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage
of every unclean and hateful bird. How art thou become
Babylon and confusion ? it is even the voice of thy confused
company of strange children.
Woe unto thee 0 Zion, how art thou become Babylon
and confusion : it is woe unto thee, for thine anguish and
travail cometh : for the Lord shall take from thee His
children, and in the multitude of the strangers thou shalt
not have consolation.
With anguish, and through great
tribulation shall his children come out of thee. "For the
Lord shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver : and he

TO WER

shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and
silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in
righteousness. But who may abide the day of His coming,
( presence) and who shall stand when he appeareth ?"
But Zion saith :
"I am rich and increased in good
and have need of nothing," and knoweth not that she i
poor, and wretched, and miserable, and blind, and naked.
Thus saith the Lord : "I counsel thee, buy of me gold tried
in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment that
thou mayest be clothed
and anoint thine eyes with
eye-salve that thou m ayest see. So, then, because thou art
neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of
her sins, and receive not of her plagues." ( Rev. 1 8 : 4 . )
Would that God's children might all realize that their
joy should come from their faith in His promises, and not
from the world's smiles ; that their plea 'lure should con
sist in self denial and crucifixion of the fleshly nature, and
not from its gratification. Then could they indeed count
present affiietions a joy, and "rejoice to be accounted t{ orth y
to suffer reproach for the name of Christ." They woulrl
think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which shaH
try them, as though some strange thing happened unto
them : remember that when men shall revile you and say
all manner of evil against you falsely, for my name's sake,
rejoice and be exceeding glad." Yea, and whosoever will
live Godly shall suffer persecution, and persecution has al
ways come from some religious class in power.

"BY AND BY HE

IS OFFENDED"

One of the severest trials at that day was to be put out

Jesus tells us of a class who when they hear the truth
of the synagogue ; "They feared the Jews," for the Jews had
receive it with joy until they find that it costs something
agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was
to possess it ; then they are disappointed and would rather
Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue."
( .John
surrender the truth than pay its inevitable price--persecution
9 : 22. ) This was the only "respectable church," in those days,
and self-saG-rifice.
and to the poor Jew it seemed disgraceful to be cut off from
People under different circumstances have different trials
the church. No doubt they considered that their relatiOnship
to encounter and different valuable things to part with if
to God was dependent upon their belonging to the nominal
they would "Buy the truth and sell it not." As a rule
church. The new Teacher spoke against the Pharisees and
the price of it is demanded in those things which the pur
Rulers of the synagogues, and said that in many things they
chaser values most highly. Usually social standing, reputa
were hypocritical ; that for a pretence they made long pray
tion, a good name are the most prized of all things, and
ers and drew nigh with their lips. Some felt the truth of
usually this is the price which we must pay for truth. No
this and would have followed Jesus and have been willing
doubt it is today much as it was when Jesus was present
to join His church, if He had one--but the church He repre
in the form of a servant. The severest cross then was to
sented was bound together by the truths He taught, and
confess and follow the lowly one, among whose followen
He said to them : "Rejoice rather that your names are u;rzt
were none of the Scribes and Pharisees-the theologians
ten in heaven." ( Luke 1 0 : 20. )
of that day-whose only answer to Jesus' teachings, etc.,
were "Give God the glory, we know that this man hath
So now, "in the days of the Son of Man," those who re
a devil."
ceive present truth are cut off from fellowship with the nom
The church rulers of that day were the most strict in
inal churches. Having tasted the heavenly manna they are
outward forms of any period of Judaism, and no doubt
no longer satisfied with the husks. Yet they have o long
they thought they did God service in warning the people
been identified with the churches, have been so activelv
. en
gaged in their socials, fairs, etc., which in their simp licity
against Jesus. They felt keenly the importance of their
they have come to regard as "working for Jesus." that the
position as Trackers, and were proud of it, and hence were
in no way prepared to receive the meek "Lamb of God." Jesus
thought of sundering those ties is like cutting off a right
said they were "Blind leaders of the blind," and only the
hand. But dear friends, remember that as then, so now, the
nominal church stumbles and falls.
( lsa. 28 : 13 and Rtv.
blind ones followed their leading. Those who had ears to
hear and eyes to see followed the Lord.
1 8 : 2, 21 , ) and those in it, whose names are written in the
Lamb's book of life are the only ones now recognized as Hzs
It must have been quite a trial-scorching-for the Jew
church.
ish converts to realize that in believing this Jesus they were
opposing the great system of theology that had been in force
As when then present Jesus used clay mixed with the
for centuries. It must have tried their courage and faith
product of His mouth to anoint literally the man born blind,
intensely to realize that they, illiterate men, were opposing
and thus gave him sight, so now in this "harvest" the word
their ideas against the views of all the learned theologians,
of His mouth, mixed with and used through the clay of
who pronounced the new Teacher a fanatic. Again, it would
humanity, may have been hi ageney in the opening of your
cut them off from the pecuniary advantages accruing from
spiritua l perceptions to understand his truth and gee it
the friendship of the wealthiest and most influential class
beauties. It was on the Sabbath-the seventh dav-that lu
of society. All of these things were sore trials, but were
eyes were opened : I t is now the seventh day [--on a grander
put as trials in this way to develop and separate the "pecu scale--the 6000 years of time having been complete in 1 8 7 3 . )
liar people," for Jesus declared that if any man was ashamed
It was by the power o f the present Jesus that the clay and
of him and his words-teachings-the same was not worthy
washing gave sight ; so here also.
to be his disciple. All of this finds the perfect parallel in
Marvel not if in other respects the blind man's case was
this time of h arvest, and now as then. He that i s ashamed
typical of ours. When he confessed his faith in Jesus thev
of the Lord's teachings-ashamed to confess his faith in His
said :
"Dost thou teach us ?-and they cast him out 1)f
presence is unworthy to be His disciple and i s not wanted.
the synagogue." He might have kept quiet and belieYed in
The theologians of that day threatened and scourged those
his heart and retained his standing in the church. but that
( They
who followed and believed in Jesus as the Christ.
would have been cowardly and had he done so--been ashamt>d
all believed that Christ was coming, but denied His presence
of him he would have missed his subsequent communion " i t h
and "knew not the time of their visitation." ) Just so the
Jesus. S o here, your eyes being opened to the rt'cogn i t inn
theologians of today are the bitter opposers of the presence of the Lord's presence and blessings of light and truth. whieh
of Christ. Because they know not the time of their visita
in consequence have come to yon-it rPmains w i t h you a:.< it
tion ; they are "stumbling" as did the Jewish church. They
did with him to keep silence and remain in th!' ehurrh. or
threaten and scourge in the synagogues ( churches ) now, too,
confess his presence and be cast out ; to hold "tht> fe.u of
except it is in a different way ; it is now a scourging with
man which bringeth a snarl'" and be ashanwd of Him an<l
the tongue.
His words, or confess Him and be confessed before the Father
[213]

(7)

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

and the holy angels. If we love the opinions and respect of

men and of a worldly "Babylon," church, and seek honor one
of another, how shall we expect that honor which cometh
of God on ly-To be of the bride of Christ.
Your brethren that hated you-that cast you out, said
-"The Lord be glorified : " But He shall appear to your
joy and they shall be ashamed.
( Isa. 66 :5. )
And "Jesus heard that they had cast him out . . .
and He found him," ( vs. 35, ) and became his teacher per
sonally, and the man "worshiped Him." So with you, the
Lord will hear of your witness for Him, and when you are
separated from the nominal church-"Babylon"-your ex
perience will be that Jesus himself will teach you and show
you marvelous things of His truth and plan. And then you
can indeed worship HIM-in spirit and in truth, and no longer
worship the creeds of men. Jesus' explanation of our trial
in receiving him will be explained to us as to him : "For
judgment ( a trial ) am I come into this world that they
which see not might see ; and that they which see might be
made blind."
( vs. 39. )
We know of some who are now experiencing this kind of
scorching.
They have heard the word and received it with
joy-their eyes have been opened to see wonderful things
in God's word. They have realized that the Lord is present
and has opened their eyes-they have confessed Him and
denied not-they have been baptized typically in water, in

WANTED

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

a likeness of His death and raised in the figure. Now they

are seeking daily to be baptized into death-the death of
the old nature-tll.e likeness of Christ's. The sun of perse
cution and reproach has risen and the scorching has com
menced. If they be stony ground hearts their profession and
all will wither away and die out, but if good hearts, the seed
will continue to grow and yield fruit which the sun will
only ripen and perfect-not wither.
To these we would say, Remember bow our master said
that if any man would be His disciple (pupil-to learn of
Him ) he must take up His cross and follow Him. Remem
ber how you promised to follow Him through evil and good
report ; remember, too, that He is an ever present help in time
of trouble, and thus remembering, may you be enabled to
"endure hardness as good soldiers"-"Endure as seeing Him
that is invisible."
"Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial
which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened
unto you. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy
are ye ; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you ;
On their part He is evil spoken of but on your part he is
glorified.
[Nothing glorifies God's name and character more
than does the grand plan which He is showing to us, and
Rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of
which we preach.]
Christ's sufferings ; that when his glory shall be revealed ye
may be glad, also, with exceeding joy."
( 1 Pet. 4 : 12-14. )

1 ,000 PREACHERS

A vast field is open for the employment of the time

and talent of every consecrated man and woman to whom
the Lord has committed a knowledge of His truth.
The harvest message that the King has come, and the
separa.tion between wheat and tares is progressing, and the
opportunity for seeking the prize of the high calling to joint
heirship with Christ as His Bride is soon to end, are im
portant items of truth for the entire ''household of faith."
The knowledge of the plan of God as it relates to the bless
ing of "all the families of the earth" in "the ages to come,"
and other information concerning the manifold grace of God,
whereof he has made us stewards, ( to distribute and use )
would be of incalculable value and aid to many who so soon
will find themselves assaulted with the errors of Infidelity,
Spiritualism, etc.
It seems as though the language of Jesus, (Matt. 20 :7,)
is applicable now-"About the eleventh hour ( five o'clock P.
M.-only one hour before the labor of the day would cease )
he went out and found others standing idle. . . . He
saith to them, 'Go ye also into the vineyard and whatever
is right that shall ye receive.' "
The church is God's vineyard and we are just at the
close of the Gospel day. Let us all go in, thankful for the
opporunity to be co-workers with God here ; and if faithful
hereafter also. There is so great a variety of work that all
may find employ-all were hired in the parable.
If you
have a half hour, or an hour, or two, or three, you can use
it and it will be acceptable with the Lord of the harvest.
Who can tell the blessings which m ay flow from one hour'!
service under God's direction.
To those so situated that they can give one-half or more
of their time exclusively to the work of the Lord, we have
a plan to suggest.
[We refer to those who have not fam
ilies dependent on them for support- both men and women,]
viz : That you go forth into large or small cities, according
to your ability, as Colporteurs or Evangelists, seek to find

in every place the earnest Christians, many of whom you

will find possessed of a zeal for God, but not according to
knowledge ; to these seek to make known the riches of Our
Father's grace, and the beauties of His word, giving them
tracts ; and as a work of kindness and love to them, endeavor
to sell them the "Day Dawn," or to take their subscription
for the "Watch Tower," [or if interested, but too poor to pur
chase, presenting the same as a gift from God.]
As few could afford to travel, pay their board and clothe
themselves without some income, we propose to furnish the
TRACTS and DAY DAWNS free, and to allow any such person
to take subscriptions for the WATCH TowER, using the money
obtained from both of these sources, ( "Day Dawn and Watch
Tower,"-the Tracts are free and must not be sold, ) in de
fraying necessary expenses. Should your receipts be more
than would be needed to pay expenses, ( not at all probable, )
you would be expected to make some returns to us.
Now, who has a burning desire to go and labor in the
Vineyard, and has been praying that the Lord would open
the way. Is not this the way t This offer is made to you
by the
"WATOB TOWER TRACT SOCIETY."
The immense proportions which the tract work seems to
be assuming suggested the idea of a combination of effort
in this direction, and the result is the forming of this So
ciety. There is a great demand for tracts. Over 900,000
pages have already gone out, and we are now making con
tra cts for several millions of pages. We trust that the Lord
may be pleased to use these as the agencies for opening blind
eyes to the beauties of His word, as HP. once used even clay
and spittle to open natural eyes.
To all we would say :
Order all the tracts you can use
to God's glory. We repeat our previous suggestion, viz : That
you give them, not all at once, but one at a time, and gen
erally in their order as issued-keeping a list.

THE JEWS
The condition of the Jews in Germany has long been
one of exceptional honor and influence, and ''In no country
have they supplied such a large number of leading scholars,
poets, judges, administrative officials, and politicians.'' But
the old jealousy, which in the middle ages brought such
terrible cruelties upo11 them, alike in Germany as elsl!where,
seems still to exist, and has of late begun to manifest itself
in the formation of "Anti-Semitic Leagues" in Berlin and
elsewhere. The movement is said to have originated in cer-

tain discourses of the Court Chaplain, Dr. Stocker. The

Emperor has been appealed to, and is said to have exp,ressly
commanded his Chaplain "to discontinue his effusions. ' The
president of an Anti.Jewish Society started in Dresden "de
sires that the Jews be deprived of their political and social
rights and privileges, and that the German government should
purchase or otherwise obtain possession of Palestine, in order
to force the Jews of Germany to emigrate en masse to the
Holy Land."- G la.sgow Messmger.

SUPPLEMENT No. 2
Tract Supplement No. 2 went to you in February. Let
U!! again suggest that you read it carefully before handing
to others. They are for free distribution. Order as many a.s
you can use. They are specially designed for thinking Oh.ri8-

tians, and would be, to the natural man, foolishness.

For
"the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of
God, for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned.'' 1 Cor. ii. 14.

[ 2 U]

A PRAYER FOR LIGHT

[These lines were writen by Mrs. Commodore Inman, of
Philadelphia, whose husband gave the name to the popular
line of trans-Atlantic steamers. They are only recently from
her pen, though she is upwards of eighty years of age.]
Life ! great mystery !
Who shall say
What need hath God of this poor clay ?
Formed by hie hand with potent skill
Mind, matter, soul and stubborn will ;
Born but to die ; sure destiny-death.
Then where, Oh, where this fleeting breath ?
Not one of all the countless throng,
Who have lived and died and suffered long,
Returns to tell the great designThat future--which is yours and mine.
We plead, Oh God ! for some new ray
Of hght for guidance on our way ;
Based not on faith, but clearer eight,
Dispelling these dark clouds of night ;
This doubt, this dread, this trembling fear :
This thought that mars our blessings here ;
This restless mind, whose bolder sway
Rejects the dogmas of the day
Taught by j arring sects and schools,
To fetter reason with their rules.
We seek to know Thee as Thou art
Our place with Thee--a nd then the part
We play in this stupendous plan,
Creator Infinite, and man.
Lift up this veil obscuring sight,
Command again : "Let there be Light ! "
Reveal this secret of Thy throne ;
We search in darkness the unknown.
The above we clip from one of the daily papers, because
it so clearly shows the longings and groanings of creation.
The "whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain to
gether until now," for the earnest ea;pectatiOts of the creature
waiteth for the manifestation of the son9 of God."
(Rom.
8 : 19-22. ) From how many hearts this wail and groan for
truth ascends to God we may never know in this life, but
certain it is that freedom of thought ( unsectarian-not creed
bound ) is largely on the increase.
Even the natural man is so fashioned ( mentally ) in the
image of his creator, that with intelligence, ( notwithstand
ing the depravity and degradation under which he now i s ) he
cannot but look upward and realize that there must be a
great Creator; and reasoning further, he knows that he must
have been created with reference to some great plan ; and
reasoning that so great and powerful a being must be great
in Love and benevolence as well as in power, he longs to
know something of that plan and his part in it. He looks
about him for a solution of the mystery of his being and
future, as though expecting that the great loving One would
have anticipated hie wants and have made preparation for
their answer.
Before him stands the Christian world with its hundreds
of sects and isms and creeds of men ; each contradicting
more or less the others-each claiming the Bible as its text
book and guide-each supporting its claims by some ( often
very few ) passages from that book. He is confused, yet lis
tens. They all declare man's sin and need of heavenly help ;

that commends itself to him as truth ; they each point to

God as the only helper, and most of them to .Jesus as the
ransom from sin and death. This is not u n rcasonble. He
listens, still they offer no solution to the mystery, whence
came sin and why 1 But they begin to describe God as
either a being so weak and helpless that he could neither
prevent sin nor abolish it, or else as a loveless one who
possessed the power to overthrow sin and evil, and could elect
all the race to glory and happiness, as well as the few whom
they claim will be eo blessed, but did not want to-wanted to
illustrate His great power at the expense of the endless tor
ment of his weak and helpless creatures. He hear, but
neither of these views gives him rest. No, he "groans" show
me a. God not only possessed of more power than myself but
one also possessed of wisdom to frame a plan in harmony
with a love and mercy greater than my own, and l w t l l wor
ship Him.
Thus not only does the reflective natural man find no
rest, but those in the church who are possessed of the best
and most loving minds ( and therefore most God-like and
Christ-Uke ) groan and agonize and pray for light, by which
they can see God's love j for all who know him at all, know
that "God is lot'e." The condition of this last mentioned
rlass is described by the prophet ( I sa. 28 : 20. )
"For the bed
( theological resting place ) , is shorter than a man can stretrh
himself on it." The creeds may serve as a resting place for
those who are curled up in selfishness and fast asleep, but
when they awaken and attempt to stretch themselves, they
will find it no longer a resting place.
And now, dear brethren and sisters, what have we to offer
these distressed ones 1 Thank God ( to Him be all the glory )
we are living in the morning of the Millennial Day when
the "mystery of God" is being finished-completed, and the
fragments of tru th held by the various denominations of
Christendom, are taking their places in one great, grand,
harmonious PLAN, based not on isolated passages of Scrip
ture, but comprehending and including every passage in ha r
mony-Showing the selection by FAITH of "a little flock" in
order that in God's due time the masses of mankind should
be blessed through these-showing the necesity of Evil in
the proper education of man in order to prevent his ever
chosing it or thinking it good in the future.
The numbers of those who weep and mourn in Zion are
on the increase daily, and it is your privilege and mine to
comfort them and point them to the glorious plan. which
illustrates our Father's glorious character to be, \Y isdorn,
Power, Justice and Love combined.
Are we using every effo r t to make known the riches of
God's grace, which so many are ignorant of, yet all are
longing to hear ? Are we sparing ourselves either physira I
or mental exertion or pain ? Are we selfishly satisfied to
rest in God ourselves and permit others to grope i n dark
ness-groaning until by and by the Sons of God will be
manifested with power ?
( Rom. 8 : 19. )
I f so, we are cher
ishing an un-Christlike spirit and may never be exalted with
those who walk in His footsteps a s He hath set us an ex
ample--counting not their lives dear unto them.
It is a glorious privilege to spread the truth and open
blind eyes no1o, and if we do not loYe it enough to undergo
some sacrifice for the privilege, we are not sufficiently in
terested to be among the few engaged i n that glorious work
in the ages to come. It is he that is faithful in the least
that shall in due time be given greater opportun ities.

THE CONCLUSIVE ARGUMENT

I have read that Benjamin Fran klin tried to convince the
farmers of his day that plaster enriched the soil.
All his
philosophical arguments failed to convince the farmers ; so he
took plaster and formed it into a sentence by the roadside. The
wheat coming up through those letters was about twice as
rank and green as the other wheat, and the farmers could
read for months in letters of living green the sentence : This
has been plastered. Arguments, and culture, and fine sermons
cannot convince sinners ; they want to read in pulpit and pew,
in our utter separation from the world, in our contentedness

of mind and victorious j oy, the clean-cut truth : Thia h.a.s bent
redeemed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost. Ah ! brother, sister.
the pierced hand of Jesus can pull out the thron<> of depra,itY
from our heart, and open there a running stream of joy which
will flow on through our pain, or poverty, or loneliness. or per
secution, or trial, like a cooling riwr through a desert of !lnnd.
It i s grand to live in a state where hallelujahs form the normal
breathing of the soul. It is the joy of unwavering faith and
repose in the blood of Jesus. -Adv o ca t e of Ho liness.

PITISBURGH CHURCH

MEETINGS

Service held in "Curry Institute Hall," corner Penn avenue

and Sixth street, Pittsburgh, at 3 : 00 o'clock P. M., every
Sunday. Every Wednesday evening, at No. 80 Cedar avenue,

Allegheny, at 7 3 0 o'clock P. 1\f. All are cordially indted.

[First appParance of th i s notire, whirh !'Ullt<rqutntly n p
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OB, THE GOSPEL IN TYPE AND PROPHECY."

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cts. Free to the poor. You hould rrad thi yaJunble work.
Address the author, at Almont, Mich.

"DAY DAWN
By J. H. Paton:

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FAITH AND WORKS

ThC' t l'l.d i l l l l h i p Pxiting bPtween faith and \\ orks is !'leem
much con fused in the minds of God's children. We would
s ugg-t't t h a t 1CO I'ks without faith would not count, as then Jt
'Hnt ld bC' n s i mwr's works, which of necessity are imperfect

in g l y

"Without fatth it is impossible to please God." Faith might

exist a h1ne for a time, for not by works are we j ustified, but
by fa i t h only.
Ft r:'t. then, while sinners we learned of our ransom by
t h e Lord. from sin, death, and all of the Adamic curse ; "that
C'hrit d ied for our sins"-"the just for the unjust ;" that we
,wrc bought with a price, enn the precious blood of Christ."
We brl i cnd t h i s . and tbrn God told us that though we do
not a c t u a lly beco m e free from the Adamic penalties, we are
to rPckon onrseln as though we had none of the imperfections
:m el a i l mrnt s of tlw fallen nature-as though perfect.
God
t t l l s u that he has received ful l satisfaction for our sins in
t l w m n so m a n d hrni'rforth looks upon all who come unto him
by- J !'u. as smles heings-"justified freely from all things."
Th i i t h r meaning of justified-reckoned righteous, sinless.
And tints we sPe how wr come to this condition by faith with
out any r rga r rl to works. "Being justified by faith we have
prarr w i t h God."
F1 0m that moment you are a saved person and will
urcly he rrcovered from the effects of sin, and from that
moment forward you should never think nor speak of your
F e l f as "a poor sinner." Such we were, but have been redeemed
and just ified.
But you are not yet an "heir of glory ." Only
belienrs, justified ones, are called to be "heirs of God, joint
heirs w i t h Jesus Christ our Lord." And now that you are
a saved man or woman God calls you to be sometbin more
than human. He calls you to become a "partaker of the
didne na tu re," and mentions as the conditions upon which you
can make your calling and election sure, that you shall resign

your will to his, and thus take his will as the law of your
being. He tells you that his will is that you thus crucify,
or put to death and ignore the human nature which you are
finally to lose entirely. Thus your new divine nature grows up
within the old or human, using this earthen vessel to the
service of the Lord and not in its own service.
And here works join faith. We believe God's ca.ll and the
exceeding great and precious promises of "glory, honor and
immortality," and begin to seek for it. And now comes God's
instruction to you : "Work out your [higher spiritual ] salva
tion with fear and trembling," and let God "work in you to
will and to do of his good pleasure." Phil. ii. : 12.
TMB salvation to the divine nature cannot be obtained by
faith only-cannot be obtained without works, because there is
no other way of complying with the conc:litions of our call
and making our election sure, we were called to suffer, if we
would reign with Christ. But if you have faith in all these
promises, and keep that faith locked in your bosom and live
as an earthly being, working for earthly things, your faith
without works is valueless, and the works of earth will swal
low up and destroy the faith, and you will not suffer and con
sequently not reign.
If you know the conditions of this "high calling" to be :
"Take up your cross and follow Jesus' example of self-denial,
do you think that faith in the promise, without following the
example, will insure you the prize ?" Not so ; faith alone jus
tifies us, but works of obedience, as well as faith, are neces
sary if we would .attain to that whereunto we are called. It is
the overcomer that inherits all things promised. May the
Lord help us to work not our own will, but to "work the
works of God" and may he give grace and in<'rease our faith
so that the promises may be so real to us that works will
be easy.

KNOWING AFTER THE FLESH

"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh ; yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth
k n ow we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature ; old things are passed away." 2 Cor. v : l6, l i .
the flesh, has for the time being, gained the victory over
\Vould that all God's children could look a t this matter ae
him. And I should seek to "restore such an one," in loving
Bro. Paul he>re expressed i t : Once you and I were alive after
sympathy, remembering myself lest "I also be tempted" and
the flesh. Then we knew and criticised each other from a
overcome of my enemy-my fleshly nature.
tle>shly standpoint-"after the flesh" but now the conditions are
changed, we have become new creatures in Christ. This new
Would that we knew each other after the new nature and
creation, new will, new mind, is still connected with the
not after the flesh. It is thus our Father recognizes us
fleshly body and is thereby in continual danger of being over
as new creatures in Christ and looks upon us as pure and
spotless, covered by Christ's righteousness, "not imputing our
ruled and controlled by the fleshly desires, hence there is a
continual warfare between the old and the new natures, and
ini quities unto us." He does not know us after the flesh,
an d ob bow blessed it is for us that he does not. Let us thus
the work of the new is, to conquer and put to death the
look at each other and it will help us to ''bear one another's
old nature-to "crucify the flesh."
burdens." And "ye that are strong ( spiritually ) can be>ar
It will at best be a slow and toilsome work to root up
the infirmities of the weak." You can remember that your
and destroy every vestige of our former selves, but from the
brother's spiritual nature may be weaker than yours and that
time the work begins we should "reckon ourselves dead
be may have a stronger enemy to fight in the person of his
indee>d . . . . but alive toward God." And not only so but we
fleshly nature than you have.
hould reckon earh other in Christ as dead to the flesh. If we
Let us recognize each other in all things as "members
\nre to carry this out fully we should ''henceforth know
of the body of Christ," sons of God without rebuke, for
no man ( in Christ l after the flesh," and bow much sympathy
"he that dwelleth in God sinnetb not, for his seed remaineth in
a n d lo,e thiR would develop one toward another. If I should
him." 1 John iii. 9. The only thing that would be counted
<'C you, a brother in Christ, "overtaken in a fault," would
as sin in such a one would be willful sin, and if your will con
I harhly condemn you ? No ; I should say to myself : Ah,
sents to a sin, be sure you have not the mind of Christ and that
that d<'ar brother's enemy-his old nature-bas overcome him ;
you are not in him ; you are yet in your sins. Remember
a n cl inrlc!'d of harsh condemnation, I would seek to restore
then that, "If any man be in Christ, be is a new creature,"
Fnrh an one, remembering that it is not my brother of the
and let us so regard one another.
n ew creation which bas thus sinned, but that his enemy,

HOW TO TEACH
To thoc who would go forth to usc either much or little
nf their time, we would Ray : It is a mater of great import
a n N not o;ly to teach th e ,-i,qht thing but to present truth
m a propPr manner and onlrT.
This may be observed as a
r n l " of li fP, pertaining to everything we undPrtake : if we
won l rl reap good fruit we must not only plant good seed,
l111t it mut be planted at a proper time, in a soil previously
mnde rPady, and it must be cared for until it becomes pos
" " " " Nl of Ftrength.
So, too, must the seed be carefully, pray
rrfully and wisely sown, and the words of our Master are :
"Be ye w i se as serpents but harmless as doves."
Prcent first the Restitution and the beauties of God's
u n fo l d i n g plan ; then show that all this awaits and is depend
rn t <>n the King and kingdom coming.
Then, when your
hearer or rPader baA come to Zove the King and to long

for his kingdom, may be quite soon enough to present the

1n(MI,t!.er of His coming-that it is not Jesus the man but
Jesus a spiritual being, who comes, unseen, except to the
Bride's eye of faith, enlightened by the golden candlestick
the word of truth.
And ZastZy present "the time, that now we are "in the
days of the Son of Man," "the day of the Lord"-if they
scoff and say, "Where is the promise of His coming- ( pa
rousia--presence ) while all things continue as they were t"
( 2 Pet. 3 : 4 . ) Point them to Matt. 24 : 37, and Luke 17. But
let time be the last part of the "good news," and tell no one
of the time and presence, except they show that they have
"an ear to hear," and ''him that bath an ear let him hea,r
what the Spirit saitb unto the churches," not unto the
world.

Tm; Turkish government in Palestine has secured 80,000

persecuted Israelites in Europe ; and England and America

are raising funds for the project.

R .<:rc'i of l a n d between Jerusalem and Jaffa, for a colony of

.J' v. The proposition is to open up a settlement for the
18)

[ 216 ]

DEAD SEA PRODUCTS

A French Company is said to have been recently formed
for the purpose of utilizing the products of the Dead Sea.
An engineer last May visited the ground, to report upon the
feasibility of procuring from its waters and shores natron,
salt, petroleum, sulphur and other chemical substances, to
be brought by a small boat to the northwest shore, near
Jericho, and thence to be carried to the Mediterranean Sea

at Joppa. At the same point on the sea a small factory

will be put up, to reduce crude materials to pure and more
compact state. Should the scheme assume a practical shape
it will do much to bring about that development of trade
with the eastern shores of the Mediterranean which the study
of prophecy leads us to expect. Belected.
-

NOTICES

The editor feels that he owes himself an apology. His

time is very much occupied. The Watch Tower, the tracts,
the Sunday and Wednesday meetings besides other necessary
business occupy his time fully and the mail correspondence
is necessarily much. neglected.
I receive and read with interest your many kind letters,
but I cannot answer them all, much as I should like to :
sometimes they go entirely unanswered and sometimes very
briefly.
I do not make these remarks to hinder your writing,
but to excuse and explain what otherwise might seem like
negligence or indifference. I am ever glad to hear from you
-to know of your welfare and your trials and to learn your
questionings-I can read ten letters, while I would be an
swering one-therefore write on, but accept the articles of
the WATCH TOWER as special answers to your letters.
Our paper appears this month in new type, which we
hope will please all readers.
By mistake, an article appeared in last paper as an edi
torial which should have been credited to Bro. J. C. Sunder
lin. It was headed "Looking unto Jesus."
"SONGS OF THE BRIDE," 144 Scriptural hymns, suitable
for public and private worship. Price, 15 cts. each ; $1.30
per dozen. Free to the poor. Send orders to this office.
VoL. II

We desire to make a list for our office of all places

where our readers hold regular meetings and services of any
kind, whether in churches, halls, or private houses. Evan
gelists and Teachers frequently pass the "twos and threes"
enroute from one point to another.
If you have no gathering of this sort, let me recommend
you to establish one in your own home with your own fam
ily, or even a few that may be interested. Read, study,
praise and worship together, and where two or three are met
in His name, the Lord will be in your midst-your teacher.
Such was the character of some of the meetings of the church
in the days of the Apostles. ( See Philemon, 2 ) .
WHY EVIL WAS PERMITTED

Tract supplement No. 4, accompanies this number and

will, we trust, be acceptable to you all. It is a subject
much thought of by all, and more than one child has asked
"Why did God make the Devil ?" It is a subject which should
command some attention from all thinking Christians.
The friends in Newark may expect three meetings on
Sunday, April l Oth. Bro. A. D. Jones and the Editor will
meet with you. Bro. Jones will remain over and celebrate
with you the Lord's Supper on the evening of its anniversary
April 14th.

PITTSBURGH, P A., MAY, 1881

No. 1 1

THE GOSPEL TO ABRAHAM

The word gospel signifies good news. There are parts

or elements to the good news however ; there are first prin
ciples of the gospel of Christ ( Reb. vi. 1 . ) and there are
more advanced doctrines also. For instance, when you be
came aware that you were a sinner, and learned that Jesus
had become your ransom, and that as a result you might
now approach God as a perfect man and not as a sinner,
and that by and by in God's due time ( the Millennia} Age )
all marks of sin would be removed and you would then be
actually perfect ( still a man ) , that was good news to you ;
it was the basis of your harmony and friendship with God.
It was the same thing which centuries ago was good news
to Abraham. Paul tells us : "Abraham believed God and it
was counted unto him for righteousness." Rom. iv. 3. What
good news did God communicate which he believed T "The
gospel . . . . saying : In thee shall all nations be blessed." The
process by which all nations were to be blessed was not un
derstood by Abraham except that it should be through his
offspring, but he believed the fact without knowing how. We
are made acquainted with the manner in which the blessing
comes, viz : that Jesus was ( through Mary ) the seed of Abra
ham, and as such gave his life a ransom for all men ; that
as a consequence in due time all men will be j ustified, and
released from all the ills which come through sin.
Yes, the restitution from Adam's sin-the justification of
humanity by Christ's sacrifice, was the good news to Abra
ham, to us of the gospel age, and is to be good news to
the whole world in the Millennia! Age, for it is "to be tes
tified in due time." 1 Tim. ii. 6. It is the message that
is called "the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that
dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and
tongue and people." ( during the coming age ) . Rev. xiv. 6.
But there is another phase of the good news ( gospel )
which belongs exclusively to this Gospel Age. Something
"which in other ages was not made known unto the Sons
of men, as it is now ( during this Gospel Age ) revealed unto
his saints ( n. t. ) and prophets ( public expounders, ) by the
Spirit." Eph. iii. 5.
This special good news is, that since Jesus' sacrifice, God
is calling out from the world of humanity, some to become
the Bride, the Lamb's wife--to "become partakers of the
divine nature ( 2 Pet. I : 4 ) to cease to be men and become
"new creatures in Christ Jesus," ( 2 Cor. v. 1 7 ) and as such
to be "Heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord."
This is "our high. calling" of God, which we are to make

sure of, by crucifying and sacrificing the human nature. This

is the prize for which we seek-"Glory, Honor and Immor
tality."
But these prizes were not offered to Abraham ; he was
not told about the joint-heirship, nor about sitting in the
throne, nor about Immortality. No, these were not made
known in past ages. "Jesus Christ . . . . brought Life and
Immortalit,r to light through the gospel." 2 Tim. i. 10. Nor
will this high calling be made during the future ages, for the
"body of Oh.rist" will be completed in this age. The Bride
will be developed, and the marriage of the Lamb will come
when his wife hath made herself ready. Rev. xix. 7 .
So we see that we get all that Abraham got, viz. : justifi
cation by faith from all Adamic sin, and in addition are
invited to become a part of "The Seed which is Christ." Gal.
iii. 29. Abraham was the father of this Seed in a certain
sense, but certainly not a part of his own Seed. But more on
this again.
Jesus was anointed of the Spirit-"the Lord's anointed"
and this we have seen is the meaning of his title, Christ ; and
all who become members of the Ghrist, must be made par
takers of the Holv Ghost-anointed. Now we want to show
that none were ever thus anointed before Jesus, and if this
be the case none ever were members of his body before this
age.
David is called the Lord's anointed, but he was anointed
of Samuel with the anointing oil to the office of King ; but
both David and the oil were types : The oil a type of the
Holy Spirit, and David a type of Christ in his office of King.
Aaron was the Lord's anointed also, but he too was anointed
only with the typical oil and was himself a type of Christ
in his office of Priest. The Sp irit of God [Holy Spirit] came
upon the Prophets during the Jewish age, but in a different
way entirely and for a different purpose than its operation on
the church during this age. Then, it was simply a power,
which took possession of the Prophet ; over which he had little
or no control, which simply used him as a machine. ( See,
Num. xxii. 38. ) Never before Jesus, did the Holy Spirit act
as "a comforter" and guide into an understanding of truth,
and this is the special work of the Spirit now. It is given
to the new creature as a seal or evidence of his being begottct
to the divine nature and as an earnest of his final deliver
ance or birth into the Spiritual form.
The Spirit had written the mysteries through the Prophets,
but had not revealed them. These mysteries were written

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Z I O N )S

WA T C H

for the church, ( Jesus and his body ) and no one else could
know them, nor will any one else understand them until the
church is complete and "the mystery of God
finished."
.Many of the Prophets were good men who loved God and
whom God loved ; yet Daniel, called the "greatly beloved",
prayed for weeks, to God, desiring an understanding of some
of the prophecies which he himself had uttered. But the
Spirit gave him no understanding of it : finally in P.ity God
sent an angel, gave him all the understanding possible but
evidently not satisfactory ) and finished by telhng him that
the thing was closed up and sealed for a time, but would be
understood when due. See Dan. xii. 9.
For the same reason that prophets though beloved could
not understand, the angels also beloved could not understand,
viz. : God had not revealed his plan, hence it is written, "Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into
the heart of man ( nor angel ; we might add, on the strength
of Peter's statement ) the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto
us ( the church ) by His Spirit, . . . . Now we have received
. . . . the Spirit of God, that we might know, the things
freely given to us of God." 1 Cor. ii. 9, 1 3 .
Peter evidently refers to Daniel's interest above referred
"Of which salvation ( our high
to, when he says : ( i. 1 0. )
calling) the prophets have enquired and searched diligently
who prophesied of the GRACE THAT SHOULD COME UNTO YOU :
searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ
which was ( speaking ) in them did signify, when it testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should
follow. Unto whom it was revealed ( by the angel, no revela
tions were made to them by the Spirit ) that not unto them
selves, but unto us they did minister, the things which are now
reported unto you, by them which have preached the gospel
( good news ) unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down
from heave-n, [to be your guide in understanding the
preaching] which things the angels de.sire to look into."
They prophesied of the' grace ( favor-high calling) which
is come ' unto you-the gospel church. Now notice another
point made strong by Peter's expression ; the prophets
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ.
To all who
see how the church or "body" of Christ has fellowship
with the "head" both in sufferings and glory, this statement
is full of meaning. Our hope is to be accounted worthy to
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified togetherj ( Rom.
viii. 1 7 . ) but the Prophets spoke of the sufferings as all
future ; they spoke of them "beforehand," so we may be sure
that no matter how much the prophets may have suffered
as witnesses for God, their sufferings were not like those of
the gospel church reckoned a part of the sufferings of the
Uhrist.

TO WER

PITTSB1JRGK, PA.

Now again, to his body the church, Jesus is called the

"Head," ''Leader," "Captain of our Salvation," and how proper
it is that a leader should precede the followers. How could
Abraham and the Prophets walk in His footsteps as he hath
set us an EXAMPLE ? ( 1 Pet. ii. 2 1 ) . If Abraham and the
Prophets be counted as a part of the Christ, then Jesus was
their follower j if their sufferings be a part of the afllictions
of Uhrist, then Jesus was merely filling up their afllictions.
But not so-the Head suffered first and then the body follows
-"considers him" and his example. This is our privilege to
"FilL up that whick is BEHIND of the afllictions of Christ."
( Col. i. 24. )
But we have already shown that one reason why we are
called t he Christ, is that we are like our Leader, anointed
of the Spirit or power of God. The Father gave it without
measure to Jesus the head ; and Jesus when glorified gave
the same to his body, the church at Pentecost, as Peter ex
plains : "He being by the right hand of God exalted, hath shed
forth this." ( Acts ii. 33 ) . The Spirit in this sense as a
witness of our sonship ( on the spiritual plane ) , as a guide
into all truth ( as it becomes "meat in due season" ) came to
the church first at Pentecost, as we read that The Holy Ghost
was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. ( John
vii. 39. ) Jesus must first make his sacrifice and be accepted
of the Father, before any could be received as spiritual, new
creatures and recognized by the Spirit's adoption as such.
Jesus' words bear the same import ; He said : "It is expedient
for you that I go away, for if I go not away the comforter
will not come unto you ; but if I depart I will send him unto
you"-"even the Spirit of truth." ( John xvi. 7, xv. 26. ) Hence
it is evident that the Spirit in this sense of enlightening and
anointing is given only to the body of Christ ( anointed ) .
But some one enquires, Is it ever stated that the church
is anointed ? Yes, we read ( 1 John ii. 27 ) : "The anointing
which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no
need that any one should teach you [Ye are not dependent
upon human wisdom and science.] but the same anointing
teaches you concerning all things." [Diaglott] . Again let
Paul tell us of our anointing ( 2 Cor. i. 2 1 ) "Now he which
established us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is
God ; who also hath sealed us, and given the earnest of the
Spirit in our hearts."
We conclude then, that whatever God may have in his
plan, as the reward of Abraham, the Prophets, and all ancient
worthies, it is not the same thing which is promised to the
Christ, which began with the head and will end with the last
member-in this age. Thus we see that while there was good
news to Abraham, and is to be everlasting good news in future
ages, yet our Father hath bestowed "the e:cceeding riches of
his grace, in his loving kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

"SOME BETTER THING FOR US"

"Art thou greater than our father Abraham which is dead and the prophets arr. dead 1 Whom makest thou thyself ?" John viii, 53.
In being born of a virgin, Jesus had taken "the seed of
Abraham" and so continued until he was 30 years of age
when, in baptism he consecrated his being to God a living
sacrifice. He was accepted, and from that moment, being
begotten of the Spirit and sealed as a new creature, he is a
partaker of the divine nature, the human nature ( Abrahamic
seed ) being the thing sacrificed.
Consequently in this conversation with the Pharisees Jesus
calls Abraham their father and God his Father. ( Vs. 54, 56 ) .
We answer for Jesus then, that he at that time was greater
than Abraham and the prophets, in as much as they were
only justified men-human nature-while he ( since baptism )
was begotten of the Spirit and a "partaker of the Divine
nature." He was then, as much better and greater than they,
as the divine nature is superior to the human.
Abraham became heir to the righteousness which is by
faith>' that is, he was "justified freely from all things," but
this did not change his nature ; no, it left him still a man
but a righteous man. Those who become heirs of God, joint
heirs with Jesus Christ, follow Abraham thus far : They also
believe God and are justified as men, and then, they go further
than he ; being called of God they present themselves living
sacrifices, as Jesus did and are accepted in the beloved and
thus ( by making their calling and selection sure ) , they be
come as Jesus did-"partakers of the divine nature." These
exceeding great and precious promises Abraham and the
prophets heard not of, and therefore were not called to run
for the prize we seek.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob while in some respects noble
character receive much of their lustre and grandeur from
their bei ng used as types of spiritual things. We have often

noticed many ways in which Abraham was a type of our

heavenly Father and Isaac the son of promise a type of God's
Son, our Lord : Rebecca, Isaac's wife was a type of Jesus'
bride-the church, who soon will become joint-heirs with him
to our Father's inheritance.
The promises to Abraham were all seemingly, of an earthly
sort, and until the Spirit through Paul unfolded them, it
was impossible to see anything but earthly promises to a
human seed; but now thank God we see how all of those
promises made to Abraham will have a fulfillment, just as
they were made to him and much as he understood them ;
and we also see beyond Abraham the type, to him whom he
typified-the true Father of the true Isaac-in the fullest
sense, "The Father of the faithful" who is himself calling
us to be the Bride of His only Son and heir of all things. And
when we apply to our Father, God ; instead of to the type,
Abraham, the words : "In Thee and in Thy Seed shall all
the families of the earth be blessed," we see a strength and
depth of meaning never discerned when we applied them to
the type. No, Abraham is no part of "The Seed>'" neither
is he in any but a typical sense its father ; for "One is your
Father even God."
What shall we say then, is there unrighteousness with God t
Did he make promises to Abraham, which he never intended
to fulfill and in which he was only a type ? No, the promises
which God made to Abraham were all of an earthly kind and
so Abraham must have understood them ; but, God foreknowing
his own great plans, so arranged those earthly promises that
the higher-spiritual blessings and spiritual seed, would be
hid in earthly promises, until in his own due time, His spirit
should, through Paul, reveal it to the church. This mystery

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Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

of the spiritual seed was kept secret in past ages, but is now
revealed. Eph. iii. 9.
Now let us look at any of the promises made to Abraham
or expressed by the apostles, and we find them all susceptible
of earthly fulfillment. We will examine some of them shortly,
first stating the reward we expect Abraham to get and then
seeing how the promises accord.
To Abraham and the prophets God will give, "a just
recompense of reward" undoubtedly-all that was ever prom
ised them and probably much more than they ever expected ;
yet they may never receive the spiritual gifts promised only
to Jesus and his Bride. We repeat, that the prophets knew
nothing of "our high calling" to be joint-heirs 'With Jesus
Christ, our Lord.
Jesus said of John the Baptist, the prophet-"there hath
not risen a greater ; " ( Matt. xi. 1 1 . ) yet this greatest prophet
did not claim the honor of being a part of the Bride but
said : "He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom : but the
friend of the Bridegroom which standeth and heareth him,
rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice : this my
JOY, therefore is fulfilled." John iii. 29.
Thus does John
tell us that his joy and privilege was not to be of the Bride,
but to be a friend of the Bridegroom and to introduce him.
Moses also was a great prophet, yet Paul does not class him
with the spiritual house of sons, for he says, "Moses verily
was faithful in all his house as a servant . . . . but Christ
a.s a son over his own house, whose house are WE." Heb. iii.
5, 6.
Since ( as shown in the preceding article ) the anointing
or begetting of the Spirit to a new nature ( the spiritual )
began with our Head, Jesus, we conclude that none of the
patriarchs or prophets were thus begotten ; and if not begotten
they never can reach birth or a perfection of spiritual being
( like unto the angels and like unto Christ's glorious body ) .
How then will they be resurrected we enquire-with what
body will they come ? They belonged to the human family and
will be raised human ( earthly ) beings. By their faith, they
were justified as men ; ( reckoned free from sin and its penalty,
sickness and death ) , and in the resurrection they will we
believe be raised perfect men.
Herein will be the value of their faith, viz : that while the
world in general will be raised to a measure of life only,
and require faith and works during the Millennia! age to
prove their harmony and test their obedience to God and thus
come gradually to perfection, these ancient worthies will,
because tried and found tcorthy and justified by faith, be raised
in the glory and perfection of earthly being.
Let no one forget that there is a "glory" attaching to
the earthly. There are "celestial ( spiritual ) bodies and bodies
terrestrial ( earthly ) : but the glory of the celestial is one
( thing) and the glory of the terrestrial is another." 1 Cor.
XV. 40.
Raised in the perfection of being, how they would tower
above others on earth, degraded as all humanity is by sin.
How naturally would come to them the homage and respect
of the whole race. They would naturally assume the place
first given to Adam-"A little lower than the angels" crowned
"with glory ana honor and set over the works of God's hands : "
"Have thou dominion." ( See Heb. ii. 7, and Gen. i. 28 ) .
'l'HE :NEW JERUSALlllll

is a figure of the coming kingdom of God. It represents, we

believe, both spiritual and earthly beings. When first seen
( Rev. xxi. 2. ) it contains only the Bride, it has not reached
earth yet-it is "coming down from God out of heaven." From
the commencement of the reign of Christ, the kingdom or
dominion of God will commencej it will co}ltinue to overthrow
evil and establish right, until in the end of the time of trouble
the kingdom ( "New Jerusalem" ) shall have reached earth,
and it shall be established here, during the Millennia! reign
( of which that city is the figure) .
As we have already seen, the real rulers of earth will be
the Lord and His Bride, invisible to humanity because of a
new and different nature-spiritual beings-the new "powers
of the air : " but there will be earthly agencies, made use of
in ruling and blessing and restoring mankind-just as the
present "Prince of the power of the air" now makes use of
human agencies ( governments and men ) , in oppressing and
degrading.
There will then b6l true 'civil service reform,' and none
but perfect beings will be allowed to hold office, or be identified
with the government ; and each earthly one as soon as he
learns of the goodness and love of God, will seek and be
assisted, to approach the kingdom ( New Jerusalem ) . "They
shall bring the honor and glory of the nations into it : And
there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth
( sinful ) Df'ither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh

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a lie : but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
( Rev. xxi. 26. )
The whole world will be on trial for life, [life as human
beings-as Adam had it] and the conditions will be their
coming into full harmony with the Kingdom ( New Jerusalem )
and its laws of love to God and men. None other, shall enter
the kingdom or be enrolled of the Lamb as worthy of life.
In the end of the age all who have not entered ( the symbolic
city ) will be destroyed. ( Rev. xx. 14, 1 5 ) .
We see then, that the kingdom ( dominion-recognized
authority ) of God, "cometh not with observation, neither shall
men say, Lo, here ! or Lo, there ! " for the kingdom when i t
cometh, will b e in their midst, a spiritual unseen power ;
but as it proceeds and conquers, it begins to have human
representatives ( who can be seen ) who continue to increase
until the kingdom shall be, "Under the whole heavens" and
shall "Fill the whole EARTH." ( Dan. ii. 35 ) .
Now, in this kingdom there will be a work for spiritual
beings to do, viz. : to overrule, oversee and reward with per
fection of being and continuous life, all who shall prove them
selves worthy of it-who will thus be delivered from the
bondage of corruption [sickness and dying] into the glorious
liberty of the sons of God. [Adam was thus gloriously free,
before sin bound him to death ] . And there will be work for
humanity in the glorious restitution of all things, for they
will be co-workers with the Lamb, the Spirit and the Bride.
Now we can perhaps understand why it is, that "without
holiness no man shall see the Lord," ( "we shall see him as he
is" for "we shall be like him"-also spiritual beings ) and
yet men shall see the Patriarehs, for our Lord said :
"YE SHALL SEE ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND J'AOOB IN 'l'HE
KINGDOM OF GOD,

and ye yourselves thrust out." ( Luke xiii. 28 ) . The earthly

phase of the kingdom was all that ever had been revealed
until Jesus came and taught concerning a kingdom higher,
into which humanity ( flesh and blood ) could not enter.
It was this ( earthly ) kingdom they sought and which had
been promised them-the dominion over all nations to rule and
to bless all others. It was this earthly phase of the kingdom
which had been established in a small way under David, and
this the Jews in Jesus' day claimed still to represent ; and
now notice Jesus' words-"You yourselves ( shall be ) thrust
out." They could not be thrust out of a thing which they
were not in, in some sense ; and they were in the earthly
kingdom, in the sense that they as a nation had all been
typically cleansed by typical sacrifices, and thus constituted
a figure of the future earthly kingdom, into which will enter
none but those absolutely cleansed from all sin by virtue of
the "better sacrifices."
If then Abraham, Isaa<;_ and Jacob and all the prophets,
justified by faith, shall be raised perfect men, and as such
will be in perfect harmony with God, we see how they would
be the first of the earthly element of the kingdom. With this
thought of the spiritual and human parts of the kingdom of
God, and the necessity of the spiritual, being first perfected
before the human would be possible, let us remember JesuA'
words, "There are last ( the Gospel church ) which shall
be first ( or chief ) , and there are first ( Abraham, the prophets,
etc. ) which shall be last" ( or under ) . Luke xiii. 28-30.
But, can the promises to Abraham be thus fulfilled ? \Ye
think so-let us see. We read ( Gen. xii. 1 -3 ) , "Now the
Lord had said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country
[ Chaldea] and from thy kindred and from thy father's house,
unto a land which I will shew thee, and I will make of thee a
great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great ;
and thou shalt be a blessing : and I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee : and in thee shall all
the families of the earth be blessed." If Abraham be placed
at the head of the ( earthly ) kingdom, all this can be ac
complished.
Again we read ( Gen. xiii. 15, 1 6 ) : "All the land whieh
thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever ; and
I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a
man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed
also be numbered." [There is not much need of urging that
this does not refer to the "little flock."]
Again ( Gen. xvii. 7, 8 ) : "I will give to thee and to thy
seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger-all the
land of Canaan for an everlasting possession."
Again ( Gen. xxii. 1 7 ) : "In blessing I will bless thee, and
in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven
and as the sand that is by the sea shore ; and thy seed sha 1 1
possess the gate o f his enemies, and i n thy seed shall a l l the
families of the earth be blessed."
Now unless we can see more seeds than one in these prom

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iscs, we will have confusion : but if we can see that the earthly
is to be as the sand, and that the blessing seed is Christ and
the little flock under him, we may see how Abraham might
suppose it all to belong to the natural seed. And indeed we
should not know of the distinction were it not revealed through
Paul. ( Gal. iii. 29 ) .
Paul. in Rom. iv. 16, seem11 to mention both of these seede
( natural and spiritual ) when he says, that God's promise was
"of faith, to the end that the promise might be sure to all
the seed, not to that only which is of the Law, but to that
also which is of the faith of Abraham who is the father of
ns all ( . . . . ) like unto Him whom he believed. even God."
[ We gl\e the marginal reading which conveys the true idea,
nz. : that Abraham was the actual father to one of the seeds
and a ltkeness of the Father of the other-"even God."]
Let us next read from the sermon of Stephen, the second
Christian martyr, ( Jesus being the firs t ) about God's promise
to Abraham. He says ( Acts vii. 1 6 ) : "The God of glory
appeared unto our father Abraham . . . . and said unto him,
'Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and come
into the land which I will show thee.' Then came he out
of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Charran : and from
thence . . . . he removed and came into thtis land wherein ye
now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no not so
much as to set his foot on, yet He promised that He would
gire tt to him for a possession, and to his seed after him . . . .
And God spake on this wise, 'That his seed should sojourn in
a strange land and that they should bring them into bondage
and entreat them evil four hundred years.' "
Let no one question therefore that there is an earthly seed
to be blessed with earthly blessings as men, and that the
promise to Abraham associates him esp ecially with that seed,
and not with the higher one whose fath er is God.
Paul speaks of Abraham's hopes, saying ( Heb. xi. 8-1 7 ) :
"By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place
which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed ; and
went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned
in the land of promise . . . . dwelling with Isaac and Jacob
heirs of the same promise : For he looked for the city which
hath foundations whose builder and maker is God." "These
all died in faith, not having received the promises ( the things
promised-the land wherein they dwelt, etc. ) , but having seen
them afar off . . . . and confessed that they were strangers
and pilgrims on earth. For they that say such things declare
that they seek a country, and truly if they had ( wished )
been mindful of that country from whence they came out
L Chaldea] , they might have had opportunity to have returned.
But now, [ instead of returning] they desire a better ( the

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PIT1'SBUBCH, PA.

promised ) country that is, an heavenly, ( Canaan in the

heavenly kingdom ) . Wherefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God : for he hath prepared for them a city." The
city to which we have seen Abraham and the Prophets are
coming, it! the Millennial Kingdom into which they shall be the
first to come on the earthly plane, and whose earthly seat
of government will probably be Canaan the very land here
mentioned, in which they sojourned as strangers.
Paul proceeds to add to his list of ancient worthies David,
Samson, Rahab and the prophets who succeeded in variou"
undertakings because of faith in God : and he suggests the
thought that these faithful ones will also get a reward in
"the city" being prepared . But after mentioning all these
Paul adds : "These all having obtained a good report through
faith received not the promi!lc [ the chief or "high calling"]
God having provided
SOME BETTEB THING l'OB 'US
that they without us [the Christ l should not be made perfect."
That is, they shall not perfectlv receive the thins promised
them until THE SEED [ Christ) has first received 1ts reward ;
until the New Jerusalem shall come down ; then the promises
made to them, shall all be accomplished or "made perfect."
And now methinks, some one would say, "Art thou greater
than our father Abraham . . . . and the prophets ? Whom
makest thou thyself ?" To which we answer in Jesus' words,
"If I honor myself my honor is nothing : it is my Father that
honoreth me." No, dear brethren and sisters none of us could
have imagined such a "high calling" as we have received ;
but as we read his promises we should be unworthy of them
did we not believe and confess and accept them, with grateful
hearts.
As we see the exclusive character of the call to be joint
heirs of "Glory, Honor, and Immortality" let us lay aside
every weight and run for it. The prize given to the p atriarchs
is almost beyond human comprehension, and yet God has PRO
VlDED some better thing for us. I shall praise him eternally
for the opportunity provided even if I should not "so run as
to obtain" it. But why should I not attain it-why should
you not obtain it ?
Our justification is complete--i t is
Christ that died.
Our call is official, it is "of God in
Christ Jesus."
True, we are weak, but He who invites
us says, "My grace is sufficient for thee." Haste then to
perform your covenant j to present your bodies living sac
rifices. The time of sacrifice will soon be over-haste to
make your calling and election sure by submitting yourself
to God, who will work in you both to win and to do of His
good pleasure.

NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL

"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto sahation to every one that believeth ; to the Jew
first and also to the Greek." Rom. i, 1 6.

These words like all of Paul's words, in general, are fitly

spoken and are like "apples of gold in pictures of silver."
Gospel signifies good tell, good news, glad tidings, something
to make one rejoice and be glad ; it must have been something
of very great importance, something far-reaching in its nature,
something supremely grand and glorious, for it had wrought
a most wonderful change in Paul. He had not always been
of the opinion which he now expresses, for he had persecuted
those of "this way" even unto strange cities, and when they
were put to death, he gave his voice against them.
What had caused this change in the mind of the apostle !
Surely the gospel had not changed in its character ; no,
but he had become better acquainted with it. That is the
way it ever is with the world : the better they are acquainted
with the gospel of Christ, the better opinion they have of it,
the higher they value it. Paul was expecting soon to visit
Rome, that imperial city, the mistress of the world, and of
course if he spoke in public he wished to talk about something which he was not ashamed of,
and this he declared
was the thing : "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Chri!lt."
Paul proYed the truth of his assertion not only by his words,
but by his actions as well.
The mighty mind of Paul, in its natural sweep immense,
saw THAT in the gospel of Christ which was infinitely above
and beyond everything else. If he could have seen how man,
through the blinding effects of pride, and superstition, would
have fi nally come to consider the gospel of Christ-if he could
have stood upon the orthodox platform of our day and have
looked out upon the pile of "wood, hay, stubble," which is built
on the foundation , Christ, can any one suppose he would have
bel'n able to say he was not ashamed of it! If the "mother
chu reh," wh ih is proud of calling him her patron 11a int, 11.nd
after whom many of her churchea are named, should through

some of her dignitaries expound to him the doctrines of

penance, papal succession, confession of sins to the priest and
absolution, the state of the dead in purgatory, & c., can we
suppose that he would endorse them and say of them, "I am
not ashamed ?" I f some one were to represent to him the doc
trine of predestination as held by our Calvinistic brethren,
and undertake to prove it by Paul's own writings in Rom.
viii. 29, 33 : "For whom he did foreknow, he also did pre
destinate to be conformed to the image of his Son," &c., anrl
again in Rom. ix. 1 5, 24 : "I will have mercy on whom I
will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I
will have compassion," & c., and conclude from it
that
God from all eternity planned to bring into being a few,
favored with advantages of every sort-birth in a chris
tian land, surrounded by christian influences and upheld
by christian associations and the particular favor of God ;
but the large m4jority by the same eternal decree were
born in the darkness of moral night and bound by the
strong cords of corrupt hereditary taint and association, and
although they may have dim perceptions of God and truth,
and may desire to know him, yet, though they may groan and
strive, and turn their tear-dimmed eyes toward heaven with
untold longings, yet they shall go into a night of eternal
anguish, "without one cheering ray of hope, or star of glimmer
ing day," and the righteous from their exalted seats in glory
shall look on this display of God's wisdom, and justice, and
power and praise him for this manifestation of his love.
Is it possible that any thinking man can suppose that
Paul would endorse this ? That this was what he was not
&!!harned of ? But would he look with more favor upon the
view of our Armin ian brother, who should say to him : that
although the decree was made as our Calvinistic brother has
!ltated, yet the pr01Jision was for all to be saved, the ransom

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was provided for all, but the secret of it is in the words o f

Jesus, ' 'Ye wi. H n o t come un to m e that you might have life."
The table was spread and bountifully provided for all, but
they "would not and made light of it ; " not taking into ac
count the fact that more than nine-tenths of them never knew
that there was any supper provided for them, that is to say,
that infinite wisdom decreed that a certain number only should
be informed of it, and be at the table, but had it set for ten
times as many as he knew would be there to sup, and because
they were not there, consigned them to eternal torment. Act
ing upon this basis of reasoning, if such it is, our Arminian
brethren have sent as many missionaries as possible to tell
the starving millions that there is a supper provided so that
the poor creatures who are fortunate enough to hear of it
may come and welcome, but those who do not must starve.
But this when looked at squarely, our Arminian brethren can
not see to be very good news, and so sometimes conclude}
( though not in a very orthodox way ) that these unfortunate
millions who never heard of the gospel will be provided for "in
SOME way or other," ( a good conviction ) . Can we think this
is the gospel which Paul had in mind when he said, "I am not
ashamed of the gospel" 1 Nay, verily !
But there is still another view that has seemingly strong
scriptural support, and this includes aU men ; this surely is
a free gospel and universal and Paul is supposed to be its
strong supporter, for he has given that which is the key note
in the promulgation of it, viz : "As in Adam ALL die, EVEN
so in Christ shall ALL be made alive."
1 Cor. xv. 22. So
our Universalist brother infers from this that in some way,
in the hour of death, or before, or after, by some means,
whether sinful or holy, everybody, everywhere shall be saved ;
and why not ? He says, Did not Christ by the grace of God
taste death "for every man1" And if so did he die in vain for
any man ? But our brother of this opinion would not prob
ably dwell with as much satisfaction upon the passage "with
out hoUness no man shall see the Lord," Rom. xii. 14, and
would prefer that murderers and pickpockets should occupy
a searate apartment in the many mansions. ( Here again
convction almost arrives at truth ) . Now, candidly, can we
suppose that these views, which we, think, in a plain-spoken
way, we have fairly represented as being the views held by
the churches in general, regarding the gospel, are views held
by saint Paul when he uttered the words we have referred to !
We canno t think so, and we do think that few, if any,
who reflect are perfectly satisfied that either of these were
the views which he held. Then do you stand back aghast and
say : Can it be possible that all this is error that we have
been taught so long, and that has so much seeming support
from the Bible ? Do you say, impossible1 If these are errors,
which is your choice, and which is good news to you 1 Can
you walk out beneath the starry heavens at night and looking
up into illimitable space among the exhibitions of infinite
wisdom and power, and there alone in the presence of God
lay your hand upon either one of these dogmas and say, I
believe THIS is the gospel of Christ, of which Paul was not
ashamed ?
No, my dear brother or friend these dogmas are not all
errors, neither are they all truth. Like the confederation of
states, to which has been proudly attached the term "E Pluri
bus Unum," so the truths of the gospel of which Paul was
not ashamed are "E Pluribus Unum," i. e. one composed of
many. We understand then that the gospel, of which Paul
spoke, embraces in its scope many of the ideas held by each
of our brethren to whom reference has been made, and for
whose opinions we have respect, but we cannot think that
either of them is complete alone, and we believe that either
of the churches who think that its plan or creed is the only
and true one, while so much at variance with the others, has
done much to make the man of the world who is uninformed.
reject the instrument ( the Bible ) upon which he thinks so
many variant tunes can be played. With force then the
question recurs to us ; what was the gospel or good news
of which Paul was not ashamed 1 What was the great and
glorious thought connected with the gospel that he had in
mind ?
Paul's was a critical and calculating mind, and his inspired
thoughts were stamped with that peculiarity. He "reckons''
about his sufferings ; he "counted all things loss," etc., etc.
In this case he is not ashamed of the gospel for, i. e. for the
reason that it is "the power of God," something above and
beyond all human institutions, something that the world, the
mind of the natural man never would have thought of, some
thing supernatural, yes and something from which the mind
of man ( if left to itself ) would soon wander ; and that is
evidently why these truths have been torn asunder, and the
different parties in the church have each taken a piece, and

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upon it built a superstructure of its own, much of it, the

"wood, hay, stubble," to which Paul refers in 1 Cor. iii. 1 2.
Each of these, according to our understanding has already
begun to be swept away or to be burned up, and "the day"
which "shall declare it" is even now begun, ( vs. 1 3 ) we fully
believe. We feel convinced that the fire which is to consume
the world ( of error ) is even "now kindled."
But says one, where is the disagreement ? Do we not all
believe that this gospel is the power of God unto salvation ?
( to every one that believeth, our Armin ian brother breaks in
-but he must wait a little ) . Well they say so, but in practice
deny it. Our Calvinistic brother says "unto salvation" and
adds, ( in creed ) of a few, and unto damnation of the many,
i. e. power to save all, will to save a few. Our Arminian
brother can emphasize the will of God to save, but whisper
the power, for 0 ! man opposes his will. Our Universalist
brother can declare aloud both will and power and take all
into glory.
Let us illustrate the difference between our brethren, and
suppose three natives of some foreign land, who were totally
unacquainted with the design or nature of the national em
blem "the stars and stripes," were to call at different times
upon the American Consul in that land, and he was to present
to one a portion of the flag as a memento, having only the
red, at another time, to another one, a portion having only
the white, and still another having only the blue, each might
suppose that his portion represented in color the whole and
contend that because the representative of the nation gave
it to him, he was sure that was the true color} and so of each
of the others, while the fact would be that each was right
in supposing that he had the true color, but erred in the
supposition that he had the only color, when it was composed
of "red, white, and blue," and that in a specified proportion.
Now our Calvinistic brother sees so clearly that predesti
nation is taught in the scriptures, that he cannot see that
there is a universal salvation ; and our Arminian brother
sees so clearly that there is salvation provided for all, that
he cannot see that there is clearly taught the doctrine of
predestination and election ; and our Universalist brother sees
so clearly that all will be saved, that he cannot see either
of the others.
But says one, you seem to agree with each, and disagree
with each ; how is this ? They cannot all be right and wrong
at the same time. Well not altogether right, but partly right,
as in the illustration. We are glad to see that each has
enough ground for his belief to awaken our sympathy and
respect. Respect for what Paul would have been ashamed
of ? No, we did not say that Paul was ashamed of these
brethren, but of the doctrines or creeds that have come to be
called the gospel, or are considered as representing the gospeL
Well, says our Calvinistic brother, answer me one question :
Is not Predestination or Election clearly taught in the Scrip
tures ?
Yes, my brother, yes. Well, says my Arminian brother,
is not free will as clearly taught ! Yes, my brother, we so
understand.
And is not universal salvation as clearly taught, says my
Universa1ist brother, and we answer we think and believe so.
Perhaps all of these brethren, including the Papist brother,
cares to hear no more ; if so, perhaps some "fool for Christ's
sake" will, so we will say on and consider the last question
first. We consider our Universalist brother's text "As in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made a l ive," 1 Cm.
xv. 22, as unanswerable as regards the universality of salva
tion ; if there were not another text in the bible to teach it,
that would. It seems to us that nothing can be plainer, and
for this reason other scripture somewhat obscure must in
some way harmonize with it, and so of each of the other
texts quoted by our brethren as teaching the doctrines of
"Election," and "Free will," or Arminianism. In the above
text we think no one would undertake to make the word
"all" in the second place mean less than in the first, especially
when the first is followed and the latter preceded by the
words "even so." The misunderstanding seems to be as to the
kind or mode of 1ife.
"As in Adam all die ; " hotD do
all die in Adam ! To answer it correctly first conclude how
all lived in Adam. Not spiritual nor etenwl life was it !
Natural life and its continuance CONDITIONED on obedience.
was it not ? Then he ( and all in h im ) lost no more than
that and "even so" he ( and "all" in him ) will be made a I t \'<'
in Christ, the second Adam. But savs one, is that a ll the
life we get through Christ ? That is all the tt11 i tcrsa l ah a
tion we can find held out to mankind in the Bible. and t lt a t
we think i s "t>c1y g oo d ; " God said i t was. but thank God then
is more, but if any wish to stop there, God has prcdcsfwa fni
to let them, but if they have heard of the higher life and

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grea t salvation," theirs will be an irreparable

Then you think, says one, that there are different degrees
of salvation ? 0, yes ; let us read on a little further ( 23d ver, ) :
"But every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits,
atterward they that are Christ's at his coming."
Having seen that there are orders or ranks of being, as
is also shown by the apostle in the 39th verse and onward,
we can see that it does not follow that because all are made
a live through Christ, they will therefore come finally to the
sa m e kmd of being, but are brought to life and take position
acco1 d ing to "order," for "As is the earthy, such are they
a l:'o that ate earthy ; and as is the heavenly, such are they
a l :'o that are heavenly" ( 4 8 ver. ) .
\\'ith this view, that there are different orders, and that
a l l a re brought to the restoration of what was lost in Adam,
we can see how there may be a wtll in man to gain a position
In any given order, and how there may be a selection, "Elec
tion" or "Predestination," ( whichever you choose to call it )
of God from among his creatures of those who are qualified
or fitted for th e different grades, orders, or ranks of being.
He has p1edcstinated, or established a law, that, "to those
who by patie-n t continuance in well doing SEEK for glory and
honor and immortality, eternal life" shall be given. Rom.
1i. i . "But unto them that are contentious, and obey not the
truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, trib
ulation and anguish to every soul of man that doeth evil,"
( S an d !l nrses ) . Now who disobey ? Those who know the
truth surely. You do not consider your child as disobedient
unti l it transgresses a known command ; neither does God,
for "hke as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth
them that fear him." Many fear him who do not know much
about him and do not know what is commanded, or whether
he has commanded anything or not. Such cannot, of course,
obey the truth, nor come under wrath, but will come to life
( not eternal ) , the life lost in Adam without any will or
choice of theirs, and restored to that measure, through the
second Adam without will or choice of theirs. It was for
this purpose that "He by the grace of God should taste death
for etety man." Heb. ii. 9. And God commendeth his love
toward us. in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for
us. Yes "WHEN we were enemies we were reconciled to God
by the death of his son." Rom. v. 8-10.

T O W E R

PITK!IURGH, PA.

But does some one say, Very well, but Paul says here of
the gospel, that it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth1
Ah, but brother, now you are reaching that point in the
mind and teaching of the apostle in which is embraced
another rank or "order : " the power of God UNTO ; we do not
imagine that the power of God is staid at all when man
is brought back to the Adamic condition ; that is to a
reconciled condition ; he lost that life without previously know
ing the nature of sin or death ; true, God told him, but like
children without experience, they disobeyed, and his posterity
die for it, or because of it ; whether they sin or not they all
go down in death because of the sin of Adam which " ts
us all," and come up becaU!e of the righteousness of Christ
that restores us all. We die on Adam's account, and live
again on Christ's account. Now brought back to the Adamic
condition we are reconciled to God. Well, is there anything
more for us 1 Yes, hear the apostle again, "Much more being
reconciled we shall be saved by his life." lOth verse. What !
Saved more1 Yes. much more by the power of God unto
salvation. Will all men be saved much more ? We are sorrv
to part company with any but though this is a blessed resto1ed
condition, yet we shall have to leave on this plane those
who do not believe, for this much. more salvation is to every
one that believeth. Now my Calvinistic and Arminian brothers
stand by and see the beauty of those texts which you have
had to stretch and twist so. You need not stretch them
now ; they are all right and true. "'Vhom he did foreknow"
would be fitted by desire, and faith, and continuance in well
doing, each and severally for the different orders, "He pre
destinated" them to, and so this gospel, GOOD news is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to
the Jew first and also to the G reek." Why to the Jew first ?
( "He is not a Jew which is one outwardly," "but he is a
Jew which is one inwardly," ( Rom. ii. 28-29 ) , because he
believes first, here, in time to reach the great salvation. Dear
brethren, let us desire more, study God's word more, believe
more, and have the "much more" salvation. "Eye hath not
seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him. But QQd hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God."
J. C. S.
1 Cor. ii. 9-10.

"HOW READEST THOU }"

[This

poem was reprinted in issue of October, 1 882, \\ hich

pl <'ase

sec. I

AN INTERESTING LETTER
Bristol, England.

When I wrote asking you to

:\TY l>t:AI' l::' I R A 'ill BROTH ER :
co r r e pn n d w i th nw hy letter, I had no idea that ZION'S
WATGII Tow1 R wa R a paper, never having heard of it, else I

!<hould ha n. known that your time would not permit you to

answer Cl'('ry inquirer by letter. But as you so kindly ac
ptaintcd mr with that paper, I send you three dollars, being
- u bcri pt i o n for t h ree copies of the TowF.R, and the rest for
potage o f a f ew copies of "Food for Thinking Christians"
: nd 'Tabernade Trac-t."
I do not know how to express my thanks to God and you
inr those blessings I haYe received. Really I hardly know
m:o;elf for joy. For orne time past I have been dimly con
Jous that bleii!g wa o;; hovering over me, because I have
J ,,.,.n zoi n z t h ro u gh thr dPcp watPrs, and I could not account
for i t .
I a-,ked my fpiJow-believers if they were used to
'-U<:h wret l i ng a I was experiencing, and they knew nothing
of it.
J ee now the fallow ground was being broken up to
' e<:ei 1 e the good seed. 0, l10w I praise Him for the truth
He h a giYen me, and in what a way, too.
I joined the
f ' hu r<h of E n gl a n d soon after I was converted, but a few
m o n t h - 11 a-. e no u gh there ; then I joined the Wesleyans, but
a l 1 tt le m o re than a year was enough :
then I joined the
" B rdltr,.. n ," of whirh J am still a member, but I do not think
1 t I J krly to eon t i n u e long, because when they know I deny
t h < dor:t r i n e of tl.e Trinity, a!l well as eternal torment, I
t lt 1 n k my r<>n JJ et ioJJ must cease of necessity.
I have been a

member of a mission to preach the gospel to the poont

classes in the lowest parts of the city, but I wa s preventeri
from ill health from continuing doing so, which I now see
was my Father's hand restraining. God has given me n
talent ( the gift of preaching ) , and a lthough I quite expect
all the halls and rooms will be closed against me, yet I
will declare the truth in the streets and in the public places
as soon as ever I am taught more clearly. I do need some
Aquilla or Priscilla, but I can trust to Jesus who is made to
me wisdom. I have spoken to several since I have read your
papers, and they have had ears to hear in a measure. I feel n.
great desire to tell it out, and am intensely anxious for the
Tabernacle Tract and Food again ( I only had one on loan ) ,
for instead of the TOWER satisfying me it has set me craving
for more. My Bible is no longer a book of a dead language ;
it is a mine of wealth. I was talking yesterday with a young
friend about that article in last number, "Except a corn of
wheat die," and while talking the Spirit took of the things of
Christ and showed them unto me.
Praying that our Father may still enable you to see many
more precious views from the WATCH TowER, and use you as
the channel to convey it to his hungering and thinking
children,
I am yours sincerely,
-P. S.-I am a cab-driver, and am lost in wonder and
amazem('nt as to why He has favored me thus, but I Cor.
1 : 2 1 is being made literally true in my experience.

SUNTELIA, THERISMOS, PAROUSIA

Thr,u!h G r eek , h k e Eng l i h words, have different meanings ;
t h e B 1 b l e student frrq nPntly finds it extremely interesting
tr, l e ar n that many Greek words were used by Christ and the

Apostles with a certain and fixed signification. The literal

rendering of the three words above, is end, harvest, and
presence respectively ; and we would briefly call attention

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MAY, 1881

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

to them, as they are intensely interesting terms to ua, who

believe that they all are used with reference to the period
of time, in which we are living.
StmteZia, end occurs six times ; once in Heb. ix. 26. "But
now once in the Suntelia ( end ) of the aionon ( ages ) hath
he ( Jesus ) appeated to put away sin, by the sacrifice of
himself."
In the other five cases, it has reference to the end of the
gospel age;. as can be seen by reading Matt. xiii. 39, 40, 49 ;
xxiv. 3 ; and xxviii. 20.
The harveBt is the end of the age, and Matt. xiii. 30, gives
us to understand that it is a space of time, in which a 10ork
is to be done.
Thensmos ( reaping harvest ) occurs thirteen times ; Matt.
ix. 37, 38 ; xiii. 30, 39 ; Mark. iv. 29 ; Luke x. 2 ; John iv. 35,
and Rev. xiv. 15.
It will be noticed that it refers to the gospel harvest four
times ; Rev. xiv. speaking of the two facts, that for the little
flock a.nd afterward for the great multitude. The Heb. qatw
is the equivalent of Therismos ; and Joel iii. 18, and onward,
refers to the same harvest mentioned in Rev. xiv. though
perhaps first to the Jewish harvest.
Parousia, signifies presence, invariably. Liddell and Scott,
standard authority, give it that signification ; and Young'a
Analytical Concordance renders it the same. Whedon's Com
mentary, page 277 says : "The word Parousia never, in the
whole New Testament, signifies anything else." It never means
the act of coming, but presence. It is twenty times improperly
translated coming, in the common version ; in fourteen cases,
at least, when referring to the presence of Christ at the end
ot the age. We give the passages in which it occurs. Matt.
xxiv. 3, 27, 37, :l9 ; 1 Cor. xv. 23 ; 1 Thess. ii. 19 ; iii. 1 3 ;
iv. l!i ; v. 23 ; 2 Thess. ii. 1, 8, 9 ; James v. 7, 8 ; 2 Pet. i. 1 6 ;
iii. 4 ; 1 John i . 28. The question, l\Iatt. xxiv. 3 , is : What
will be the sign of thy Parousia ( presence ) and the Suntelia
( end ) of the a ion ( age ) 1 Aud we must believe that the
answer had direct reference to the question. He not only
gave a scncs of events which would precede his presence ;
but also events or signs which would be due, during the pres
ence, as will be noticed by those who will read carefully the
passages indicated above ; and it would seem that all might
see that not alone the passages involved in the answer to
the questton j but all the others, where pa1ousia occurs, appeal,
like everything else in the gospel, to the "eyes of the under
standing," ( Eph. i. I 8, ) rather than to the natural eyes, as
has been so many times shown. The Therismos ( harvest )
is the Suntelta ( rud ) of the age ; and the Parousia ( presence )
is in the Suntelta ( end ) of the age ; and the evidence seems
conclusive that it is the same Stm telia in both cases ; not one
preceding the other ; the evidence is so abundant and clear,
that we must believe it until compelled by facts, not by any

TO WER

amount of scoffing, to discard the position. The same evidence

which caused us to believe in the one, made us believe in
the other : and any one who doubts that we are living in
the time of the Parou8ia, ought to be consistent, to question
the Therismos ( harvest ) also. The work of separation due
to be done in the first part of the harvest, has evidently been
going on, and is about complete. What was the special
prophetic argument which proved that harvest and presence
to begin in the autumn of 1874 ! The Jubilee, we answer.
The writer has been studying the time question since 1 867,
and has been associated with the movement in connection with
the fulfillment of all the prophetic measurements since the
above date ; and still accepts all the legitimate conclusions
to be draw from them, as he understands them.
Those who would study the Jubilee argument, will find it in
the "Day Dawn." It is not the design to give it in this
connection ; but we reiterate that it was the main argument
used to prove that we had come to the "harvest" or end of
the age. The 1 335 days of Dan. xii. were prolonged to their
utmost, to harmonize with this. We would recommend all
who are interested, to carefully study all the arguments ; and
caution all not to be ready to give up old "land marks" too
easily ; and to be careful lest haply you may be found among
those referred to in 2 Pet. iii. 4.
We would suggest that those who have never had the
"eyes of the understanding enlightened" on the subject, as
well as those who once understood, but have gone out into
darkness in regard to it, do not comprehend the presence.
Whatever others have thought, or may now think, the writer
has never believed nor taught, that Christ was walking the
earth during the period of his pnsence; it is called presence,
because he has assumed a new character, to do a new work,
superintending the harvest. The Son of Man sowed the seed
( Matt. xiii. 37 ) , and he sends forth the reapers. Vs. 41. He
employs agents in both sowing and reaping ; yet it can be
said that he does both, and during this period of reaping, he
has appeared especially near to those who have understood
it, and they have enjoyed the time of his Parou8ia. Some
who once expressed the same enjoyment of it, are now asking :
Where is the evidence promise : if not fulfilling the other part
of Peter's prediction ! Those who understand the teaching
of the Law in regard to "the day of atonement," ( Lev. :\vi. J
we think, will not expect to see Christ in the ft.esh, nor while
they are in the flesh. If our understanding of the prophettc
arguments be correct, we are nearing the close of that part
of the harvest which pertains to the little flock. If there
shall be found any mistake about what may be expected here,
we know that the conditions, upon which we may attain to
the Brideship are not affected : We must count ourselves dead
indeed unto sin, satan, self and the world, and alive unto
B. W. K.
God.

THE YEAR 1 88 1

This year would be indeed a notable one, if the predictions

and expectations of all men could be realized. "Second ad
ventists" whose applications of the prophetic periods ( The
"2300 days," the "1335 days" and the "1260 days," ) have all
run out, and who because they are looking for Jesus to again
become a man and appear to them in the flesh, cannot discern
that he is now present a spiritual being. They have not "the
eyes of their understanding" opened, else they could realize
that those prophetic periods were fulfilled and the "harvest"
of the age has come-"the day of the Lord,"
With only a little spiritual discernment they might see
the harvest work in progress-the ripened grains of wheat
being separated from the "Babylon" mixture. But they see
not : they, as well as the church in general stand in the same
relation to the second advent that the nominal Jewish church
did to the first advent. Jesus was then present, but they
could not believe it-"they knew not the time of their visita
tion." Only "Israelites indeed in whom was no guile," then
received him and believed on him, and the others "stumbled"
-Thus the separating of that harvest was accomplished.
And now, how fully we seem to have th e parallel here.
This movement based upon the statements of the prophets,
claims that the Lord is present-that those prophetic periods
did not fail of fulfillment, and some of the best and holiest
people of all denominations are coming to a realization of
these truths.
They find spiritual food for which they have long been
hungerin g ; they come to the enjoyment of the liberty wherein
we stand and rejoice, knowing no name but that of the Bride
groom, and recognizing each other only by the spirit of Christ ;
needing not the shackles of creeds to unite. since the only
bonds of union are the bonds of love and of the Spirit.

(4-5 )

Yes, the sifting work goes on, and serves to prove every
man, whether he loves truth and liberty, or error and bondage ;
let each one take his choice. The bondage is the most hon
orable and brings the approval of the highly respected among
men, while to step out, brings much the same results as at
the first advent. Then the frown and displeasure of the
Chief Priests and Pharisees-the church-came upon all who
received the words of the 1\Iaster, and their names were cast
out as evil. That was the test by which it was ascertained,
who were "Israelites indeed"-so now the same class are
being gathered in much the same way.
"The Second Advent Church" people, and many in other
denominations, interested in the Lord's coming and expecting
him in the 1lesh, have turned their attention to 1 88 1 , and feel
confident that they will see Jesus with their natural eye
this year. Their hopes are based partly upon an old rhym!'
called "1\Iother Shipton's prophecy," which concludes thus :
"The world unto an end will come,
In eighteen hundred and eighty-one."
and partly upon the teachings of "The G1eat Py,atll ld'' of
Egypt, whose "Grand gallery" measures 1 8 8 1 pyramid ind1es.
This "Grand gallery" is supposed to symbolize the gospel dis
pensation, and its 1881 inches arc supposed to teach that the
gospel dispensation will be 1 88 1 years long, and a further
reason for belief in 1 8 8 1 , is that ;.o m a n y othc1' people are
expecting something. ( Not a prophetic period can be claimed,
as they are all past. ) Now to us, these things seem a poor
and weak foundation for the hopes btult upon them. Our
belief that the Lord is present, is based on the more sure
word of prophecy" to which Peter said, we would do well to
take heed.
The interest felt and expressed relative to tlli:> year by

[ 2 23]

(5)

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

most of those interested in the Lord's coming, and the fact

t hat we expect soMETHING, has perhaps led some people, who
do not understand our position, to suppose that we are looking
tor much the same thing as others. We would like to correct
this misapprehension once for all, by stating that we do not
expect Jesus to come this year, nor any other year, for we
believe that all ttme prophecies ( bearing upon Jesus' coming )
ended at and before the fall of 1 874, and that He came tkere,
and the second advent is now in progress and will continue
durmg the entire Millennia! age. We believe that his presence
Wi ll be revealed to the eyes of men's understandings gradually
during this "Day of the Lord," ( forty years-from 1 874 to
1 9 14, ) as it now is to ours ; except that we, discern it through
the word of prophecy revealed by the Spirit, and they will
recognize his presence by His j udgment upon Nominal Zion,
and the World-for the Father "hath committed all judgment
unto the Son."
The WATCH TowER never claimed that the body of OJvrist
will be changed to spiritual beings during this year. There
is such a change due sometime. We have not attempted to
say when, but have repeatedly said that it could not take
place before the fall of 1 881.
Now let us state briefly what we do expect in the fall of
this year and why. We find that the entire Jewish age was
a prophetic "shadow" of this Gospel Age in every respect :
Its Israel and his twelve sons, a shadow of the true Israel
of God ( Jesus ) and his twelve disciples ; their sacrifices,
typical of the "better sacrifices" for sin, offered during this
age ; the length of their age the same as ours ; the end of
their age "a harvest" the same as ours ; Jesus present as the
Reaper in their harvest as in ours. The unexpected manner
of his coming caused him to be "a stone of stumbling" to the
nominal church there, and it is proving the same here : He
is to be "a stone of stumbling and rock of offense to both
the houses of Israel.'' Isa. viii. 14. ( The nominal house of
servants, of which Moses was the head, and the nominal house
of sons, of which Christ is the head. Heb. iii. 5.6 ) ; The
harvest of the Jewish house was of two parts, viz : Seven
years of favor to the church, and thirty-three years of wrath
and trouble upon the then rejected and desolate one, from
which the wheat was gathered. These parallels being proph
etic and in harmony with the prophecies already fulfilled,
give reason for believing that the harvest to this age which
began in 1 874, will be like the shadow, viz : Seven years of
favor to the church, to be followed by thirty-three years of
falling and destruction upon the ".Babylon" company which
will completely separate all grains of wheat from tares.
The seven years of favot to the church, commencing with
1 874, will end in 1881-about the 2nd of October. Now what
special favor did the church enjoy during these seven years 1
We can get an answer best by looking at the prophetic shadow
-What favor did fleshly Israel enjoy during the seventieth
week ? Jesus was present--"He came to his own and his
own received him not"-yet it was a favor to have the offer,
even though the nominal church rejected him. This special
part of the work, offering himself to the nominal house, lasted
three and one-half years ( until five days before his death,
when He addressed them, saying, "How often would I have
gathered you as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings,
but ye would not : Behold your house ( the nominal church )
( Matt. xxiii. 38 ) . Yet for the
is left unto you desolate.''
remainder of their covenant week ( three and one-half years )
he showed them favor. It was not in the same way-it was
no longer an appeal to the nominal house "left desolate," but
to the pure and true individuals in that house to come out of
( The preaching of the gospel by apostles was confined
tt.
to Jews, for three and one-half years after Pentecost ) . The
gospel call was to come out on the Lord's side, separate from
Judaism, and "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ
hath made you free!'
Now what would be the parallel, or meaning of this
prophetic "shadow" here ? We answer that during the three
and one-half years from 1 874 the proclamation of Jesus, the
present Bridegroom was made to the church as a whole, that
the spint addressed nominal Zion as a whole, saying : "I
counsel thee buy of me gold tried in the fire, and white raiment,
. . . . as many as I love I rebuke and chasten : be zealous
therefore and repent. Behold I stand at the door and knock.''
( Rev. iii. 18 ) .
But they heeded not his presence and call, as the "shadow"
showed they would not, ( the "Doctors of Divinity" mostly
opposing it, as the "Doctors of the Law" had done in the
"shadow" ) .
After three and one-half years ( in 1 87 8 ) he
rejected or left desolate the nominal church here, as he had
done in the "shadow," saying, "Because thou are neither cold
nor hot I will spew thee out of my mouth.'' ( Rev. iii. 1 6 ) .

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

The Jewish church was God's mouthpiece until "left desolate,"

but from that time forward God's truth came through another
channel. So here the gospel church has been God's recognized
channel of truth, or mouthpiece, but are such, we believe, no
longer. Truth will now come through other channels.
Since 1 878 ( and never before that ) we have felt at liberty
to call God's children out of the nominal churches to a position
of freedom and liberty, where they would be free to serve Him
fully, as well as to study his word and be taught of Him :
saying, "Babylon
is fallen and become the habitation
of devils and a hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every
unclean and hateful bird.''
( This falling of the nominal
church and receiving into her bosom the corruptions of earth
has been in process for !!Orne time ) . Now comes the message :
"And I heard another voice saying, Come out of her my people
that ye be not partakers of her sins and receive not of lJPr
plagues.'' ( Rev. xviii. 2-4 ) . The favor of the present ( and
which we believe will end in October, 1881 ) is not to the
nominal church but to individuals in l1er, that they may come
out and receive the present Lord.
He says : "If any mat
( not church ) hear my voice, and open the door I will come in
to him and will sup with him and he with me.'' ( Rev. iii. 20 ) .
We have no desire to dogmatize nor to keep any one out,
but we believe ( and therefore speak ) that the favor which
ends this fall, is that of entering the Bride company. We
believe the door of favor is now open and any who consecrate
all and give up all, can come in to the wedding and become
members of the Bride, but that with this year the company
will be reckoned complete and the door to that high calling
( not the door of mercy ) closed forever.
In one of His parables pointing to the end of this age
Jesus says, "The Bridegroom came and they that were ready,
went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut."
( Matt. xxv. 1 0 ) . Our understanding of this is, that the Bride
groom came in 1 874 and since then the ready ( consecrated )
ones have been going into a condition of light with reference
to his presence, and preparation for marriage, and that this
fall, the door of opportunity to join this company will close. *
Another of Jesus' discourses seems to bear upon this point
-He said : ( Luke xiii. 24 ) "Strive to enter in at the strait
gate ; for many I say unto you will seek to enter in, and will
not be able, when once the Master of the house ( church )
is risen up and hath shut to the door ( to the "Narrow way"
-see supplement tract No. 5 ) , and ye begin to stand without
and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us ;
( Let us also become a part of your Bride. ) And he shall
answer and say unto you, I know you not, whence ye are.''
( I do not recognize you as the ones I promised to make my
Bride--she has come in ) .
What may be the outward indication that the door is shut,
we know not, but will expect to see some evidence of it.
Now, it was on the strength of this p rophetic "shadow"
which shows that the "door" would not close until this fall,
that we said, the living would not be changed before that time.
As to when our change is due we can only say : To our under
standing it will be due at any time after October 2nd, 1881,
but we know of no scriptural evidence as to what time we will
be changed from natural to spiritual, from mortal to immortal.
We have the testimony that we shall "eiDeeute the judgments
written" ( seven last plagues ) and we expect our change before
those last plagues begin. We should be glad to go sooner if it
were the Bridegroom's will, but we will be equally glad to
remain here in earthly conditions if it is His will.
Our expectations then, relative to this year are very dif
ferent from those of others interested in it. As to ''Mother
Shipton's prophecy" we of course give no heed to such "old
wives' fables.'' But the teachings of
.

TJDI GBBAT

PYlU.IIID

are quite different. We have great respect for it, though we

do not build our faith upon it. It has well been called "A
Miracle in Stone," and it commends itself to us as a work
of God, and not planned bv men, for it seems in every respect
to be in perfect accord with God's plan as we are finding it
written in His Word ; and this it is, that causes our respect
for it. .
I t has an entrance passage downward to a pit representing
the "broad road to destruction.'' From this a passage starts
upward-representing the Law dispensation. This in due time
enlarges and becomes a "grand gallery," seven times as high,
still leading upward, representing the Gospel Age. Thirty
three inches from the beginning of the grand gallery is a
well, representing the death and resurrection of Jesus. From
this well there is another downward passage-way which con
nects with the entrance passage near the pit, and seems to

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[For later light on this subject see Scripture Studies, Vol. III.]

Z I O N'S

MAY, 1881

WA T C H

teach the restoration of all men from the "horrible pit" of

death, through and on account of Jesus' death.
The "grand gallery" measures 1874 inches long at the top,
1878 inches long at a groove cut in its sides about midway
between bottom and top and 1881 inches, at the bottom. ( The
upper end wall impends or slants forward ) .
Now notice how aptly these three distinct dates ( 1874,
1878, 1881, ) are marked by the pyramid, in ending the grand
gallery, an.d see how ably it supports the teaching of the
Bible, viz : that the gospel favors and privileges have been
ending during these seven years-and will entirely cease tkis
year.
Two other ways, in which the Pyramid corroborates scrip
ture, are these : At the top of the "grand gallery"-just where
it measures 1 874 inches, there is an opening or passage-way
which seems to say, something might go out or come in here.
For some time we thought this might represent the "change,"
or catching away of the church as spiritual beings ; but it
would have been due in 1874 and no translation took place ;
then it must mean something else. It seems very plain and
clear to us now that that opening can mean nothing else than
what the Prophets have taught us, viz : that there tke Bride
groom came a spiritual being. It fits, as all the other parts
of that wonderful structure fit and harmonize with the Word.
Secondly, we are claiming that our Lord's presence here,
is to be to many in the nominal church "a stone of stumbling"
and this too finds its illustration in the Pyramid, for at the
upper end of the "Grand gallery" a huge block of stone juts
out into the pathway and further progress becomes impossible,
unless the traveler climbs with difficulty to its level. So we
find i t ; many are stumbling, and the progress of all seems to
depend on their recognizing the presen t one.
ll' l WEBE SUBE

There seems to be a disposition on the part of some to say

-now if you could only assure me positively that we will be
changed this fall, I should be willing to endure anything :
I could then take up any cross, deny myself, and do God's
will only.
Now dear brother, sister, this is not the right way ; it is
not the correct thought : God called you to the "high calling"
on condition, not that you would do kis will and not your
own for a few months only, but for all eternity. And this
you promised to do, did you not ? Well, if so, what right
have you to any 1oill in the matter ? Should you not the
rather say, "Not my will, but thine be done t" His will
regarding our present life and its circumstances-its joys and
its sorrows and its labors ; and His will as to the time the
present kind of labor in His service shall give place to the
more perfect service, when we shall be "changed" into like
ness of Him who is the express image of the Father's person.
The Lord's grace ( favor ) he says, "is sufficient" for us
and we should ask no more. I t has proved sufficient in the
past and we trust Him for the future. He gives his favor
gives us strength by showing us more and more of his plan and
our part in it, etc., and how much in this way we have en
joyed during the past three years, especially our daily feast
ing on the heavenly food. I trust we all feel stronger
spiritually than ever before. I f any do not, let them fear that
they are not walking up to the light, in the full consecration
of their all.
But does some one say : I would consecrate all--my
means, my time, my talents, and my reputation, if I knew
surely that I would get the prize ; but I fear to lose my little
stock of earthly treasure and perhaps not be accounted worthy
of a place in the Bride company ? To such we say, "Oh thou
of little faith, wherefore dids't thou doubt t" "Faithful is

TO WER

he that calleth you, who also will do it."

( Will keep h1>1

promise. ) I Thes. v. 24. We are absolutely sure of obtain
ing what God, who cannot lie, hath promised, if we do sac
rifice all. The very object of the present age is to develop
from among others those who will"Trust in His unchanging grace."
lf you think the prize too dear-not worth your little all,
don't xchange ; but if you see it to be worth a m l l l wn t1wc,
what you are asked to give for it, sell "all that you lla H
and purchase it." I f our understanding o f th e matter be
correct, the opportunity for making this exchange wh1ch lil
so favorable to us, will end with this fall.
Those who do not exchange will soon have reason to re
gret it, as they will find their all melting from their gra;:p
during the time of trouble. Those who come knocking after
ward, desiring admittance would apparently be glad then
to give all for an opportunity to enter, but it will he too
late "when once the Master
hath shut the door."
Luke xiii. 25.
Just wkat we should look for from October 1881 onward
we can scarcely say, but expect that as these seven ye a r s
of the harvest, which altogether is forty years, have been a
time of favor to the church, the succeeding years will show a.
lack of favor, and that consequently the nominal dmrch will
rapidly fall to pieces, and as a consequence, many who have
heard of tkese things but dared not bra\e the frown of a
popular and flourishing church organization, will then be set
iree and begin to knock and inquire. But while we shall
be glad to greet them and to help them in every way in our
power, we believe that they will not be recognized of the
Lord as a part of the B1ide. It is not for us to judge, how
ever ; we understand this to be the teaching of His word,
but will wait for him to tell them that they are a part of
the "great company" and not of the "little flock" to whom
"it is the Father's good pleasure to give . . . . the kingdom. "
I n different churches there are dear saints of God-con
secrated to Him-sanctified yet ignorant of his presence, the
harvest, etc. They are out of harmony with the >.pirit of the
world, and the money influence which rules the chun:h, but
do not yet hear the voice of the Lord saying, "Come out of
her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and rc
reive not of her plagues." Such will, we believe, be brought
to recognize the Lord's presence, and that the ''harvest" or
separating time has come, before the door closes and it will
test their consecration, and all who are fully consecrated wi l l
follow the voice of the Shepherd and come out.
To those who are seeking to sacrifice a ll, we would sug
gest that the spreading of this light and these truths which
God has given us, is the important work of these times.
When God gives light it is not to be put under a bushel
-not to be hid in your own heart for fear, or for any other
cause ; ; it is given you that you may let it shine. Now, "pray
ye the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers
into his harvest"-pray him to send you to tell the glad
and cheering tidings to others of his dear ones who as yet
know it not. Then realizing that he heareth us and is Will
ing to let us do our little part with him, go forward day
by day doing with your might what your hand finds to do,
and you will doubtless find your prayer richly and abund
antly answered.
Thus while looking forward to the future glory, you will
also enjoy present privileges of suffering and self-den ial as
a member of His body, for other fellow members. 0. how
much work there i s in this d irection, how much opportunity
for all who will lay aside all unnecessary earthly hindrances.

OUR PASSOVER

Our celebration of the death of "Christ our Passover" on

its anniversary, the 14th of April, announced in last paper,
was, as the occasion has always been, a "blessed season : " a
time for remembering our Lord's agony for our sins, and
also of our "1edemption through His blood." As we looked
at the acceptableness of our ransom we realized the complete
ness of our forgiveness, and said with Paul : If God be for
us who can be against us ? He that spared not his own Son
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him
also freel give us all things T Who shall lay anything to the
charge o God's elect t It is God that justifietk. [God by
his own arrangement has purged us of sin---wko shall say
it was not fully and properly done ; ] Who is he that con
demneth ? It is Christ that died. [Who says we are yet sin
ners T Let him remember who it was that paid our debt
it was Christ, and surely his was an acceptable sacrifice. ]
( Rom. viii. 31-34. )

I-15

t:;ceing our justific:1tion, we reflcrted on what Pa ul ;;aal

to all JUStified persons : "I beseech you breth ren by the nll'r
cics of God [His daily mercies and C>'peclally his mercy in
providing Jesus as your musom and thus justzfy z n g you l
that ye present your bodies a living sacnfice, holy, acceptable
to God, your reasonable service." We looked at the s1gn i fi
cance of the memorials of his death which Je.,;us h a d prond,,d
-the bread and the wine-and found that they taught the
same lesson consecra tio n and sacrzfice. First the body w.z,;
broken and the blood shed for our sin-to just zfy u s--th<'ll
the bread ( tndh-"1 am the truth" ) i,; otfPred us to 1\"l'
strength for the sacrifice which we are a ,;ked to makt'. u ,,,l
first gives the exceeding great and precious pronu,;e;; o i b,,_
coming JOint heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord to th,, " D i v l iil'
nature" and kingdom, and then tells U> how we 111.1.' l'i.z t m
and attain those promises, Yiz : " I f s o b e that Wt' ,;utl\,z w z t h
him, that he may be also glorified together." Rom. v u 1 . 1 i

[225]

(6-7)

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

This is all expressed in the symbol, as Jesus first handed

the " b read," and after supper the "cup" ( wine ) , so during
tlus age to all that come to him as disciples he offers first
the nourishment and preparation of truth, and when they
have eaten it and discerned the prize of their high calling, he
olfers them the cup of--death. Wine is a symbol of two
thmgs-hrst, in appearance it is like blood, and is called
"the blood of grapes," in this way it symbolizes death; second,
1t symbolizes the spirit, the effect being to cheer, refresh and
enhven.
\\"hen we have been enlightened and strengthened by the
heavenly food, Jesus passes us each the cup, saying, "Drink
ye a l l of it"-drink unto my death-take up your cross and
fol low me, and at the same time you will be drinking unto
my spirit and have a joy and refreshing which the world
can neither give nor take away-and finally with me, inherit
all things.
\\'e remembered that we had been thus fed and strength
ened by God's promises, and had already covenanted to drink
of his cup and become dead with him if we might "reign in
h fe" with him.
\\'e remembered the two disciples who had asked Jesus
about their positions in his throne, to whom he answered,
"Ye know not what ye ask. Are you able to drink of the
cup that I shall drink of, [ death--"Father, if it be possible
let ths cup pass from me."] and to baptized with the bap
tism that I shall be baptized with"-deatM ["I have a hap
tism to be baptized with"-water was its symbol-"and how
am I straitened until it be accomplished."]
The disciples
answered him, "\Ve are able," and he said, "Ye shall indeed."
So we have been begotten to the hope of sitting with him
in his throne, and how his words apply to us : "Are you
able to drink of my cup ?" We asked ourselves, are we will
ing to share the sufferings as well as the glory 1 Then \Ve
said-Lord by thy word we know that we may have "Grace
to help in time of need ; " and that "Thy grace is sufficient
for us." \Ve have given our all to Thee-"Work in us both
to toill and to do of thy good pleasure." Thus, having his

TO WER

P ITTSBURGH, PA.

strength made perfect in our weakness we are able. Amen.

Brother A. D. Jones reports a very interesting and profit
able meeting at Newark, New Jersey, among the friends there
and some from neighboring towns, with whom he celebrated
"Our .l'assover"-between fiftr and sixty taking part.
A number of letters rece1ved seem to indicate that the
occasion was very generally celebrated among the scattered
"twos and threes" "of this way." We presume that it was
celebrated in about twenty places. All who wrote expressed
the feeling of solemnity and appropriateness, attaching to
the celebration on the anniversary, rather than at any other
time.
One or two brethren questioned the date announced
suggesting that by the almanac it would fall on the 1 2th
instead of the 14th of April. To these we reply that the
calendars in most almanacs are arranged upon astronomical
calculations and are seldom exactly in harmony with the Jew
ish methods, which seem to be based on the eyesight. Some
almanacs publish the Jewish calendar, and we used it in as
certaining when the "14th day of the first month," Jewish
time, would come.
The moon is used to symbolize The Law or Jewish nation,
which reached its full at the time of Jesus' presence, but began
to wane when he gave them up and died. The moon was at
its full on the 1 4th of April and began to wane ; this seems
to agree with the Jewish calendars and therefore we observed
that time.
One sister wrote expressing disapproval, and asks, Why
not go back to the Law in everything as well as in keeping
the Passover 1 Our sister is in haste ; we did not suggest
the observance of the Passover as instituted by The Law,
but the observance of "The Lord's Supper" instead of it.
Nor did we suggest this as a law, believing tl1at "Christ is
the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that be
lieveth." ( Rom. x. 4, and vii. 6 ) . But who will say that
we may not celebrate the death of our Lamb on the anni
versary, for, "as often as ye do this, ye do show forth the
Lord's death."

"PINK COTTAGE" FAITH CURE

We are in receipt of information relative to some re
markable cures being performed in answer to prayers o f
faith in different sections of the country among others, one
recently received refers to several such cures at "Pink Cot
tage" Faith Cure. The writer ( a brother ) inquires our view
of these cures-are they of God, or by Satan's power t W e
answer : " H e that hath the power of death, that is the devil,"
very seldom uses it to restore life and health, and never, we
think, in answer to the earnest prayers of God's children.
Unquestionably then we would regard every case of curing
in which the instruments are the prayers of saints, as being
of God.
.Many have been led to question whether the power were
of God, because many of those thus used are wonderfully
in the dark regarding God's plan, the time of "harvest" and
the presence of the Lord, but to thus judge would be much
hke the disciples, who said to Jesus : "We found one cast
ing out devils in thy name and we forbade him because he
fol lowed not with us." But Jesus answered them, "Forbid
him not, for he that is not against us is for us." Luke
IX.

50.

We must learn that in the school of Christ, there are

\'anous classes, and the exercises and instruction of such
is under the direction of the principal teacher, Christ, who
will lead each class as it may be able and willing to ad
vance.
Seeing these classes we should earnestly desire the best
gifts-the h1gher class, for though it be honorable to be
used of the Lord in opening blind natural eyes, it is more
honorable to be used in giving the spiritual sight and in
eight mto God's word and plan and love. It is grand indeed
to be an instrument in restoring and perfecting the old
human body, lmt it is yet more grand to be used in build
ing up and perfecting the new nature showing them how
they may sacnfice the human and obtain a divine nature
and form. Both branches of service are well pleasing to God.
Choose which you think the "most excellent," but "forbid
no man because he follows not with us."
It is a little remarkable that very few of those who are
used thus of the Lord in physical healing, are in any way
identified with the nominal church ; and they are generally
out of all harmony and sympathy with its degenerated world
liness and faithlessness.
In this connection we might add that we have been agree
-

ably surprised within the last six months to learn by meet

ing with some, and hearing from others, that in many cities
and towns little companies of men and women meet regu
larly for the study of God's word. Though not so fully in
structed in the plan of God and the times in which we live
and the "harvest" separating, as we are, yet they have felt
the cold deadness of the nominal church ; they have felt that
in it they were starving for "meat in due season," while
the under shepherds acted like hirelings whose own the sheep
are not, and preached to the "itching ears" of largely uncon
verted congregations.
These sheep are gathering in little bands to have the
"chief Shepherd" himself feed them. Thus already conse
crated and following his leadings, they are already out of
Babylon and in this respect are in advance of some who
have had more knowledge. These, so far as we have met
them, seem prepared for the very things we had to present
-the presence of the Reaper and the "harvest" work of sep
ara tion now going on. Among such we are finding many of
the faith-prayer-cure people.
In this connection, we are reminded of the prophecy by
Joel which Peter quoted at Pentecost, viz : "It shall come
to pass in the last days saith God, I will pour out my Spirit
upon all flesh : and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your
old men shall dream dreams : And on my servants and on
my hand maidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit
and they shall prophesy."
Few perhaps have noted the double character of this pro
phecy, that one part relates to the servants and handmaidens
[The literal rendering of the Greek here would be male and
female slaves-bounden persons-those who are bound to the
Lord by a covenant.] and the other part of the same prophecy
relates to aU flesh and a gain, one part is to take place in
certain days [ Gospel days] and the other part is to be ful
filled after those days.
By referring to the prophecy ( Joel ii. 28, 29 ) you will see
this distinction much more clearly. This prophecy began to
have its fulfillment at Pentecost, where the servants and
handmaids began to propheBY ( or instruct ) and all through
this age it has continued to be so, and those who partake
of the Spirit of truth are particularly the channels through
whom truth flows. As Jesus had said : "When he the Spirit
of truth is come he shall guide you into all truth."

[226]

MAY, ! S R I

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

A further part of it will not have its fulfillment until

the little flock is complete-the sacrifice over and the full
atonement price paid for all men. Then, the whole world
of mankind will be no longer treated as sinners, but as for
given human sons. [ For remember that as the Bride of
Adam was a sharer in the fall and curse, so the Bride of
Christ is permitted to share in the redemption sacrifice, and
blessing of all mankind.]
God usually does things gradually ; and we regard these
powers of faith now being given to some, as a sort of prep
aration for the giving of such power to any one and every
one who will use it-"all flesh."
We doubt not that in this way, or in some such way, the
healing of human ills will be performed during the Millen
nia! age ; a way which would seem too, to show God's special
favor and power, and teach men to exercise faith in Him.
The Spirit of God ( G od's power ) operates differently
at different times and for different works. Through the
Prophets upon whom it came, its effects were to give utter
ance to truths not tmderstood. During the Gospel Age, its
object is to give us evidence through the Word of our call
to be spiritual beings like unto Christ's glorious body-to
be his Bride ; causing us to understand "what is the fellow
ship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world
hath been hidj'' ( the sharing of the body with the Head
both in the sufferings of this Gospel Age and also in the
glory to follow ) -"This is a great mystery j but I speak
concerning Christ and the church." Eph. iii. 9, and v. 32.

T O WER

(8 )

And when this mysterious work of the present age i"> ended
and the Bride of Christ ( and also the "great company"
"the virgins, her companions which follow her" ) completed,
then the Spirit is to do another and still different work.
Being poured out "upon all flesh" it will lead the world to
know of their justification as men j they shall dream dream.,
and see visions and prophesy ( teach ) . They will come to
understand the truths of God, and His plan concerning them
-their restitution to the perfection of humanity. And as
already suggested, we doubt not, that the healing of earth's
woes and pains will then be done in an:;wer to prayers of
faith ; thus tending to bring the world into union, harmony
and love with their Creator. In this work of restoration,
the Bride will have some important part-perhaps a <; yet
not fully understood-for the Spirit and the Bride will give
the invitation to "come" and then they that hear will Ray
"come," until all who will may come to the fountain of life
and drink freely and forever of life to which they are JUsti
fied by the death of Christ.
We think then, that these hcalings are probably a be
ginning of the Millennia! blessings to mankind, and that
they will rather increase-that they will be mostly amongst
the "poor of this world rich in faith," and probably after
this fall, will only be granted through those who are outside
of the nominal church ; thus giving additional evidence that
she is no longer recognized of God, and that those within
her are "partakers of her sins" ( Rev. xviii. 4 ) and cannot
please him.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

QuESTION. I was much interested in the article, "The
Resurrection," in last paper, and would like to enquire
when we read of the resurrection of the Prophets and Saints
and those that fear God's name small and great, ( Rev. xi.
1 8 ) are we to conclude that these are the orders Paul men
tions in I Cor. xv. 23, "Every man in his own order"-or
rank ? If so, does the mention of the prophets first, imply
that they constitute "The first resurrection ?"
ANSWER. No, the "first resurrection" is first in the sense
of chief or p1-incipal and not because it precedes others.
If it meant first in point of time then Jesus was not
the beginning of the first resurrection ( as declared, Acts
xxvi, 23 ) for the prophets had raised the dead and so had
Jesus. [Lazarus was dead for a longer time than Jesus] .
But, none of these were raised spiritual bodies, Jesus being
the first of that order and all others who are raised in his
likeness-spiritual, immortal beings-are sharers in the chief
-most excellent-or first resurrection. It does not follow
then that because mentioned or raised first, that the prophets
would be in the first resurrection.
QuEs. Bro. Russell : How do you interpret Phil. iv. 3,
help those women which labored
"I entreat thee
with me in the gospel
. whose names are in the book
of life." And Acts i. 1 4 : "All continued with one accord
in prayer and snppliPation with the women." And I Cor.
xi. 5 : "Every woman that prayeth or prophesieth ( teaches ) ?"
ANR. We understand these scriptures to teach, that
women did a work in the apostles days which was approved
and appreciated by them and by the Lord. Yet we believe
that women usually spoke only at the smaller gatherings,
and that when Paul said, "Let the women keep silence in
the [congregations,] " he probably had reference to the publw
gatherings at which it was the custom to have more or
less of a debate. In these public debatings, Paul thought
a woman's voice would be out of place, and this is the
opinion of most of thinking men and women today, though
we think that it has by many been carried to an extreme
forbidding them to pray or teach on any occasion, even in
more private assemblies of christians, and this we regard
as an error.
God has arranged that the man and woman are repre
sentative of Christ and his Bride the church, and this rule
by which the husband is the head of the wife is always main
tamed in scriptures. ( Though there are exceptions to the
rule in nature. ) And probably this is one reason that men
have always been given the more active and pubhc work
of the ministry and women more the work of assisting and

more private teaching, yet equally as acceptable to God. So

Christ is the active agent in carrying out his own plan.
He is the great minister of all, and we as His church do
a lesser and yet an acceptable part, well pleasing to God.
QUES. Bro. Russell :
Please explain 2 Cor. vi. 1 7 .
ANS. Paul makes a quotation from the O l d Testament
to support his teaching of the preceding verses, that Chris
tians should be separate from unbelievers. We are to be a
temple of God ; and what association is proper between God's
Temple and Idols ? None. The quotation is as follows : "I
will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be
their God and they shall be to me a people-Depart from
the midst of them and be ye separate, and touch not the
impure ; and I will receive you, and will be to you for a
Father, and you shall be to me for sons and daughters, saith
the Lord Almighty."
In person we are to be separate from sin-pure-clean
in mind ( and in body, for cleanliness of person is almost
always associated with purity of thought. Sometimes the
impure within, will clothe and cleanse the outwa rd form to
purity ; but the pure within, clothing the outward form in
filth can scarce be imagined ) , and we are to live separate
from sinners. ( See 1 Cor. v. 1 0. )
But we think the pith of the apostle's reasoning is di
rected against a<;sociation with fa l P rel tgio u s systFm s. Pag
anism claimed to be a rehgion thPn. a n d thPre was danger
that Christians should come to look with favor upon m u ra l
pagans and treat them as though they were Chn t i a n s and
thus countenance their evils. In a word, whatever God con
demns and disapproves 1ce are to eondemn and discounten
ance both in word and in deed-not even to encourage or
countenance with our presence.
The circumstances are <hffprcnt now from then. here Pag
anism does not require resistance, but it has its t>quivalent
in modern "SpirittJalism," "Frcelovism" and 'Infidelity. "
And more dangerous because associated with more l ig h t, are
the worldly practices and customs of the nominal church
of Christ today, which constitute her the Ra bylon of G od's
word. As we have already seen there is a mesa gt> to us.
to leave Babylon and thus discountenance the worldly cor
ruptions which have of late years been brought mto God's
Temple as Idols to distract and dividt> the worshiper's at
tentwn. Therefore, "Come out of her my people. that ye be
not partakers of her sins and receive not of her plagues."
And this voice must be obeyed at any cost, or -ou become one
of the idol wo1shipers. "What agreement hath the temple of
God with idols ?"

Dn. CHALMERS beautifully said : "The little I have seen

in the world and known of the history of mankind, teaches
me to look at their errors in s01:row, and not in anger. When
I take the history of one poor heart, that has sinned and
suffered, and represent to myself the struggles and tempta
tions it has passed through-the brief pulsations of joy ;

the tears of regret ; the feebleness of purpose ; the scorn of

the world that has little charity ; the desolation of the soul's
sanctuary, and threatening voices within ; lwa lth gone ; hap
piness gone-1 would fain leave the erring soul of my fel
low-man with him from whose hands it came."

[ 227]

A MISAPPREHENSION
I n !>nr l a st pn lwr we l1ad an article headed, "1,000 Preach
ers Wanted.'' which brought many good responses and we
trust started some into the Vineyard who had been anxiously
looking for ome way in which they could gi ve their time to
teaclnng and preaching from house to house ; making known
to their fellow Christians "The good word of God," the
gospel of whiCh Paul was not ashamed. This was the mean
ing we wished to convey : if there are others such, we will
be glad to hear from them and we continue to suck the same
offer.

But some seem to have misapprehended us and thought

we wanted everybody-regular canvassers and book agents,
and called the attention of their friends to it as a nice chMI.ce
to o btain some employment, etc. This is a misapprehension
of our proposition. We want laborers ( and so does the Lord )
who will be working for ht!avenly wages, rather than for the
price of a paper or book, be that ever so needful. No, we
want those only who can explain the paper and book and
plan, who as they go will preach, saying : "The kingdom of
heaven is at hand, repent ye." ( Matt. iii. 2 ) .

TRACT SUPPLEMENT No. 5

"THE NARROW WAY TO LIFE"
inheritance in the Saints ; and what is the exceeding great
ness of his power to us." Eph. i. 17.
We have quantities of this tract, and will try to supply all
your demands. Order all you can use, and use all that you order.
Tracts 6 and 7 are not yet published, but will be out soon.
We publish very large editions of Tracts 1, 2, 3, and 4,
but not enough for the demand. The supply is about ex
hausted. We are having them prepared again however, and
next time will issue them all together with some additional
matter under one cover. But we cannot expect this before
July or August.

Th1s tract we hope will be acceptable to you all. We

hope that its general distribution will be productive of good
results and that i t may be used of the Lord as an eye salve
to many to enable them to see "the exceeding riches of His
grace in His loving kindness towards us."
And for you, brethren, we pray that the viewing of the
11a1T01V way to life, may bless you, and that "The Father of
Glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelatwn m the knowledge of him ( that ) the eyes of your understandmg being enlightened ; ye may know, what is the hope
of l1i s calling ; and what the riches of the glory of His

YoL. II

PITTSBURGH, PA., JUNE, 1881

No. 12

HE ON THE HOUSETOP
"In the day that the Son of man is revealed ; in that day, he which shall be on the housetop and his stuff in the house, let him
not come down to take it away ; and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever
shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it." Luke xvii, 30-33.
The description is relative to matters due to take pla(e
The six preceding verses explain
after the Lord has come.
how he wll be present in his days as the lightning-invisible
its p1esence recognized only by the thunder and the flashes of
light which come from it.
Present while mankind will be
eating, drinking, planting and building ; present, but unrecog n ized j but not long will it be so ; his presence will soon be
made known ; he will be revealed in this day so that all shall
recognize his presence and power.
First to recognize him will be the "little flock" soon to be
m a rl e h i '> Bride, otherwise called his friends, from whom he
hides no good thing, but reveals to them al l things and shows
them not only things present but also "things to come."
These will know first the blessed nE'ws of the presence of the
heavenly Bridegroom ; then by-andby as the judgments be
gin to come, fiff;t on the nominal church and then on the
world, all men " il l come to know of his presence, for He
shall be "revealed in flaming fire." ( Great and notable
We find from our lamp-God's word-that the
judgments. )
Bridegroom has come, is now present, consequently the 1evealing of his presence has commPnced ; it is revealed to us through
the ''sure word of prophecy" and we do not wait to see in
the light of flaming j udgments.
Seeing, then, that we are
living in the day of revealing, it is due time that we should
unrlerstand our text which treats of matters due to transpire
here and now ; let us therefore give heed to our text and obey
its teachin gs.
[ Read it again . ]
We first inquire what house is referred to, and find that
There is sense in which only
the nominal church is meant.
the overcomers arc spoken of as the house-" Christ Jesus
son over his own house, whose house are we if we hold fa s t "
etc.
Again the Jewish Church and the entire nominal church
of wheat and tares are called houses, and we read that Jesus
shall be for "a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to both
O.e house' of Israel." Isa. viii. 14.
Thi<; is the house referred to in our text-the nominal
Gopel house-which we ehewhere read is to stumble. They
m the house are the members of the nominal household ; they
on the hou'letop represent those nearest heaven-the most devoterl and con<;errated one'>-th e jewels which the Lord says
he will !l a th er ; "the stuff in the house" represents the individual interests centcrerl in the organizations, such as honrlr,
respect, family ties, friendsh1ps ; these are valuables indeed ;
we a l l love these things, but the Lord says that in this day,
as soon a we discern hi'> presence we must flee and escape
from the house-the houe is stumbl ing and about to fall. A
tr,rrible gale is coming on ; we know it is jut at hand, for we
E f! e t he flaehes from the rlark clouds of trouble whieh indir te the presence of him who is as the lightning.
,

It is the same message which is put in other words in

Rev. xviii. 2. "Babylon is fallen ; come out of her, my people,
that ye he not partakers of her sins and recetve not of her
plagues." But how loath are the inmates to leave their
old and comfortable home ; they will not believe that their
house can fall-these will not obey the voice ; they will be
buried in the ruins.
"Woe unto them that are at ease in
Zion."
But there is another class which cries and laments for
Zion's transgressions, who a.re not at ease. Some of these
housetop saints hear and believe the call, but some stay and
try to prop up the shaking house and hope against hope ;
some of them take the alarm and attempt to escape, but lov
ing their stuff ( goods ) seek to take it with thE'm ; this in
volves delay, and is dangerous.
It is this danger our Lord
warns us against, saying : "Let him not go down to take it
And let him that is in the field likewise not return
away.
Those who have got out of the house and are flee
back."
ing from the coming storm let them not think it a false a larm
and return, for the destruction of the house ( nominal rhurch 1
lingers only until such sheep as hear the shepherd's votce,
"Come out of her, my people," and are obedient, shall have
had opportunity to escape ; then will come the crash and fall.
Now mark the illustration given : "Remember Lot's wife."
In the days of Lot they of Sodom ate, drank, etc., as nsu:.l,
but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained
fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. We
all recall the story, how Lot was called out of Sodom before
sunrise ; how he endeavored to get his relatives, who were
wedded to Sodomites, to flee with him ; how his words seemed
to them like idle tales ; how even Lot and his family were so
tedious that the angels laid hold of their hands and urged
them out.
They had hardly escaped when the destruction
came upon the city.
So here God pronounces certain judg
menta upon the world and on a worldly church.
He tells his
"friends" ( represented by Abraham ) , who live separate from
the world-from under the influence of Sodom, of what is com
ing upon Sodom, and delivers the class who have become al
most overcharged with the cares of this life-if they will hear
his voice, obey and come out into separateness of life.
But Jesus called special attention to Lot's wife, who, when
on her way out, began to remember her goods, and slacked
he r pace for a moment to sorrowfully look back.
Let us see
the application of this to those who are now called in this
day of the revealing of the present Lord to come out from the
Gospel "house." He that loveth houses, or lands, or repu
tation, or relatives, or friends, more than the Bridegroom is
not worthy to be of his Bride; let him stay with his stuff,
and they will ; but let each one who has consecrated a.ll to

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WA T C H

the Lord remember that he hab nothing of his own, and let him
leave all and obey the voice, "Come out of her."
Here the test seems to be entire consecrationj every in
terest of life and comfort draws and binds you to remain
in the now condemned house. We understand that the
nominal church was given up in 1878, the exact parallel of
time to the giving up of the Jewish house when Jesus said
to them :
"Your house is left unto you desolate," as he now
says to this house : "Because thou art neither cold nor hot,
1 will spew thee out of my mouth j''-my word of truth and
We be
knowledge will no longer be uttered through you.
lieve also, as previously shown that there are three and one
half years of favor to those in the house, during which the

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( 1 -2 )

Lord is revealing his presence to the saints and calling on

them to come out-that this three and one half years of
individual favor ends with October of this year, and by that
time the voice of the Bride " ill be heard no more 1 n t !J ,.
Babylon ( confusion ) house.
Hence we would urge, Flee out
of Sodom ; "flee out of Babylon ; " stay not in all the plain
leave the stuff-sacrifice it in obedience to the Lord's word.
Yes, it will test you sorely-"every man's work shall be
tried so as by fire."
He that loveth his life ( honor reputa
tion, friends, etc., ) shall lose it, and he that sacrifices all
these elements of the human nature, shall find that which
God hath promised to the overcomers, viz :
ThP crown of
lif!T-immortality.

ONE SHALL BE TAKEN AND ANOTHER LEFT

Continuing the above discourse on the things due during

the day of the revelation of his presence, Jesus says : "I tell
you in that night ( before the day has dawned yet a part of
that day ) there will be two in a bed ; one will be taken and
the other left. Two will be grinding together ; the one will
be taken and the other left." [ Diaglott.]
A bed is a place in which to rest ; it is here used, we be
lieve, to represent the resting place of the church-the belief
or creed.
The same bed is here referred to as that mention
ed last month described in Isa. xxviii. 20. The prophet is
speaking of the stumbling of the church ( v. 1 3 ) and of the
flood of trouble coming upon them ( v. 18 ) , and says ( see
margin ) :
"When the overflowing scourge shall pass through,
then ye shall be trodden down by it ; from the time that it
goeth forth it shall take you ( The trouble will commence with
the church ) ; for morning by morning shall it pass over, by
day and by night ( increasing like a flood of waters ) ; and it
shall be a vexation only until he shall make you to under
stand doctrine. [The church has largely substituted doctrines
of men for those of God, and they will be vexed and perplex
ed by the spread of Infidelity, etc., until they come to under
Then their perplexity and trou
stand God's word and plan.
ble will be at an end, for they will see that the whole plan is
working out gloriously to the praise of God and the good of
his creatures.] For ( the vexation is because ) the bed
( creeds-belief ) is shorter than that a man can stretch him
self on it." The creeds cramp any who have any degree
of development. When we were babes we could rest in them.
but by reason of growth in grace and knowledge some are
coming to find themselves in a very uncomfortable plac&-no
rest there now ; it will be quite a relief to get out of such a
bed.

It is from this short bed that some will be taken in the

day when the Son of man is present turning the light of truth
upon error, and bringing to light all the hidden things of dark
ness.
During this time before the sore vexation of the fall
ing house comes ; some will awaken and get out of such a
short, uncomfortable man-made bed, into the liberty where
with Christ hath made them free, and some will be left ; some
will be so short that they will feel no inconvenience, and
others so sleepy and drowsy as to not notice the matter, and
will so remain until the Gospel house, beds and all, become

a mass of ruins ; then these will "come out of great tribula

tion."
"Two will be grinding together."
Grinding is the pre
paring of food for the household-this, then, seems to refer
specially to the teachers in the church ; some of these will be
taken and some left.
The disciples inquired where they would be taken to, and
Jesus answered : "Where the body is there will the eagles
be assembled."
The ones taken from the bed and from grind
ing are likened to eagles ; they live high up above the world,
in the mountains, far-seeing ; having eyes adapted to looking
at the light ( How they represent the intelligently earnest
Christians) .
What causes the assembling together of the
eagles from various quarters ?
It is hunger, and because
they see the prey-the food-a long way off-the food at
tracts them ; they come to eat the carcass-the food.
Now look at the wonderful figures Jesus has given us.
First, he will be present invisibly, as the lightning, and men
will eat, drink, and know not in the days of the Son of Man ;
second, in this day all that are on the housetop should escape
before the storm destroys the house ( nominal church ) and in
jures many in it ; third, in the night, before the day has fully
come, some, both of grinders and of those not at ease in the
short bed will escape ; fourth, these thus attracted away, will
be like eagles ; fifth, the thing which talces them away is a
desire for food ; sixth, such as thus seek food find it and meet
the others similarly hungry and feed together.
How true this picture is ; the church has more preaching
and teaching and forms than it ever had, yet no food is found
by the "eagle class"-the eagles are hungry, and it is their
hunger which takes them away, and every such hungry one
thus separated, the Lord will feed, and as they come to feed
they find others of "like precious faith" and character, who
have forsaken all for truth-the food.
Thus the "gathering" of the ripe wheat-of the jewels
of the eagles is now in progress, and bye and bye these will be
glorified with their head--Jesus-changed in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye from human and mortal conditions, to
spiritual and Incorruptible.
Let us say in the words address
ed to Lot ; "Escape for thy life, look not hehind thee, neither
stay thou in all the plain ; escape to the mountain lest thou
be consumed."-Gen. xix. 1217.

FLEE BEFORE WINTER

The above subject ( Luke 1 7 : 31 ) is found with other con

nections in Matt. 24. 17-21, viz : "Let him which is on the
housetop not come down to take anything out of his house
. . . . . . . . and woe unto them that are with child and to them
that give suck in those days ! But pray ye that your flight
be not in the winter ( neither on the Sabbath day) for then
shall be great tribulation such as was not since the begin
ning of the world to this tim e ! no, nor ever shall be."
This hafl been very generally applied as having its fulfill
ment with the Jews, after their house was given up and at
1ts destruction, which followed the end of its seven years of
favor. \Ve believe that they did have a fulfillment there, but
that they apply to the end of this age especially-in fact as
we have seen, everything which occurred to them during their
harvest was a shadow of what occurs now during this harvest.
To the Jew, it was literally fulfilled ; they fled from litral
Zion, left literal housetops, fields, beds and mills, and Jo
sephus tells us that mothers ate their own offspring in those
days.

But we are looking for the substance there shadowed ; we

have found the meaning of the "bed" and of the "grinding
mills" and of the "bouse-top," and now let us see who in Zion
are they that givP suck and are with child in these days. We
suggest that Paul and Peter and Isaiah tell us who the chil
dren are. \Vritten to new converts, we read "As new-born

babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow
thereby." ( I Pet. li. 2. ) Again, written to those who made
slow progress in divine grace and knowledge, we read : "I
have fed you with milk and not with meat-even as unto
babes" ( I Cor. ii. 2 ) , 'for when for the time ?e ought to lw
teachers [suck givers] ye have need that one teach you again,
which be the first prin ciples [milk] of the oracles of God ;
and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong
meat. For every one that useth milk [ first principles 011ly ]
is unskillful in the word of righteousness : for he is a babe.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age [ m en
-it is when grown to this full age and size of manho0d in
Christ, that the bed is found too short-that a m an cannot
stretch himself on it] even those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised." Reb. v. 12.
In lsa. xxviii. 9 we read : "'Vhom shall he teach knowl
edge ? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine [the
deeper elements of his Word and plan] ? Them that are
weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts."
The nominal church today is composed largely of those who
give no evidence whatever of being begotten of the Spirit
consequently are not even ( embryo) babes in Christ. and have
neither part nor lot in spiritual things ; and of those who
are spirit-begotten, how few have reached any d('gr('e of g-rowth
-how few are men-nearly all arc babes in Christ. We- love

[ 2 29 ]

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WA T C H

babes-new-born babes especially, but we feel disappointed,

and disposed to chide them ( as Paul did ) , when for the time
they ought to be teachers and still have need that one teach
them the first principles. They themselves are much to blame
that they are "unskillful in the Word," for the strength
comes 'by reason of use." We should not confound these babes
with the class referred to as babes by Jesus, unto whom he
says God reveals his plans, hidden from the prudent. There is
a sense in which we always should be babes-in meekness and
simplicity ; we should always be Christ's "little ones." Paul
defines the distinction between the two classes of babes in 1
Cor. xiv. 20.
I f now we have found that nearly all the true Christians
of today ( like the Corinthian church of Paul's day) are babes
not weaned from the milk, but still needing it, who shall we
suppose to be those who give suck in these days ? We answer,
They are the ministers, class leaders, and Bible class teachers
of the church. They almost all boast of giving only first prin
ciples-milk ; and they seek by all means to prevent those in
their charge from wandering off and getting even a morsel of
meat-from hearing anything which would cause their "senses"
to be exercised.
As we progress into the time of the church's trouble,
( Zion's travail ) when truth and error are both attacking her
and causing her pain, until all of God's true children are
delivered out of her-the brunt and severity of anguish will
come mostly upon those that "give suck." They will find ( and
even now are beginning to be alarmed ) that not only will the
babes cease to come into her, but many ( yes, ultimately all )
of those now being fed with milk will be weaned a.nd learn
to eat meat or die of starvation. "It shall be for a vexation
only until He shall make you to understand doctrine"--or to
eat meat. Isa. xxvii. 1 9. margin.
One day is with the Lord as a thousand years. ( 2 Pet. iii.
8. ) The seventh thousand ( or Sabbath-the seventh day is the
"Sabbath" ) commenced in 1873, consequently we are now in
the Sabbath day of our text : Pray ( desire ) that your flight
be not on the Sabbath. The Jewish law placed restrictions
upon the people on the Sabbath, and hindered them from jour
neying as much as they might desire-therefore, if bound by
those laws it hindered flight. How is it now? Is there any
special hindrance to escape from nominal Zion since we en
tered the seventh day ? We answer, Yes ; those who stood fast
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and were
not entangled by any yoke of bondage or creed of men, were
in a favored position-those who get weaned now and eat
the strong meat of present truth ( See Matt. xxiv. 45, 46which shows that ''meat in due season" will be given when the
Lord shall have come and is present ) , and hear the Lord's
word, saying : " Come out of her, my people, that ye be not par
takers of her sins and receive not of her plagues." If they
now attempt to obey they will find such laws in force in Zion
as will make it difficult to get out quickly unless those man
made laws are disregarded.
During the last seven years nominal Zion has sought by
every means to prevent escape from her house; it is easy, very
easy, for almost any sort of creature to gain admittance, but
vile indeed must be the one she casts out ; but be you ever so
faithful a child of God, and attempt to go forth in obedience
to His call, you will find your way wondrously hedged up, and
unless your senses have been exercised-unless God has taught
you knowledge and made you to understand true doctrines,
you will be unable to make your escape. You will first be
fawned upon, told how indispensable are your services.
how much good you are doing, how you would be
throwing away all your Christian infltte'JWe, how you would
lose your social standing, etc. You will also be reminded of
the extent of learning ( worldly wisdom ) of the church and
her mini sters of the comparatively few "peculiar people" who
hold these views, etc. And, unless you have had your spiritual
senses exercised in the Word [not by merely reading, but by

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PITTSBURGH, PA

searching] you will be unable to force your way against these

barriers. Unless possessed of a knowledge of the Word you
will be unable to test their ministers by the evidences of
heavenly wisdom-the understanding of God's Word, as shown
in Isa. xxix. 10-14. You will be unable to prove whether or
not they are the Lord's friends by the tests of John xv. 15.
and xvi. 13. Unless you have laid all on the altar, you ea.n
not break away from the sooiG l ties and flattering influences ;
but if you have you can say : "We ought to obey God rather
than men." Yes, you must say :
"The dearest idol I have known
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thr, throne,
And worship only Thee. '
And not only say, but do it. You will be severely tested,
for if you have been b lameless before, an example in conduct,
and insi8t on withdrawing, your character will be carefully
examined, and if possibl' some pretext will be found to let you
down and out-as though you had been expelled.
But we read : "Pray that your flight be not in winter."
How shall we understand this ? We believe that we are now in
the "harvest," that it is composed of two parts, or as shown
in Rev. xiv. 1 4, 1 8, two harvests. The first seven years of
gathering the "first fruits of the wheat" and a succeeding
period of ( 33 years ) harvesting of the "Vine of t he Earth."
The first a time of favor, the latter a "time of trouble such
as was not since there was a nation." It is with reference
to this first ( 7 years) harvest ( which ends we believe in
Oct. this year, ) that we understand all reference and ex
hortation to the Bride or "little flock" stands related : it is
her harvest time and if we rightly interpret the Word all who
will have part in that company and be overcomers will come
out of "Babylon" before this harvest ends. Harvest always
comes in summer and is followed by the destructive frosts of
winter and in the figure used by our Lord we believ' that
the second harvest or time of trouble stands to the first har
vest soon to end, in the relation of winter. With this thought
see the force of Jesus' words pray ( seek, desire ) that you
may get out before winter-in season to be an overcomer.
We know that some will say : "The harvest is past-the
summer is ended and we are not saved." "Yea, the stork in
the heaven knoweth her appointed times ; and the turtle and
the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming ;
but my people know not the j udgment [dealings] of the Lord.
How do ye say, We are wise and the law of the Lord is with us ?
Lo, certainly in vain made He it. [ They use very little of it]
. . . The wise man is ashamed, they are dismayed and taken :
lo they have rejected the Word of the Lord and what wisdom
is in them ?" ( Jer. viii. 7-9, 19-22. ) No, Zion knows not the
time of her visitation, and soon, when the harvest and sum
mer are ended, it will also be true that the Lord is not in
Zion-there is no king in her, there is no balm in Gilead
no physician there and those then in Zion will have lost the
"especial" salvation, the prize of being made the heavenly
Zion.
This "winter" time coming, is the time of Zion's travail
when the great majority of her children will be brOttg ht forth
but those who will be members of the first-born will come
forth before the travail [and we know not how soon there
after, they will be "changed in a moment in the twinkling of
an eye."]
Thus we read "Before she travailed she brought forth ;
before her pain came she was delivered of a man child [ the
overcomers ] . Who hath heard such a thing ! . . . for as soon
as Zion travailed she brought forth her children" [the great
company.] Isa. lxvi. 7.
In view of these things can you wonder that Jesus says es
cape from the house before wintert The harvest is nearly
over ; the summer will soon be ended, and the winter of
trouble will soon be here-"Come out of her my people."

GOD KNOWS
God knows-not I-the devious way
Wherein my faltering feet must tread,
Before into the light of day
My steps from out this gloom are led.
And since my Lord the path doth see,
What matter if 'tis hid from me ?

God knows-not I-why, when I'd fain

Have walked in pastures green and fair,
The path He pointed me hath lain
Through rocky deserts, bleak and bare.
I blindly trust-since 'tis His will
This way lies safety, that way ill.

God knows-not I-how sweet accord

Shall grow at length from out this clash
Of earthly discords which have jarred
On soul and sense ; I hear the crash,
Yet feel and know that on His ear
Breaks harmony-full, deep and clear.

His perfect plan I nruay not grasp,

Yet I can trust Love Infinite,
And with my feeble fingers clasp
The hand which leads me into light.
My soul upon His errand goesThe end I know not--but God knows.
[ 23 0 ]

-Selected.

EVIDENCE OF FRIENDSHIP
"Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants ; for the servant knoweth not what
his Lord doeth, [his pla.M, etc.) but I have called you friends ; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known
unto you." John xv, 15.

The end of Jesus' earthly ministry was come ; during those

three and a half years he had uttered truths which served to
test his followers, which proved to some causes of stumbling,
to all who were not "Israelites indeed : "-truths which had
brought the opposition of the nominal Jewish church, and
of which even some of his followers, bad said : "This is an
hard saying ; who can hear it t" and walked no more with him.
But now this work of separating was all over. Even Judas had
gone out, and Jesus and the eleven are alone. He bas been
telling them some things regarding their new and high privileges, their new relationship toward God about to be purchased by his death, into the enjoyment of which they should
enter after he should ascend to the Father, and His work as
ransom be recognized as perfect. Then would come the "power
from on high"-the Spirit which would endue them with ability to understand spiritual, or heavenly things.
It may have escaped the attention of some that at this time
the disciples were not begotten of the spirit, though they were
j ustified by faith-jus tifi ed human beings, but not begotten
new creatures, consequently Jesus' teachings contain little reference to the highest things except in arables ; he explained little concerning the "high calling" o the Bride, but said : " I
have yet many: things to say unto r,ou but ye cannot bear them
now. Howbe1t, when he the spint of truth is come, he will
guide you into all truth." How this corroborates Paul's statemE>nt : "The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit
of God," "neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. ii., 14. Though justified, men, they
must be begotten of the Spirit to comprehend, things above
the human plane.
After telling them of the future unfolding of truth and
of his words he tells them why his revelations are for them,
viz : because he will henceforth treat them as friends and reveal all things to them.
There are two important lessons conveyed in these words
of the Master, as applicable to us as to the eleven Apostles :

first, the rule by which He j udges who are His friends-"ye

are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you." If we
submit our wills completely to his will, thus becom mg dea d
to the world and alive toward God-then he reckons us
friends ; second, the rule by which tee may judge whether
be reckons us among this class of special "friends," viz. : If he
reveals his work and plans to us, even all things which he has
heard of the Father.
Now apply these rules to yourself. If you can say, "'Xot
my will but thine be done"-not my plan of savmg the v.orld,
not my plan relative to the preaching of the Gospel-not
my will regarding the nominal church-not my will regard
ing myself and what I shall do or be-but "Thy will be done"
in all these things, then you are a '"friend" in this special
sense spoken of by Jesus. Now try the other rule, have you
evidence that you are a special frien d ? Is the Spirit leading
you daily into more and more of an understanding of his
words and plan-revealing more and more of the "mystery"
kept hid in former ages, and showmg you " ' t hing to co me" !
Do you say yes t Very good, then yours is the blessed experi
ence of heavenly wisdom, which at the same time is a proof
that you are a special "friend." Continue and if possible in
crease your consecration, and you shall continue to abide in
his love and to have fresh evidences of his friendship by
growth "in grace and in knowledge."
If the Word and plan of God are not opening before you :
[The Spirit often uses human agencies for communicating
truth.) If you are not being led of the Spirit into all truth
if he is not showing you "thing. to come" ( John xv i . 13. )
then it looks indeed as though you were not of the special
friends, and it should be your first work to gain this divine
friendship by self-surrender-consecration.
All who believe themselves acceptable servants of our :Master should look for and not be satisfied without this witness
of the Spirit that they are Christ's friends.

THE CREDIBILITY OF THE SCRIPTURES

Extracts from an Address Delivered by Dr. J. H. Thomas before the "Liberal League"
published in the Restitution.

[ We have selected these from among other arguments,

thinking they might be of interest to our readers, though probably most of them you are already familiar with.-En.]
If then we believe those things that are accountable by law,
and contrary to our experiences which are the discoveries, and
works of men, why should we discredit those things that are
the work of God, as evidenced by competent and creditable
witnesses t Again I ask in the words of Paul, "Why should
it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the
dead t"
We believe there was a time when man did not exist. We
know he exists now. What has been, may be again ; therefore,
if man ceases to exist he may exist again, which would not
even be contrary to our experiences. I contend, therefore, that
the Atheist and Infidel, in accordance with their own reasoning are bound to accept the testimony of the apostles that
Jesus rose from the dead, whereby the divinity of the Scriptures is proved : for, if God raised Jesus from the dead he
was divine ; and as he acknowledged the authority of the old
Scriptures, and they testified of him, they are divine.
Having noticed a few of the arguments that might be adduced under this head, I call your attention to the New Testament prediction of an apostacy and its fulfillment as another
reason why I believe the Bible to be the word of God.
If the New Testament prediction be divine authority, there
should be today not only an apostacy from the faith once
delivered to the saints, but there should be a dominant Christianity ( at least so-called ) political, tyrannical and corrupt. As
proof of this we call your attention to the predictions.
Says Paul ( Acts xxi. 28 ) : Take heed to yourselves, and
unto all the flock over which the Holy Spirit hath made you
overseers ; feed the flock o f God, which h e hath purchased with
his own blood ; for I know this, that after my departure shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock ; also
of your own selves, shall men arise and speak preverse things.
Again, writing to Timothy he says : The time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own
lusts shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears,
and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall
b e turned unto fables.
This is a. plain prediction o f a departure from the truth as
proclaimed by Christ and his apostles ; and before the apotle&

( an Infidel Society ) , of this City and

had finished their work this departure from the truth, or

apostacy had commenced, and we find Paul writing to the
Galatian believers, saying : "I marvel that ye are so soon re
moved from him that called you into favor of Christ unto
another gospel ; which is not another, but there be some that
trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ."
We see the predicted apostacy had commenced in Paul':>
day. This was to go on and grow into a political form and be
come in the world an ecclesiastical system supported by the
sword. This is clearly predicted by Paul. The Thessalonian
believers had become anxious about the return of Christ as
an event about to happen, but Paul writes them, saying : "Let
no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come
except there come a. falling away first and that man of sin
be revealed, the son of perdition who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped so
that he as God sitteth in the temple of God showing himself
that he is God."
Paul further says : "This wicked one the Lord shall cou
sume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the bright
ness of his coming."
According to these predictions then, there ought to have
been in the past an extensive departure from the faith, a cor
ruption of Christianity, developing a pretender to dtvine au
thority, lording it over the kings, and governments of the
earth.
I ask if this prediction has not been fulfilled-realized 111
every particular ! What has been in the past, and what is to
day the most notable feature of European history ! Is it not
a man at the head of an ecclesiastical system exhibiting him
self as an obj ect of the highest homage upon earth, and in th e
name of Christ claiming the highest authority, and the right
to lord it over the kings and governments of the earth T
I contend then that the developments of this apostac\-.t
prominent feature of which is a union of church and state-i:>
an exact fulfillment of Paul's prediction, and is therefore a
good and valid reason why we should believe the Bible to be
the word of God.
What human being unassistd by dhine
inspiration could have predicted 1 800 years ago with sueh ('k . H
ness of vision-su<'h accurncy of detail . an apostary su\'h a
now exists, headed up in Rome and extending nearly, if not
quite, to every inhabited part of the globe, and t>mbracing "' t'ry

[ 231]

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Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

t .i l:;e "Y"tem of re li gi on-te ach i ng for doctrine the command

ments oi men. and " luch is fully ascribed in the apocalypse
.\ntl symbuh Lt't! b a woman s it t i ng upon a scarlet colored
bt.\ st, u po n '' ho"c ion h ea d is written : "Mystery, Babylon the
l 1 r.1 t .
l'ht m P t h t' I uf h .u lots and abominations of the ear t h " ''
This IS ,; mbohral and expres::.l\'e of all names and d e
Ill'lllllt:l t l t l l u t t h e great apostacy, from the church of Rome to
t h , l!ll1 " 1 '''1.! l t' l l l C til ns i o n of Protestantism who make void the
t i ut h by t ht> 1 r t nuh t w n s, a n d so fill up the measure of Paul's
predt t w n . \1 h i l' h i;; e\ idenee that Paul spoke not of himse l f
but a l h' '-\ as i n t ru ct ed by the H ol y Spirit.
We t . t l l your a t t enti on to t he wonderful fulfillment of pro
phct i l' h t st o ry in relatiOn to the Jews, or Jewish natiOn, and
tho:tr J t unct ructal exi s ten ee at the present time as another
t t.t,;on whv I believe the Bi bl e to be the word of God.
Th 1 t ,; t a ee of peo pl e with no national organization, no
,c n t t a l 1 1 cJ lh>\l t'r, b .lm :<h ed from thei r own land, scatte red
among ,. , ery na twn under h e a ve n , d es p is ed, cast out as evil,
down tt oddtll. wbhed aga i n and agai n of their we alth, hould
u l l C "- l t a a < 1 1 - t m l't p eo p le b a r e mu rka b l t thing, unae
countable from any human standpoint.
A people massa
cred by tens of thousands, yea more, in A. D. 70, 1 ,300,000 per
I sh ed at th e destruction of their city and temple, and 97,000
we1 e carried U\1 ay capt i ve.
Sixty years after, in attempting
to return, h a l f a nullion \\ ere slaughtered.
A. D. 135, the
Emp ero r Adram destroyed 50 castles, 800 cities, and slew
;;:w.ooo. l1 n<hr K in g John of Engl and l ,fiOO were massacred at
York in one day. Under Ferdinan<l and Isabella 800,000 by a
-; i n g l e d ecree were forced o u t to sea in boatR, ani! the most
of t hem pcn-,hed. And still they live.
Does the h t ::. t ory of the wot ld record another case like it Y
(J,er 3,000 yea r ago going down into Egypt a family of 70
J.Wt ::.o n:; and m 4:30 years co mi ng out a great natwn.
They
,,\\\' t he p r ou d Egy pttan perish in the Red i:lea.
They wit
ll t:>eJ t h e fal l of great Babylon and the rise and fall of the
m t g hty e mp ire o f ledo-Persia-in the words of another : "They
ou t hve d the Cte>:>ars and the teuible visitation of the dark
.1ges, and here they !>tand today as distinct as ever ; occupying
uo count! y of the1r own, scattered through all lands ; identi
fied 1 11 t he 1 r llllJUemorial physiognomy, earth's men of destiny,
befo1 e the venerableness of whose pedigree the proudest es
cut .: h con 5 oi mankmd are but trifles of yesterday."
We return to the works of creation ; to the world of liberal
minded, to the Atheist, or Infidel for an explanation. Tell u::
how it is that such a remarkable race of Jewish people, in
11 h o s e d a y s nations have !wen horn, kmgdom s established, em
p uc s fo rmed , g rea t and magnifiicent c it ies builded, and pa ss ed
a11 ay, haviug no sign of the i r glory, and scarcely a relic to
how t h a t they eve r had an exitence ; while this people, perse
L Ute<l, banihed from p l ace to pl;.ce, m assacred, robbed, and
c r uel l y d<pnved of the i r 11 ealth by almost every government
o n the earth, stil l lhe a po11erful people, distinct in their
f acta! and r acial pecuhantie s , and still hold the wealth of the
world ?
We read no an::.wer m the Infidel's revelatiou-the works of
natme-to such a questiOn, and we con te nd t hat apart fr om
the Btble-apart from a revelation from the Deity no answer
c:an be gi 1cn.
I f ow d t lf e r ent has be en the course of the other people !
What Enghshman can s ay w i th a cer ta i n ty toda he is h om
Bi tton. Roman, baon or No rman stock ?
B u t fmd the Jew
whEer c you ma y , in Ruia, G e r m a n y , Eng land, or our ?Wn
gr e,tt republic " h c t c En g l u , h , l n;;h, G e rm ans and all natiOns
ama l "alllatf' l i ke m et a l s m a f u r n ace , a n d h e is a J e w still
d atn ll .\ IJI aham lh t h c t r fat h e r , cl i ngi n g to .Moses, holding
fa;,t t b t r t ntd it!Oth , looking to w a rd ,lcru,alem, longing for
t b e t r le;,wh, a ,., lwn then fathers trod t he vine-clad hills of
.J uda b ' Iawl-Y.. a n de t m g ior c<' nturies, 11 e a t y and foot-sore,
t rl c 1 ery l a n d but their o w u ; ;, u r v n ing the greate;,t persecu
tiJnS e,cr m f hd1d u pou n people , >nfl'ering en ormous and al
rnr,t i n c redt bl e bu teilt t y agam and agam for over eighteen
r<:nturu:, t h ey h a 1 e I t en again as a gr eat po w er among man
t. ITJ I
J l ol d i n l! t h r l l l l ll l f ' \ po11 cr of Eu rop e, autong the fore
rnrJ,t in science, lit<: I n t U I I', or govern men t. you find the Jew
1 ),!! rwtncl of nat r o n . t h e ;, t a n d i ng miracle of the world's
1, 1 - trJf\', \\ h i c h no human tongue untouched by ;,pirit power, ha:,
\ < r f, rn able to e p l n 1 1 1 a pa 1 t from that hook, the BihiP-
t b a t b<J'Jk fr o m whoe d i n ne ly i n pir ed pages comes the Rolu
tJr,n r, i tlH: rn vtcry in t l 1 < 1\'(Jrd, o f .J .. n u J u l h , tlw pr o p h et .
" frar tl101 not, () my s e rvant ,Jacob, n e t t her be d i s mayed ,
() h r n c l , fr,r I am w i t h t h ee, saith th e Lord, to save thee ;
thuul!h I mnh a fu l l end of a l l nations, I will not make a full
Pnd ,; f the r: ; but I wi l l cornrt thee in m eas u r e, and will not
l eave thPe alto thcr unpu n i hcd."
Surr: l v t hr rr a n: nonP o hl mrl as not to Sl'l' a olntion of the
my - t r, r y nd tlu: 1 oir e (Jf C , d 1 11 this p roplwt J an nouncement :

T O WER

PITTSBURG H , PA.

"0 Israel be not dismayed, for though I make a full end

of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not
make a full end of thee ; for lo ! the days come, saith the Lord,
that I w1 l l brmg again the captivity of my p eo ple Israel and
Judah, and I will cause them to return to the land that I
gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it ; for lo, I
will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their
captivity, and Jacob ( or Israel ) shall return and be at rest,
and none shall make him afraid."
From this book, the Bible, then, we learn why the Jews
still exist, why they still retain a distinct racial identity,
why they are a power among mankind, why they hold the
wealth of the world ! -because God hath said he will not make
an end of them, but will deliver them from their captivity
and bring them again to their own land, where they shall
have rest.
I contend, then, that the Israelitish people are a living
testimony of the divinity of the Bible-of the spoken word of
God.
Like the bush of Mosesver burning yet never con
unanswerable refutation of the blasphemou
sumed-an
sophistry of that class of Atheists who, like Col. R. G. Inger
soll, dare to speak with solemn mockery of the word of God,
and defy Yahweh the Elohim of Israel, who hath said again,
by the same prophet :
"Hear the word of the Lord, 0 ) e nations, and declare it
in the isles afar off : Say, He that ;,cattere<l Israel wrll
gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock ; for the
Lord hath redeemed Jacob from the hand of him th at wu
tronger than he.
Behold, I will bring them from the north
country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth.
. . . . I will say to the north give up, and to the south
keep not back ; bring my sons from far, and my d a ughter s f1 om
t he ends of the earth ( Isa. xliii. 6. ) , for I am a f ath er to
Israel and Ephraim is my first-born."
Let me assure you that as certain a s this prophecy has
been fulfilled in the preservation of down-trodden Israel in
all lands, so certa i n \\ i l l it be fulfilled in their restoration
to their own land.
Even now the Jews number 30,000 in
Jerusalem and vicinity, and enry day incnasmg. I a:;k what
better reason need we give for believing the Bible to be the
word of God T
But no greater reason is the one which follows why I be
Jieve the Bible to be the word of God. I refer to the p roph ec ies
in general and the wonderful and marvelous accura<'y of their
fulfillment.
How different from the vague, incoherent predictions of tht!
Greek and Roman augurs, and the doubtful, hes ita t ing ut
terances of diviners, soothsayers, psychologists, and false
prophets of all ages.
The latter, speaking from the inspira
tion of nature and an intuition common to an an i m a l C'reatiou
there is no certainty of their predictions coming to pa ss ;
while the prophecies, being accurately fulfilled, compel us to
believe that they spoke as they were moved by the spirit or
inspiration of God.
The prophets, being inspired by Him who knoweth all
things, and who hath said to the world by the prophet
Isaiah :
"I am God, and there is none like me, declaring
the end from the beginning, and from ancient ti m es the t hings
that are not yet done, stying, My c o uns el !'h a l l ... tall<!. a n d I
will do all my pleasure."
Their predictions are always fulfilled.
I co nten d that i f
we carefully consider the prophecies and their ful fillment the
evidence of the divinity of the Scriptures is overwhelming.
Take for instance the prophecies concerning the Jews. It
is admitted by Atheists and Infidels that the Jews are an an
cient people, going back at least 3,000 years, that they have
documents which they regard as those of Moses, and hold as
divine.
We turn, then, to Moses and read what is written, and we
find that God informs Moses that after he has brought Israel
into the land, which he swore unto their fathers, that floweth
with milk and honey, and when they shall have eaten and
fi l led themselves and waxed fat, then will they turn unto other
Gods and serve them, and "provoke me, and break my covenant."
And Moses was required to write the words in a book as
a witness against them, and tell the words to the people.
Moses did so, and you will find them in the 3 1 st chapter of
Deuteronomy, and Moses said to the people : "I know that
after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves and turn
aside from the way which I have commanded you, and evil will
befall you in the latter days, because you do evil in the sight
of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of
vour hands."
Then follows a prediction of the evils that should fall upon
them in the latter days of the Mosaic constitution of things
which was then being laid or founded.
Some of the evils

[ 23 2 ]

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WA T C H

predicted are as follows : "I will scatter you among the

heathen, or nations, and will draw out a sword after you,
and will bring a nation against thee from afar, from the end
of the earth, as the eagle ftieth, a nation whose tongue thou
shalt not understand, a nation of fierce countenance . . . .
and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and
fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst throughout
all thy land : and thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body,
the flesh of. thy sons and of thy daughters . . . . in the
siege, and in the straitness wherewith thine enemies shall
distress thee."
I ask you to read the history of the passing away of the
Mosaic constitution of things at the destruction of Jerusalem,
and you cannot help being awed by the accuracy of the ful
fillment.
The Roman eagles were planted upon her walls
and in the midst of the siege so great was the distress that
women took their babes from their breasts and roasted them
for food.
Every line and word of the prophecy by Moses was ful
filled with awful reality.
One million three hundred thou
sand Jews perished and ninety-five thousand were carried
away captive ; and so the Jews were scattered among all na
tions. Jerusalem was laid in the dust, not one stone of their
magnificent temple was left standing upon another, and to-day
Jerusalem continues to be trodden down by the desecrating
footsteps of the Mussulman and Turk.
A marvelous fulfill
ment of that prophecy of Jesus when he stood and cried :
"These be the days of vengeance that all things that are
written may be fulfilled : for there shall be great distress in
the land, and wrath upon this people, and they shall fall by
the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into
all nations, and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gen
tiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
Jerusalem to-day is a standing fulfillment of this proph
ecy.
Don't tell me this prophecy was written after the event,
for the preponderance of E'vidence is against you.
TherE' is
little if any doubt that this prophecy was written as early
as A. D. 50. But it matters not when it was written, as it
is testified by the apostles that it was s poken by Christ, and
their testimony has never been impeached .
Not only so, but
the prophecy is in course of fulfillment before our eyes, and
speaks for its own divinity ; the Jews are still scattered, Jeru
salem, still trodden down.
Why 1 Because the times of
the Gentiles are not yet fulfilled.
But we turn to other prophecies equally remarkable. Of
the city of Tyre, once the stronghold of the Phenicians, that
!!tood a thirteen-years siege by land and water, and even then
not conquered, it is said :
"Behold ! I am against thee, 0 Tyre I and will cause
many nations to come up against thee : and they shall destroy
the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will also
scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a
rock, and it shall be a place for the spreading of nets, for 1
ha.ve spoken it."
History informs us that Alexander scraped the ruins from
the site of the old city.
The Infidel, Volney, states that
it i!! a pl ace where fishermen spread their nets. It is evi
dent, thPn, that the prophecy was the voice of God, and not
man.
Aga i n the prophet says concerning Samaria :
"I will make
Samaria. as an heap of the field and as a planting of a vine
yard, and I will pour down the stones thereof into the val
ley, and I will discover the foundations thereof."
Was this
fulfilled 1
Says Dr. Keith : "The people of the country, in
order to make room for their fields and gardens, have swept.
away the old houses and poured the stones down into the
valley.
The hill i s left like the plantings of a vineyard.

TO WER

(4 - 5)

Every clause of the prophecy has been fulfilled with awful

minuteness."
Do we need a better reason for believing the Bible i<> the
word of God ?
Could a man whose lips were not touched
with the inspiration of Deity have spoken with such unerring
certainty ?
Every man of sense, of culture, of reason, mu-.t
answer "No."
The same is true of the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, GrPcian
and Roman kingdoms. Their rise and fall were accurate
fulfillments of prophecy.
Even the Roman empire to-day, in
its divided state, fills the prophetic vision.
But for a moment we must call your attention to prophecies
that relate to our own times ; and what are th ey ? I a n S\\ er ,
it is declared in the prophecies that "in the la tter days"
mark, it says i n the "latter days"-tho land of I r a r l <-ha l l
b e ''brought back from the sword," a n d numher o f thf'
Jews are to return, having been gathered out of the natiom,
and settle in agricultural colonies, dwelling in unwa II eel vil
lages, dwelling safely, without bars or gates. pos<>essmg much
wealth in cattle and goods, under the protPetion of a for
eign power easily recognized as the British power.
That the
Ottoman or Turkish power must pass away.
That it will be
accomplished or brought about by Russia, in conJ unction with
other powers.
That she will be led on with a Yicw t o take
great spoils from the Jews.
That she will plant her stancl
ards at Constantinople and take Egypt.
That she '' i l l be
opposed in her onward march by the British lions, who will
say to her :
"Hast thou come to take a spoi l ?" That it
will result in all the nations of Europe being gathered to
gether in the great battle of Armageddon.
Tli at the armies
of the nations are overthrown, the kingdom of God established
upon the mountains of Israel, the nations subdued, and a reign
of righteousness and peace given to the world.
These are prophecies that relate to our own times. I ask
what of the outlook f
Are they being fulfilled as evidence
that God has spoken 1
Most assuredly they are.
The Jews are slowly but surely turning their wandering
feet toward Jerusalem.
The Anglo-Turkish Convention open
ed the way for their return with a freedom that has never
been granted before. England has thrown her protecting arm
over Asiatic Turkey, which makes the British power, in ful
fillment of the prophecy, the protectorate of the Jews.
When the protectorate was officially announced the Jewish
Chronicle wrote thus : "There has dawned in the East-the
cradle of our race--a light which deepens in effulgence as the
day advances."
The Jewish World wrote : "This opens a great future for
the Jews of the Holy Land."
The result is, numerous schemes are being put forth to
further the return of the Jews and establish them in agri
cultural colonies, which is an accurate fulfillment of the
prophecy.
Of these I may mention the great humanitarian
scheme of the Sir Moses Montefiore Testimonial Fund, the ob
ject o f which, says the Jewish World, is to better the condi
tion of the Jews of Palestine by the introduction of industrial
and agricultural pursuits.
But lately, the Testimonial Fund
Committee advanced 2,600 to a building socidv
' in ,Jerusa
lem, of which societies there are se\cral.
J mav a l so refpr to
Mr. Oliphant's book which has just appeare d adYocatmg
the formation of a Jewish settlement in the land of G i le a d
Of this work, the Jewish Chronicle writes :
"We are inundated with books and pamphlets on Palestine :
the air is thick with schemes for colonizmg t he H o l y Lanct
once more, but none of the projectors are more ent h u i a t i c .
or more practical than Mr. Oliphant."
I ask what is this but the fulfillment of the pwphec-ieq 1,,,_
fore our eyes-the prophecic<> I have just referre<l t<J-an r\ 1
rlence that God has spoken 1

THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS

"Christ suffered . . . . . leaving you

copy eo that you may follow in His footsteps."

If we follow in the exact footsteps of another we always

arrive at the same destination, Our text informs us that the
steps in which Jesus trod, and in which he calls upon us to
But why does h e call upon
follow, were steps of suffering.
us to endure suffering ? Because of the great love, wherewith
he hath loved us, and be<'am;e as he prayed ( Jno. xvii. 22-24 \ ,
he would have u s with h i m that w e may behold h i s glory,
and be joint heirs with him to all that glory.
For the joy set before him he endured that suffering, despising the shame.
What was that joy that nerved to such
Paul says because "He was
endurance our suffering Lord !
obedient unto death.
God also hath HIGHLY EXALTED him
and given him a name above every name, etc."
Phil. ii. 9.

1 Pet. ii. 2 1 , Dtag

If he was highly exalted a fter and because of h i " nherheth'<'

to rl Pa th . lw had more glory and honor t ll en than th.1t whi.h
he had with the Father before the world wa;o.
W n s. he l i n mortal then ?
No. for the Scripture a i t h t h a t the K i11p ,.,
kings and Lord of lords who. in h i '< t i mc;o . .Tesn;; w i l l h'''\
to be the blessed n ne) onlv PotentatC', a n d t o wlwm lw w i l l
dl'liver up the kingdom of ar t h . a ftl'r that he h a " " llh<llll'cl d 1 1
thin unto him. thi<> onC'. thf' Father, Jehova h , i::' thr n n !y
,,,t.r w h o hath immortality :
( I Tim. vi. l G l -" l i fe in h i m
splf"-independent of any support outsidC' i t P l f, ,;ulqt>rt t o
no conditions. incorruptible. P-...: h nu"tlrss. u n l i nn t r d . t'tt' rn a l
Xow whrn .Tesus was highly exa l ted hf' berame pa rta krr 0f t h t'
same Divine, immortal nature. for we read "As th P Fatht>r

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Z I O N 'S

\S)

h a t h l1{c 1 11 lo m "dl.

so

hnth he given to

the

Son

WA T C H
that

he

-, l t n u l d h:w, / 1 1 ( 1 11 h un sr.,f . " ' ,John v. 26.

!"his p n rt a km g of the Divine nature, becoming the Son of
lo,l. t he ,111 ly lwgotten Son" on this divine plane was a

He
p:trt, but ton l v a part of the joy set before our Lord.
was a !so to "ildcem from death and restore to perfection a
lorwus rnce of beings, once created in the image of God, so
t h at cYerY cr e.l ture " hich is in heaven and on earth will
:':ly. Blcs;;;ng, a n d honor, aml glory, and po\ver be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever
.md ever."'
0, whnt a j oy thnt will be to his glorious benevolent na
nne.
llnt that is nut all.
Havmg been found in fashion
,1,; a mnn ( a p e r fe c t man ) he loY<.'d humanity with all the
lt\otion and tendt>rneo;c; of a pe1 feet afl'ection.
And as some
,,f the race come to realize and appreciate his great love and
o much so as to forsake all and follow him, he longs to
hn ,.e these with him '' here he is that they may behold and
h n rc his glory.
This joy was also set before him-the
J 'Y of hl ingmg many sons ( other Sons begotten of God ) to
.:lory-to the same Divine plane.
0, what wonder that for
-uch glory, and honor, and blessing, he should bear the cross,
lesp1smg the shame.
And this same joy-this cxcecdmg and ETERNAL WEIGHT of
J LORY is set before vou who are called to follow in his foot

t o.:ps.
Kow \\ eigh it if you can ; measure it if you can
the br<.'adth, the length, the heighth, the depth.
Oh, can you ?
Eye hath not een nor ear heard it, neither hath entered into
the heart of ( the natural ) man the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him.
But he hath revealed
them unto us by hi'! Spirit.
\Ye are called to be joint heirs with Jesus, heirs of im
mortality, partakers of the divine nature, part of the divine
family, far above men and angels. We as the bride of the
La m b are to have a name that is above every name, since we
arc the people for Jus name.
The Bride shall bear her
husband's name, and she shall be like unto his glorious body.
Wherefore holy brethren ( reckoned holy since purchased
from sin and death ) , partakers of the heavenly calling, con
sider Jesus.
"He \\ a s rich," ( a glorious spiritual being be
fore the world was ) yet for our sakes he became poor ( trans
ferred his life from a spiritual to a human form, then sacri
ficed that ) that we, through h is poverty, might be made rich
( partakers of his high exaltation ) .
Let us look for his footprints.
We find that his first
step was consecration.
"A body hast thou prepared me ( not
prepared until it had reached its maturity-thirty years, ac
cording to Jewish hnv ) . Then said I, Lo, I come to do Thy
will, 0 God."
Heb. x. 5, i .
"Not my ( human ) will but
thine be done."
He then symbolized by his burial in, and
rec;urrection from, the water, his entire consecration, his wil
l ingness to be immersed-swallowed up in death-and his faith
in God's power to raise him to a new life.
Have you follow
ed him here ? Immediately after, he was led into the wilder
ness, away from human sympathy, human society, and human
Are you there, or are you clinging to a worldly
pursuit.
church for sym pathy, society, and worldl ambition 7
There
he was tempted and tried in all points ; so must you be. He
'' nc; armed with the s" ord of the Spirit, which is the Word
of God, '' herewith he was able to quench all the fiery darts of
t h e cnemv.
Are you thus armed ?
.
Hio; e ntire con PPration separflted him from all human
<ympnthy and frienlhip.
H e \\ a'! a man, with the same

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natural de!>ires and necessities as other men ; consequently,

when these were all laid on the altar of sacrifice : "He was a
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."
The purity of
his life and teaching condemned the teaching of the Scribes
and Pharisees, and brought upon him the anathema of the
church of his day.
He was counted a fanatic, an impostor, a
teacher of false doctrine, as one possessed of a devil.
The
religious teachers to whom the people looked for guidance
denounced him and finally stirred up the people to have him
crucified.
It separated him from his earthly relatives, "for
neither did his brethren believe on him."
They were doubt
less ashamed of the stigma which his peculiar and unpopular
course brought upon them as a family.
It would seem that
he was an outcast from his mother's home, for he said : "The
foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the
Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." As a citizen he
was despised by his fellow citizens, counted an enemy of
Cresar's, and one who sought to usurp kingly authority. His
conversation was in heaven, and earth understood it not.
Has your consecration so sanctified-set you apart from
the world, the nominal church, your former worldly friend
Have you followed Jesus here ?
Has your name
ships, etc. ?
been so cast out as evil ? It will be if you follow Jesus close
ly.
If they hated me, said Jesus, they will hate you also,
and whatsoever they have done unto me, they will do unto you
also.
But if they do so cast you out, Jesus will hear of it,
as he did of the blind man whose eyes he had opened, and as
then, he will find you and show himself to you, and talk with
you and open the eyes of your understanding, causing your
heart to burn within you while he opens up the Scriptures,
Blessed communion :
What a friend we find in Jesus !
This was the victory whereby he overcame--even his faith
in God, for he looked not at the things which are seen, but
at the things which are unseen--eternal . Are you so doing ?
When he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, he opened not his
mouth.
Do you seek to imitate that uncomplaining, patient
meekness in the everyday trials of your wilderness life, and
will you by his grace do so until he says it is enough ? Step
cautiously, plant your feet just in his prints, and you cannot
mistake the way.
Don't think to reach the same end by
nvoiding some of the most difficult steps.
You cannot do
it ; you will lose your footing and fall.
Neither should you
hesitate when you find the steps leading through a thorny and
d_ifficult way.
0 no : the time is too short.
RuN with pa
tience.
Ah, dear brother, sister, it is no easy road ; but do you
think the end justifies the means 1
Now look again at the
Give up your
prize ; ke p your eye of faith ed on that.
human Will, your human amb1bon, etc., as Jesus did, and
<'ommit your new spiritual life to him who is able to keep it.
If you let Him, God will work in you to will and to do of his
good pleasure, and Jesus says : "Fear not, little flock ; it is
the Father's good p leasure to give you the kingdom."
THE TIMES WE LIVE IN
The present is a momentous crisis.
All sects are shaking.
The religious world is convulsed.
Atheism has opened her
batteries, and unsheathed her sword.
Skepticism is big with
hopes.
Catholic and Protestant Popery are plodding and
The little and the great Popes
plotting for the supremacy.
are on tiptoe.
Saints are praying for the millenium ; myriads
are laboring for its introduction.
The Bible and the creed
are at war.
There is no truce.
Such is the pres<.'nt.-

Christian Baptist.

"ART THOU HE THA T TROUBLETH ISRAEL}"

Th<'<;P were the words of Ahab, king of Israel, to Elijah.
A h a b . it will be remembered, was the husband of Jezebel,
the '' icked wom an, who perc;ecuted Elijah, and from whom he
fl p !} into the wildernes for th ree and a half years.
( See 1
K i na-!l, xviii. 1 7 . )
\Ye have h(rPtofore seen that all three of these Jewish
<"ha racte1 s were types or figures of classes in the Gospel age,
and that their action<; were such as to illustrate the actions
Elijah repreof thoo;e classes \\ hiclf they represented :
!lented the church-the true and ea rnest teachers of God's
Word ; .Jezebel is med to reprP<>ent the false church, Papacy,
which came into power by marriage with the Roman Empire. which is re pr e., en te d hy Ahab.
As Papacy used the Roman army and power to persecute
the true teachers of the Lord ( and slew many ) for three and
a half symbolic year'S, or twelve hundred and sixty symbolic
dayc; ; c;o Jezebel usd Ahab's power to persecute Elijah and
t.lay the Lord's prophets for three and a half literal years.
During thost' years there was a. great drouth in the la.nd ; so,

too, during the 1260 years of Papal persecution, en ding in

1 798, there was a p;reat spiritual drouth and "a famine, but
not of br<.'ad nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words
of the Lord." Amos viii. 1 1 .
Then the false teachers of
Baal ( Papacy ) , being refuted, an abundant shower has come ;
Jehovah is again recognized. But Jezebel and her daughters
still hate the Elijah class and seek their destruction.
It is about this time that Ahab said to Elijah, "Art thou
he that troubleth Israel 1" Elijah troubled them because he
was a true prophet and opposed their sins ; so too with those
now who remain true to God, who will not bow to the forms
and customs of this perverse age, but rather reprove them.
Sorely vexed by these reproofs, those at ease in Zion use
almost the words of Ahab to Elijah : "Are thou he that
troubleth Israel !"
Yes, we would trouble Israel.
God has said : "He that
"Cry aloud, spare
hath my word let him speak my word."
not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show my eople their
yet they seek me daily an delight to
transgressions .

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know my ways as a nation that did righteousness and forsook

not the ordinances of their God."
This was applicable to
fleshly Israel ( the "shadow" ) and to the nommal Gospel
church as well.
There never was a time in which the Jewish
laws and ordinances were more faithfully observed than during
the seven years of their "harvest". Every form and ceremony
and tithe was scrupulously remembered.
The Temple just
finished by Herod was the grandest in which they had ever
worshiped.
Their religious system was gaining a world
wide reputation.
Missionary enterprises were on foot for
Judaising the world, and so zealous were they that Jesus said
of them, "Ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte."
Yet of all this grand display-zeal, pomp, and seeming suc
cess-it was said, "This people draweth nigh unto me with
their mouth and bonoreth me with their lips, but their heart
is far from me." Matt. xv. 8. Of their religious observances
Jesus said :
"Ye make clean the outside-like whited walls
and sepulchers clean and beautiful outside, but full of decay
and corruption within."
That church, that age and that "harvest" were but the
shadows of this age, church, and harvest.
As then so now,
prosperity and seemingly great success attends both at home
and abroad the church's efforts.
Magnificent temples of
worship, grand music and costly apparel, seem to stamp the
present time as one of unparalleled success ; yet now as then,
it is mostly on the outside that the beauty is seen, for in
wardly the church seems daily to become more corrupt and
worldly.
"Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God,
having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof ;
from such tum. away." 2 Tim. iii. 1-5.
Jesus said the converts to Judaism were really injured by
being brought into that corrupted church, and we believe that
the same thing is true here since the degeneracy of the Gos
pel church.
The man of the world is injured more than bene
fited. While of the world be was open to conviction of sin,
but the church has said to him : You are a moral man, and
hence not a sinner ; if you have any secret vices let them go,
and come join our church, then you will be one of us in "good
and regular standing."
The man is surprised at the liberali
ty of the view, always thought he was as good as the ma
jority of the church members, and better than some, and is
pleased to know that the church recognized his worth ; pleased,
too, perhaps, to enter into organized respectable society. He
joins the church, and is now a chlurch member in name. He is
benefited by being kept from some outward and shameful sins,
but he is injured inasmuch, as he is now persuaded by the
church that he is a Christian, while in reality he has neither
part nor lot in the matter.
He is injured by getting the form without the power of
Christianity. He now falls fast asleep-at ease in Zion ; he
awakes only when a criticism of the church is made ; he then
feels himself a "defender of the faith."
And not only is the man injured, but the church is injured

TOWER

yet more, for who can estimate the weight and effect of every
such "tare," every such sham Christian, every such self-deceiv
ed deceiver !
But the Lord's wheat field ( Matt. xii. ) is
overrun with such tares, which choke the wheat and almost
hide it from view.
Now that we are in the "harvest" and
the sickle of truth is doing its work, what wonder if there
be some commotion 1
Zion is at ease and self-satisfied, and when we cry aloud
and spare not, but show God's people their sins and their
forms of godliness without the power thereof, they become
enraged and complain that we are troubling Israel.
When
this same charge was made against Jesus, our head-that he
was opposing and hindering the God-appointed leaders and
teachers, the Chief Priests, Scribes and Pharisees, he said :
"Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth ; I
came not to send peace, but a sword [Truth is a sword ] . For
I came to set . . . . at variance . . . . and a man's foes shall
be they of his own household . . . . and he that doth not take
his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me." ( Matt.
X.

34. )

TRUTH :REVEB

HAS LED

the majority, during this time when evil is permitted to

reign, and hence always has had as a large part of its work
to reprove darkness. Reproof is never pleasant, but is es
pecially unpleasant to those who most need it.
[Of the saints
it is written : "Great peace have they that love thy law, and
nothing shall offend them."] It was because he thus reproved
sin and error that Elijah was hated and called Israel's trou
bler ; for the same reason Jesus was denounced, and for the
same reason all who will live Godly arc similarly offensive.
But if any man will reprove, let him speak as an oracle of
God, and let nothing be done or said, through bitterness, strife,
or vain glory ; but let him, by a meek and quiet spirit show
forth in love the power, as well as the form of Godliness to
the praise of Him who hath called us out of darkness into
his marvelous hght.
Jesus in his day called the attention of the Jews to the
judgments of God about to come upon them, saying : "These
be days of vengeance that all things written should be ful
filled."
( Luke xxi. 22. )
Elijah gave warning of the death
of Jezebel and Ahab, that dogs should lick his blood and eat
So here it becomes our place to speak the word
her flesh.
of God as declared by him, that Ahab and his successors ( the
Roman and succeeding empires ) shall be slain--i. e. destroyed.
( Dan. ii. 44. )
also, that Jezebel shall be "eaten by dogs"
( the degraded ) , i. e. Papacy, and in fact the nominal church,
as it represents the same church and world-united system,
shall be cast down and consumed.
Elijah further represents the "little flock" of despised ones,
by being highly exalted, caught up in a whirlwind.
Oh, that
we may be among the little company now separating, who
shall soon be changed in a moment into the perfect likeness
of our Lord and b.ead !

PRUDENT, OR IMPRUDENT, WHICH }

Wisdom and prudence are good things in their place, and

when not overdone or abused ; but there is such a thing as
being over-wise, or "wise above that which is written," and
there is, we think, such a thing as being prudent above that
which is written.
We have been somewhat exercised upon this thought by
the expressions and looks of some of our friends, when their
attention has been called to the subject of Restitution.
The thought that men are to be restored to natural life
again, to live again in the flesh as men, that they are in fact
to be restored to all they lost through Adam, or because of
the sin of Adam, seems to many to be the height of presumption, but they would not apply the same rule of reasoning
to other matters, we think.
Take Rom. v. 18-19 :
"As by
the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came
upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by one man's
disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of
one shall many be made righteous."
Now if these words
were used in the same way regarding anything other than the
relation between God and man, who would think of making
the second part of each statement mean less than the first !
Now without asserting positively that man will live again
in the flesh, restored to Adamic perfection, let us consider our
attitude in connection with the fact, ( if it be a fact ) and who
would be likely to know it.
First, then, those would be most likely to know it who are
in a condition to receive the truth whatever it be. Not that
the truth can be anything but the truth, but it may be very
different from what we had supposed it to be, owing to previous education and training ; but if we are willing to receive

(6)

it because it is truth, it is presumptive evidence that we shall

bt> likely to recognize it when brought to view.
Again, having recognized the truth, and having become ac
quainted with it, we should be likely to love it, and of course
to receive it ; for we cannot suppose men would reject a thing
they loved ( unless indeed they love something else more,
and that something antagonize this ) .
Then having recog
nized, loved and received this truth, what more natural than
that they should proclaim it ?
It is hardly supposable that one could become acquainted
with a truth of such a deep interest to mankind as this is,
and yet say nothing about it.
The subject is one so full of comfort, and one, too, which
appeals to our sense of God's wisdom, justice, and love ; and
one which, from every stand-point, except of settled preju
dice, gives us a view of God's attributes shining forth glorious
ly, which so entrances us as we gaze that we are constrained
to cry out with the Psalmist ( 107-8 ) :
"0 that men would
praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works
to the children of men."
But if the doctrine of restitution be true ( don't forget that
there is a "much more" salvation ) , how nicely it would match
with and explain this Scripture which has so long puzzled us :
Ezekiel xvi. 53.
In this chapter, God, through the prophet, is
"causing Jerusalem to know her abominations," ( 2d verse)
and after speaking at some length upon the subject, says :
"When I shall bring agajn their captivity, the captivity of
Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and
her daughters, then will I bring again the capthity of thr1
;
ca ptives in the midst of them."
But sas one :
"That dot. ;
not prove restitution ; some commentators say that God did

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not intend to bring again the captivity of either ; he only says,

wh c11 I do one, I '1\l l l do the other, and he is speaking not of
death."
\Ye are not assert vng NOW that it does prove 1 estitution,
lHlly consiUl' l lllg' t h at q the doctrine 1s true, ho" easy you
" ,,uld get a long w i t h some Scriptures, and how you would not
hn e to Le sP ' c 1 y "w1se and prudent" w1th a good many pas
sage oi t-en ptUJ e.
"When thy sisters, Sodom and her daugh
( :i .'ith ni e ) :
t e rs . sh.t l l rl'turn t o their former estate, and Samaria and her
da ugh tl'I ::.ha II retum to their former estate, [they were dead
and m theu graves, you know,] then thou and thy daughters
sha l l retm n to vour former estate."
Uppo-cd to ti1e thought that this \\ as an emphatic way of
-n in that he '' ould do neithe1 is the statement i n the 6 l st
' crse ''And I tn l l give them unto thee for daughters, but
nut bv thv co' en.l llt ''- ( t. c . , the old co,enant ) .
Ag ain ; 1{ t t is t 1 ue, " ha t light would be shed on the words
of Jetl:> m l\I a tt h ew xi. 2-1, ,, hei e in speaking of the privi
"But
leges \\ h i r h Capc! IIa Um had failed to improve, he said :
I ,,ty unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the lan d
_
uf Sodom in the Jay of Judgment, than for thee." And thrs
Ezekiel.
from
quoted
other
last would harmoniLe with the
Tl1 1 ::. ' I P W would lend some meanwg to the words of Jesus in
''\\ h osoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit,
Luke xi1. 3 2 :
1t shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world nor tn the
\\ ith this view we shall not wonder so
u orld to com e."
"Whom the
much that l'eter said ( Acts iii. 2 1 ) of Jesus :
heaven mm.t reGeH e u n t z l the times of restitution of all things
which God h,tth spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets
which have lwen <>inre the world began."
But say some : "Do not tell the people such things ; i f
you d o they will never repent, but will live right on in sin."
Iy dear sir, " ho told you that ?
If it ts true, and God has been speaking of it by the mouth
of all his holy prophets since the world began, as Peter says,
If we
shall we be prudent above that whieh is written?
bhou ld, it would be equivalent to saying that God was very
such things, even
unwise to allow the prophets to utter
though they were true, and that if he had the prudence of
some of his crea tures, he would never have allowed such
writings as that in Ezekiel to be put before the world, together
w1th many other careless ( ? ) statements, lest men might
guess that the Psalmist was right, when at the end of every
"The mercy of the Lord
verse of the 1 36th Psalm he says :
endureth forever," and if they '\\ ere to think that, j ust as

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likely as not the very next thing they would think would be
that the punishment of the wicked would end some time i and
If they should get that idea, they might find an explanation
to some texts that prudence has said taught the doctrine of
"endless torment ;" and if they should become convinced that
God did not intend to punish the wicked beyond the point
of reformatwn, they might conclude that his name ( Love )
was very appropriate, and love him too.
Now, it is a noticeable fact, that those who do not believe
in the doctrine of restitution are the ones '' ho think it is im
prudent to teach it. Query : Are they the ones referred to
m Matthew xi. 25 ? Jesus had been telhng, how much more
tolerable it would be for Sodom in the day of judgment than
for Capernaum, and :
At that time Jesus answered ana
said :
''I thank thee, 0 Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because thou hast hid these thimgs from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes."
And I Cor., i. xix :
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and bring to no thing the understand111g of the pruden t." Is
it not best, then, dear brethren, to give our whole attention
to the "spirit of truth," and hke prattlers ( Labes ) , tell it JUSt
as it is, and thus insure further revelations ?
For :
"Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan His work in vain ;
God is his own interpreter,
And He will make it plain."
If our Heavenly Father has not Leen prudent enough to
guard bis own character, we shall make a poor display of
our wisdom to undertake to do it for him, and we cannot
afford to lose the things that would be " h i d" from us by so
doing.
"I thank thee, 0 Father, Lord of heaven and earth, be
cause thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes."
''Even so, Father, for
so it seemed good in thy sight."
,J . C. S.
The desert rose, though never srrn by man,
Is nurtured with a care dh inely good.
The ocean gem, though 'neath the rol ling main
Is ever brilliant in the eyes of G od.
Think not thy work and worth are all unknown,
Because no partial pensmen paint thy praise ;
Man may not see nor mind, bui God will own
Thy worth and work, thy thoughts and words and
ways.
N. B. Cobb.

THE PRESENCE AND HARVEST

( MATT.

xxiv. 3. )

"What shall be the sign of thy presence and of the consununation of the age ?''

This rendering sheds light on the relation between the

presence of Chrbt and the Harvest.
The
Greek word
parous ia does not mean the act of coming, but the being present.
So the Lexicons tell us.
The word aion does not mean
this globe, or this general order of things, but an era or
age.
Thi<> pasage, it " ill be seen, gives no countenance to the
quite po p ul a r conception of the relation between the coming
of Ch ri,t an d the "wreck of matter and crush of worlds."
Titio; fal-;e notion makes the subject one of dread.
The " ord S ltll telio, tran"llated end, does not mean a point,
but :.t pe1 iorl of t 1 1nc.
The same word is used in Matt. xiii.
l!J
: :
"Thr hart,est i<> t h e end [ suntelia] of the age."
In
vcrc :;o .J e <> u -> ,)lo" that the harvesting is a work done.
"In t h e twze [ period l of the harvest."
With these few facts
bdore IH, J l' a d t n g the text gives this as the substance of the
" \\'hat hall be the sign [ evidence] of thy presence
qubtion :
a n d of the harvet o f the age "
The biJ:.,rn of the pre<sence is the sign of the time of harvesto1w
'- i gn e\'idrnce in the aggregate-for two things.
The
'\ c,rker and the work are related to each other.
Whoever
l.diHC'>, on the trength of what he considers good evidence,
that the harvest i comr, ought to believe in the presence
of Christ, n s Lord of the Angel reapers.
The presence and the
harvest are related not only in the text, but in reason. Some
who once consistently acc<'pted both, because of their relation,
now deny the presence, and inconsistently hold that He will
not come until the end of the harvest.
They will doubtless
soon, in order to rega in the balance of consistency, discard
the harvest al so. Iatt. xxiv. 3 must suffer violence, if it
must be mainta ined tint the harvest-the end of the age, and
its work,-precedes the coming of Christ ; and this is the
position of all who deny the presence of Christ and yet teaeh
that we are in the harvest time.
It would not be so inconsistent with the order of the text

( See Emphatic

Dia glott. )

should it be claimed that the presence of Christ,

for some
preparatory reason, should precede the harvest, as it was at
the first advent, from His birth to His ministry ; but to in
vert the order and have the <>onsummation of the age before
His arrival seems absurd.
We have no desire to make parallels, but when pa rallels
really exist between the closing work of the Jewish and Gospel
ages, we are glad to accept them, and regard t hem as a
strength to the argument on the equality of the ''Two Dispensations." And it is strangely out of harmony with the
pattern character of the Jewish dispensation to claim, as
some do, that though Christ was present on the Jewish level
to introduce the Jewish harvest, yet He will not come to the
level of the Gospel church until the Gospel harvest is ended.
There can be no doubt that the cause of this inconsi stency,
and denial of the presence of Christ during the Gospel harvest, is a misapprehension of what the level of the perfect Gospel church is. Paul gives us the key when he says :
"Ye
are no t in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit
of God dwell in you."
( Rom. viii. 9. ) The ideal of the
flesh is a perfect flesh man, but the ideal of the Spirit is "the
spirits of just men made perfect."
( Heb. xii. 23. )
If a perfeet flesh man has a flesh body, a perfect spiritual being ought
to have a "spiritual body"-and such Paul assures us will be
the case : "It is sown a natural [psukikon-animal] body : it
is raised a spiritual [pneumatikon] body." The former, even
when perfect, is, and must be, according to the law of the
flesh ; and the latter is by the law of the Spirit.
So Jesus,
knowing both laws, says :
"That which is born or produced
by the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of [ produced by]
the Spirit is spirit."
No wonder that those who deny the presence and yet believe the harvest is here, are anxious to ignore some of the
parallels of the Two Dispensations.
Losing sight of the para llPl causes them to ignore also the contrast j for the second

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WA T C H

coming is, and should be, in harmony with the spiritual

character of the Gospel dispensation, even as the first coming
was in harmony with the fleshly character of the Jewish dis
pensation.
That spiritual beings are naturally invisible to mortals,
has often been proved ; and that they have power to appear
whe n it is necessary.
God is said to be \nvisible, and of
Christ it is said :
"Who is the image of the invisible God,
the first born of every creature ;" ( Col. i. 1 5 ) clearly imply
ing that as soon as creatures are born of the Spirit they, too,
become invisible.
Angels are naturally invisible to mortals,
and yet on special occasions they have been seen, and men
have the promise of being made like unto the angels, and
also like unto Christ.
The invisibility of the new being to mortals is more than
implied in Paul's teaching in 2 Cor., iv. 14-18.
That the risen body of Christ w as invisible to mortals, only
when for special reasons He appeared, should be admitted by
all who ever knew that truth, or who have read the account.
That, though Christians are actually in the flesh until these
bodies a re change d, ( Phil. iii. 2 1 . )
God does not count them
and therefore as
in the flesh, but in the spirit, ( Rom. viii. 9 )
"risen with Christ" ( Col. iii. 1 ) "through the faith o f the
operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead," ( Col.
ii. 1 2 ) cannot be ignored with impunity.

As Christ risen is naturally invisible, as we have shown,

so when we have attained His perfect state, we too will be
naturally invisible to mortals ; i. e., when we have actually
attained that in which we are now co1mted, on account of
our faith, and the new work begun in us by the Spirit.
That
new nature is spoken of as Christ in you ; ( Rom. viii. 10, and
Gal. ii. 20 ) Christ formed in you ; ( Gal. iv. 19 ) "the hope of
glory ; " ( Col. i. 27 ) "the inner man ; " (Eph. iii. 1 6 ) and "a
new creation," (2 Cor. v. 17 ) . The last passage, with its
context, shows that this new nature by whic h we are related
to the second Adam, and not the old Adam, nature, is thf'
basis of o ur recogn ition as Christians, and of our fellowship.
It also shows that the reason w e are so counted is because we
are in Christ, and He is no longer known after the flesh.
In the preceding chapter, before mentioned and to which
attention is now called, the two natures, or men, are con
tra.sted ;-the old being the outward, the seen, the temporal,
the perishing ; while the new is the inward, the not seen, re
newed day by day, the eternal.
Those who cannot see that
the new creature is invisible to mortals, both in the pre-natal
and perfect state, it is to be hoped, are not wilfully blind.
Failing to apprehend the double relationship of the Christ
ian, in all its beari ngs, has caused some to misapprehend our
position as to the presence of Christ. As natural or mor
tal beings we are related to the first Adam, but in our new
Now we are as
nature we are related to the second Adam.
new beings in an "earthly house" and so our bodies are said
to be the "temple of the Holy Spirit." We do not, however,
wish to be unclothed, but clothed upon with the heavenly
house, or house from heaven.
2 Cor. v. 1-8.
There are two phases of service appropriately related to
these two phases of life-an external service and an internal
service.
The "court" and the "holy place" of the tabernacle
seem to represent these two phases of service.
The court was
open and visible, but all beyond the fi rst vail was covered
with dyed rams' skins, "and a covering of badgers' skins
above that." Ex. xxxvi. 19. N o eye could penetrate it. The
only light there was from the lamps. The court, sometimes
also called the "holy place," ( Lev. xiv. 13 and Ex. xxix. 1 1, 3 1
was the place o f sacrifice and of washing, and seems t o repre
sent our more earthly phase of life, and the disposition to be
made of the flesh, by the indwelling Spirit. ( Rom. viii. 13. )
But the "holy" or second apartment seems to represent our
hidden life-in which "we walk by faith, not by sight." I n
this department and by faith, we eat of the hidden bread,
the world cannot see, and serve at an
walk in the light
When we ascend to the perfection of spiritual
unseen altar.

TO WER

bei ngs we will see Him w1th eyes immortal ; but while \ H
walk by faith, we must receive His pre!>ence by faith, under
the leadings of the Spir i t.
Nickname our vie\ as men may
please, to us it appears in harmony with the Law and the

Prophets.

The philosophy of the plan, as well as the genera l btate

menta of the New Testament, teaches the h ig h er and "[Hntual
and invisible character o f the coming o f Chn,t to rece1ve lib
saint s to Hi mself.
To ignore that ph1losophy and t ho :, e
tea chings is to ign ore the rela twn of the natural and the
spiritual as seen in the two Ada m s, the two D1pensations, t he
two Jerusalems, the two bodws a n d the two-" F1r,t the
natural, after ward the spiritual," in a l m os t every element
of the plan.
The fact that a sigt of H i s presence wa s needed and g1vcn
is evidence that the p1esence was to be inv1,1ble to the natu1 a l
eye. The sign- ( al l the evidences ) -1 for the church.
Tin
is proved by the general plan.
' ' Light is sown for the
righteous."
The u;orld is to learn by J Udgments, which will
doubtless be the appearing o f the sign to them.
There is.
doubtless import in the fact that the disc i p les came to Hi m
privately, saying : 'Tell us " hen shall the,c things be," &c.
The condition of t he world-their excuse a n d lgnorance
during the first pa1 t at least of the parousta--presence--of
( See l\Iatt. xxiv. 3 7 -39. )
The
Christ-is stated by Himself.
word coming in th i s passage is not Erko m u t , !J ut Pa rousur .
The Saviour compares the pe ri o d o f His presence t o "the day:;;
o f Noah"-not to the flood, as some suppot. but to the
'days which were before the flood," while the ark was pre
p a rm g .
( See verse 38 and compa1 e 1 :Pet. i l l . 20. )
In Luke xv i i. 26, instead of " co rn i n g, " we have a phrase :
"in the days of the Son of man," " hich agrees '' ith th e idea.
of Presence.
That this p re se n ce, m his days precedes, for
a time, the rapture or takmg a\\ ay of the saints, is proved
by the light given for t hem by th e i::i .tviour ; and by the fact
that the day does not come unau:arcs on th e \\ a t chers, be
cause they walk tn the ltg h t .
( Luke ).X. :3-!. .H) a n d l T h P
v. 1, 5. Another evidence that He will be present for a t i me
and that presence proclaimed, before the wise are gone, m ay
be drawn from the "Faithful and wise servant" and the ' ' Ev1l
servant."
( Matt. xxiv. 45-5 1 . )
The evil servant san, : Mv
Lord delays," and smites his fellow servant:, who mu t IJ
proclaiming the opposite, which is "My Lord no longer tarries."
Until he has come of course he delays.
It is not so much
the honest doubt that is to be condemned as the persccutmg
spirit.
This Suntelia-the end of the age, the ha rvett-agree:t with
Peter's "Last of the days," in which he says :
"Scoffers will
come w1th l;Colling," a n d saying, "\\'here is the promise o i
H i s presence1"
The scoffer's point is that n oth ing in t h e
circumstances apf*als t o the natural eyes ' A l l t h i ngs con
tmue th1s way fro the beginmng."
2 Pet. I l l . 3-4.
( Dwg
J ott ) "If your Chnst has been present these seven years, He
has done nothing"-an expression some use ( a n d 'o\ e gi v e It
free from its severity ) sounds a little like the plea Peter men
tions.
I f the harvest work has been in p r oc e , s , 11 e h a s not
been idle, for even though the Reapers n 1 e t h e .-'l. ngc l s , lh h
Lord of the Angel s as well as men. He is therefore the cllld
Reaper-the Lord of the Harvest. If t h e r e IS no ev i de n c e u i
t he presence, there is none o f th e Ha rvest.-the sign o f t i ll'
one i s the sign o f the other. To use t h e amount of enue!IL'c'
is great-coming by a com b ina ti o n o f the p r o p h e t i c prwd. ,
the parallels and the " s igns of t h e times." There are doub t
less unseen facts which, when ku0\1 ledge is perfected, w i l l be
fo u nd m harmony with what w e ha 1 e Sl'l'l!.
Dut t he re ,,,
much evidence which appeals to fa1th, that \1 e a re cncoura g ld
to hold fast. \Ye th i n k if Jesus were precnt in the Ht>h. <b
when he came to the Jews, He would say now as then .
" Y t'
can discern the face of the earth and of the ,ky ; how i s I t
that ye cannot dtscern this time!" The clearer the U t lll, r t .l n u
ing, the deeper w i l l be t h e impression of t h e f a c t s , a n d t he
sanctifying effect will be the greater.
J. H. P.

THE LORD'S AND OUR NEW NAME

"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out ; and I will write upon h i m the
name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which i" cw Jcl ll:d Pm . whirh rnn,rth down o ut of h e,\VPn l l <'ID my God :
and I will write upon him my new name." Rev . iii, 12.

By the above it would seem that Jesus is to be known by

a new name and a title different from that which He now
bears ; and n ot only will this be true of Him. but also of us ;
for i f overcomers we shall bear Hi8 name, being his bride. vVe
think a new name suggests the idea of a change in Christ's offic i a! position toward restored Israel and other of earth's nations in the coming age ; therefore he should assume that position in the end of this age, for then Israel is to return to a

po si ti on of favor : a s imeon h a th declared how God at the

first did v i i t. the Gentiles. to take out of them a people for
llis name [ Hi s bride] and to this agree . . . the l? rophets ; as
it is written, after this [after He selects His bnde ] : I will
return and build again the tabernacle of Davit! .
. . . n.! 1
will build again the ruins thereof, and I w i l l ..t u p . " \ .\l'b
xv. 14-16 ) .
In h armony with this we quote h on t hl' propht>t,
saying :
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lo 1 d . t h .1 t 1 11 1 1 1

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WA T C H

u n t o D<1 vul a nghteous branch, and a king shall reign

IUld prosper, and shall execute j udgment and justice in the
earth. In H1s d a v Judah shall be saved and I srael shall dwell
a fely ; a n d t l u s i Hzs n a me whereby He shall he called : THE
LO R D, OUR IUGHTEOUSNESS ! "
It is evident that the
.tbove seene 1s laid at the time of favor to I srael, when God
shall comfort them ; for their double chastisement will then
be complete.
( Isa. i. 1 , 2 ) and the Lord shall be known by
t h ,m 1 11 thnt day [ now entered upon] as : "THE LORD, OUR
RIGllTE O C S X E S S." Th is is His new name, and He shall be
o J l'rognhed during his reign over the nations. Melchisedec,
being a type of Christ, was : "First, being by interpretation,
Kmg oi H 1 ghtPousness, a nd after that also King of Salem,
wl11ch 1;; Kmg of Peace ; " ( Heb. vii. 2 ) and to this end ( to be a
king- a n d n1gn m righteousness ) was Jesus born. John xviii. 37.
During the presence o f Jesus Acts xv. 16 will have a fulfill
ment and also Acts iii. 19, 23 : Moses truly said unto the fa
t hers : "A prophet shall the Lord, your God, raise up unto
you of your brethren, like unto me ; Him shall ye hear in all
th1ngs whatsoever He shal l say unto you." The change to
I srael is gradual . and during that time the espoused of Christ
is exalted ( married ) and receives His name ; and so our text
reads : ''I will write upon him ( that overeometh ) my new
11 a m e. "
'fhe city mentioned is the new Jerusalem, and this
was shown John in vision as being a picture of the glorified
church-the bride-Rev. xxi. 2, 9 1 1 . We shall show you that
the new Jerusalem is calleu by the same name in that day as
our Lord, for says the prophet : "In those days and at that
time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up
with David and He shall execute judgment and righteousness
in the land. In those days sl1all Judah be saved, and Jeru
salem s h a l l dwell safely ; and this is the name wherewith SHE
shall be called, THE LORD OUB RIGHTEOUSNESS." Jer. xxxiii.
15,16. How beautiful is this and how harmonious with all
light we haYe had on this point. All who are acquainted
with our position, know that we have claimed the church
as now espoused to Jesus in order that we may be united as
one ; and as God called the first pair-after marriagAdam
( Gen. v. 2 ) so the second Adam includes His bride, and they
united constitute the new Jerusalem, which will be the right
eousness of the nations. This will be called : "The city of
righteousness, the faithful city ; " (I sa. i. 26 ) and those who
constitute it will be known as : "Trees of righteousness, the
plantmg of the Lord, that He might be glorified ; " ( Isa.
lxvi. 3. ) "That in tl1e ages to come He might show the ex
ceeding riches of lils grace in His kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus." ( Eph. ii. 7. ) Then will ( Isa. xxxii. 1 ) be ful
filled :
"Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and
princess ( the saints ) shall rule in j udgment ; " "And Saviours
( Jesus and his bride ) shall come upon Mount Zion ; and the
kingdom shall be the Lord's." ( Obad. xxi. ) As we shall then
rule Israel for their good we shall be to them : ''The sun of
righteousness," that bhall arise with healing in his wings, and
r a b t>

TO WER

PlTTSBUilCK, P.o1.

they shall grow up as calves in the stall ; ( well cared for )

and: "There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall
turn away ungodliness from Jacob ; " ( Rom. xi. 26 ) or as
David says : "Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out
of Zion." ( Psa. liii. 6. ) Then will be their time to shine ; a!>
as the prophet says : "Arise, shine ; for thy light ( the bride )
is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." ( !sa.
lx. I. ) Yes, friends, the marriage of the Lamb is the next
great and important event for this world ; next to the death
of Jesus ; for not until then will the enlightening and blessing
of the nations come; ( Rev. xxi. 24 ) and until then "The
earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifes
tation of the sons of God ; " ( Rom. viii. 1 9 ) ana we will not
be manifest to the world until we take upon us by glorifica
tion the name of Jesus. After the marriage of the Lamb peo
ple shall be judged by righteousness and : "The mountains
( earth's governments ) shall bring peace to the people, . .
He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the
children of the needy . . . and men shall be blessed in Him."
( Psa. lxxii. 3, 3. 17 l Chri<t I hE'.ad and bodv ) . "With rieht
eousness shall he judge ( rule ) the poor, and reprove with
equity for the meek of the earth
They shall not hurt
nor destroy in all my holy mountain ; for the earth shall bt'
full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea ; " (I sa. xi. 4, 9. ) "And the work of righteousness shall
be peace ; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assur
ance forever ; " ( Isa. xxxii. 1 7 ) for "The Lord is exalted ; for
He dwelleth on high ; He bath filled Zion ( city of the living
God, Heb. xii. 22 ) with judgment and righteousness ; " "Be
cause He hath appointed a day, ( 1 000 years ) in the which He
will judge the world in the righteousness by that man ( the
Christ, head and body ; for we shall j udge the worlrl ( 1 Cor.
vi. 2 ) whom He hath ordained." ( Acts vii. 3 1 . ) Though we
shall rule the world it will be when in glory ( Psa. cxlix) and :
"If the ministration of condemnation ( that under the law ) be
glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness ( that
under the new covenan t : in the next ages ) exceed in glory."
( 2 Cor. iii. 9. ) The glorified Jerusalem being the bride, the
Mount Zion, from her shall go forth the law ; ( I sa. ii. 3 ) and
by it the world will be blessed, for to the world we shall be u :
"The Lord our righteousness." Beloved, seeing \ve shall bear
such a name, and hold such an exalted position ; let us be
holy, and strive to overcome as Jesus overcame for alone to
the overcomers shall the new name be given. Strive, there
fore : "That n o man take thy crown."
( Rev. iii. 1 1 . )
He
that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches : "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of
the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and in
the stone a ew name written, which no man knoweth c;aving
he that receiveth it :" ( Rev. ii. 1 7 ) and truP it is that no
person knows our ew name except they that receive it ; for
it i&, "The Lora our righteoumess."
A. D. J.

TO THE READERS OF THE WATCH TOWER

BELOVED : It is fitting that new recruits should cheer, 1f
nothing else presents that they can do. It is well that overcomers should continue to ue the "word of their testimony."
In the true life of faith there mut be habitual obedience to
the revealed will of God. The just shall live by faith. To
the one that lives by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God, it should not appear strange that God should
present objects of faith one by one, and not all at once ;
n either should we stumble if our faith meets with higher
truths than those first presented.
Faith, like muscular
organ, i strengthened by usthe whole gymnasium is open
to the athlete ; he w<'uld spurn the gentle and easy exercises
of the invalid. But how often we rebel when this principle
is used in the acts of faith : It is trying to the man who has
arrived at the jutified plane t o b e told about the entire con
secration demanded of the "overcomer." For a week I have
been instructed in the things of the Kingdom especially referring to the presence of Christ doing the separating work
preparatory to the marriage. And most joyfully do I receive
these teachings.
With shame I record that for three days I rejected these
truths, almost wishing they were not scriptural and the very
truth of God, instead of joyfully welcoming them with grateful heart. Following closely came another trial of faith and
measure of my obedience and consecration, when I, as one of
r;od's stewards, wu urged to do the work of a steward and
rleaZ out these truths e:&actly in the measure of my ability
to proclaim them. This meant for me the preaching service ;
the proclamation of truths so unwelcome to many everywhere.

I ask pardon from the blessed Master-Christ Je:<us-that

I ever hesitated to accept His place in true humility, and the
obedience of faith. I bring, not a parade of the Christianizing
and civilizing elements to elevate and liberalize the world, and
thus make it fit for a coming Messiah ; but we proclaim : "The
times of restitution spoken of by all the holy prophets since
the world began"-the glorious manifestation of the sons of
God, now so near. Glorious body of Christ, take courage.
"Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's
sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together
with me in prayers to God for me ; that I may be delivered
from them that do not believe in Jud ea ( the nominal church ) ,
and my service that I have for Jerusalem ( the Bride ) may
be accepted of all the saints." Rom. xv. 30, 3 1 .
Rejoicing in the light shining from the present one.
J. B. ADAMSON.
It gives me pleasure to thus introduce to the readers of the
WATCH TowER one whom we have recently come to know as
a very dear saint-a brother in Christ. We first became ac
quainted about one year ago and his interest has been growing in the precious truths advocated in the TowER. Again
visiting this city, we have had very pleasant and profitable
interchanges on the all important themes-the presence, the
"high calling" and the "nan-ow way" of entire consecration
by which it may be reached.
Our brother has concluded as the above letter indicates to
give all that he has of time, reputation and ability for the
Pearl of great price, the "Crown of life,"-immortality and
joint-heirship. He leaves a profitable and increasing business

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Z I O N 'S

JuNI!, 1881

WA T C H

paying about $1,500 a year a s well a s other things-this

might be considered a great deal to give but it is really
nothing-nothing compared to the privilege of being an Am
bassador and mouth-p iece of the King of kings ; nothing com
pared with the privil ege of telling the "Glad tidings of great
joy which shall b e to all people" causing men to know and
love God and their Redeemer a refreshing the hearts of the
Saints ; nothing compared to the great riches and glory and
honor promised of God to those who walk in Jesus' footsteps.
Bro. Robert Bailey, of Michigan, has also gone fort.h a pro
claimer of the same "Glad tidings" entirely consecrated to
the Lord and his work. He was with us as well as Bro. Sun
derlin, of N. Y., ( who has been in the work for three months )
at the above mentioned conference. We trust that the studies
of those days are profitable to each of us. May the Lord go
with, and bless these brethren by using them abundantly in
his service.
Some of them may call upon you in the course of their
travels ; we bespeak for them your kindest and warmest re-

caption. In this connection it may be of cheer to some of

you to know that the Lord is stirring up the depths of the
hearts of his consecrated children and each seems desirous
of doing what he can. Brother McGrannor, of Pennsylvania,
has also gone forth recently to give his entire time and labor
in the "harvest" field ; may his labors also be crowned with
such success as may seem good to the Lord of the harvest and
gain finally the "Well done good and faithful servant, thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler
over many things ; enter thou into the joys of thy Lord."
Many other evidences less notable but equal ly acceptable
to the Lord could be mentioned showing the power of truth
to consecrate and separate from everything and to use humble
efforts for the glory of our King, but these will suffice. Kow
let me ask-are there others who as stewards ( not bankers
to pay when demanded but stewards ) possessing talents, time.
etc., consecrated to God. which he entrusts to them to be
used in his service ; are there more such who want to render
to the Lord his ownr-[EDITOB.]

PITTSBURGH, PA., JULY AND AUGUST, 1881

VoL. III

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS*
- ALMONT, MICH.
J. H. PATTON,
BRADDOCK, PA.
w. I. MANN,
- DANSVILLE, N. Y.
B. w. KEITH,
PITTSBURGH, pA.
A. D. JONES,
HONEOYE, N. Y.
L. ALLEN,
J. c. SUNDERLIN,
FT. EDWARD, N. Y.
..

..

...

The Editor recognizes a responsibility to the Master, relative to what

&hall appear in these columns, which he can not and does not cast aside ;

18)

TO WER

Nos. 1 AND 2

yet he should not be understood as endorsing every expression of corre

spondents, or of articles selected from other periodical s. t

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION

This paper will be sent to those desirin g it, upon application. As

thi1 constitutes a part of the preaching of th e Gospel, 1t is our belief
it should be without money and without price. If any one wishes to giv11
to the maintenance of this branch of the service, let him give accor d mg
to his estimation of its value and of his abilit y . Fruwill offerings
and communications may be sent to the Editor, a d dressed as above, and
all "money orders," "drafts," etc., made payable to him. No agents
are authorized to take donation for "ZioN's WATCH Towta."

OUR NEW YEAR

This number ushers in our third volume and third year,
and we take the liberty of wishing both our paper and its
readers a happy and profitable new year.
The Editor never enjoyed a year so much-of growth in
grace and in knowledge and in love-as the one just closed :
He hopes, and has reason to believe from the expressions of
hundreds of letters received, that the readers have been sim
ilarly blessed. And for us all we pray that our bountiful
Father and present King, may continue to dispense his favors
feeding, strengthening and enlightening us more and more
during the year begun.
This seemed a favorable time for a change in the TERMS of
the paper, which we accordingly have made, for several
reasons.
First : This is a part of the preaching of the gospel, and
it is both without price and beyond price ; and we believe
that it would be just as proper to charge for admission to
hear thP spoken Word-or to charge pew rent-as to charge
for the written gospel.
Second : Many of the Lord's purest jewels are very poor,
and though the paper was offered-"Free to the poor," many
of this class do not like to ask favors except of the Lord :
Such, under our new terms, will feel no embarrassment in
asking for it ; and coming to them like all the bounties of
heaven-sunshine, air, etc., they will appreciate it more as
one of the gifts which "cometh down from our Father."
Third : The subscription price was made so low in en
deavoring to make it burdenless upon the majority of our
readers who cannot well afford to spend more, that it did

not pay expenses.

( The paper from the first, has only paid
about two-thirds of its expenses-not to mention the addi
tional cost of Supplements during the last six months ) .
Fourth : The truth is worth more than gold, and its price
is above rubies, and doubtless there are some who could as
well pay one hundred or one thousand dollars, as others
could pay one dollar ; and the new terms will place the
responsibility where it belongs-with each one of us accord
ing to our several ability.
Fifth: If it is the right way as we believe it should be
followed regardless of consequences, and will be. If the means
necessary for its publication become exhausted, the paper
will stop. We will not go in debt, neither will we ever beg
It is the Lord's business ; He is rich-"all the gold and
silver of the mountains are his, and the cattle upon a thous
and hills," and if he does not supply necessary means, we
should know of no better way of judging that he wished the
paper discontinued. Therefore,
READERS TAKE NOTICE
that all moneys due and in arrears on subscriptions are
now stricken out, and all who desire "ZION'S W ATCH To wEB"
continued, will please send word immediately,
Brethren and sisters who have heretofore taken subscrip
tions for this paper, will please notice the change and here
after collect no money, on account of this paper. If disposed,
they may take the addresses of those who desire and request
the paper, and forward the same to this office. All free will
offerings to the WATCH TOWER, should be sent direct to it!!
office.

HIS HOLY NAME TO BEAR

Oh ! patient traveler in life's narrow way,
Tempted and tried, with hardly strength to pray,
Rejoice ! thy rest is near.
Think what the Lord to those he loves will give,
To share his glory, and with him to live,
His holy name to bear.
The name which highest angel may not own,
Which, with his waiting bride He'll share alone,
She whom He loves to bless.
Upon His heavenly throne by love installed,
This is the name wherewith she shall be called,

But if with Him we're crucified ; if for His sake

We suffer loss, with Him our portion take,
We shall be satisfied.
Though now the cross is ours, and we must stay
Until we hear the summons, "Come away !
The Master calls for thee ; "
How blessed then, to lay the eross forever down,
And in its place receive the victor's crown,
To wear eternally.
Lord, guide our feet each step through life we pray,
Grant we ne'er may wander from the narrow way.
That leads to life unseen.
Then let us gaze upon thy glorious fac{',
Thou blet Redeemer of a ruined race.

The Lord our righteousness.

I know that steep, and narrow is the way,
And shadows sometimes hide the light of day,
Till our feeble faith is tried ;

Without a vail between.

[Last appearance of list of regular contributors, which previously

appe3red in each issue.]

MRs A. AnDiS.
t [First appearance of this paragraph, which subsequently a p peo r -,i
in each issue.]

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ANOINTED TO PREACH
''The Spirit of thP Lord God is upon me ; because he hath anointed me to preach good tidings ( gospel ) unto the meek, he
hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that
are bound : to proclaim the acceptable year ( time ) of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God." Isa. lxi. 1 .
This prophecy Jesus quoted ( Luke iv. 1 8. ) and applied
to himself and his work.
We found that he was thus
!\Jlointed when. at 30 years of age he had reached the per
fection of manhood, having presented himself to his Father
-a living sacrifice ; in ? icating his surrender. ?r d ath by
_
beino baptised of John m Jordan, and symbohzmg h1s fatth
in t h e powrr a nd will of God to raise him from the tomb to
n e1nrcss of lifP-as a spiritual being.
It was because John
had hren a witness of this anointing of Jesus, that he bore
record. sayin rr-"And I sa w, and bare record, that this is
thr Son or' G d." .John i. 32-34.
We next inquire-Of what value to Jesus was this anoint
i n g -and find an swer that it was of the utmost importance :
though he had been a spiritual bPing yet he had given tha.t
up when he took our nature, which is not spiritual, but hu
man ; consequPntly he no longer had a spiritual body, but a
human or fleshlv body-in fashion as a man. Understand
us ; we belieYe that there was no sham or pretention in this
matter-no false pretence on the part of the Father and
J eus : we believe that Jesus actually gave up entirely and
forever, his PXistence as a spiritual or heavenly being, chang
ing or transferring it for a human or earthly existence. [We
state the matter thus plainly because so many have the idea
that Jesus retained his spiritual being, merely covered, or
concealed under the guise or pretence ( deception we should
call it) that he was a man. Such are continually in trouble
and difficulty to explain away the statement that "He was
tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin," and
the temptation of the devil in the wilderness, etc.
Now, if he really took a human nature and became a man,
we can understand how he that waR rich ( in a better state or
condition ) . for our sak('s became poor, that we, through his
po,erty, might become rich. If he merely left his riches fr
a few years to return again, and never really gave up h1s
ught or claim to them, then he did not become poor, but
only appeared or pretended to do so.
But we prefer to take it as it says, and believe that God
is true, though it contradict a great many men's theories
He who was rich. became poor-He who was a spiritual be
ing, became a human or earthly being ; not a depraved
and death-condemned human being. No ; having done no
sin, it would have been unjust in the Father to have
placed him under sin's penalty-"the bondage of corruption"
-death. No ; though of our own nature, he was the perfec
tion of it, and f'tood on precisely the same plane that Adam
occupied before sin, abundant arrangement being made for
this in his miraculous birth.
When he had reached the perfection of manhood ( thirty
vears ) , knowing why he had taken that nature-that it was
ilot because he wanted to be a man and live on earth, rather
than be a p1ritual being and live in heavenly conditions
but that he might carry out the Father's plans, and redeem
mankind from death, by giving himself a ransom for them, tha.t
"as by man came death. by a man also, came [ the right of]
re-urrection of the dead"-that "as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one ( man )
8hall many be made righteous." Rom. 5 : 19.
This was necessary, for according to God's own arrangement
of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a
life, none but a human being could redeem or pay the ransom
for humanity, and hence the necessity that he who was rich
!'hould become poor.
As we have seen, Jesus understood the object of his hav
ing become a man, and hastened at once to fulfill it, saying,
in the language of the prophet, "Lo, I come ! In the volume
of the book it is written of me to do thy will, 0 God." The
Father's will was that that perfect being should freely deliver
himself up to death as a ransom for us all. Did Jesus do
this T
Yes, everything was consecrated-a living sacrifice,
there at Jordan-in the symbolic water baptism. Earthly
life was henceforth to be surrendered and spent daily and
hourly until it would ALL be gone-swallowed up of death
a ransom for many.
But, having given up his life, unless it was a mere sham
and pretence, his exi stence must have forever ended, says
<-ome one. We anwer, Yes : he gave all he had. ( Matt. 1 3 : 44. )
But the Father's promise, which he well understood, was that
if he were obedient in this matter, "even unto death," He,
the Father, would create him again-a new creatwn, different
from the human creatures, and though piritual also, yet di
ferent from and higher than the angelic creatures ; in a word,
( ! - 2)

he would highly exalt him-though before he became a man

he had been the chief of all God's creation-"the beginning
of the creation of God." Yet if thus obedient unto death, he
was to be emalted far above all, and to a higher position and
condition than he himself had previously enjoyed-to become
a partaker of the DIVINE NATURE, a sharer of the Divine
Glory, Honor and Immortality.
The value then of the anointing, was, that by it the
Father gave witness that the sacrifice was accepted ; it was
the seal or evidence to him that the Father would give him
the promised DIVINE NATURE when he had finished and fulfilled
the covenant there made, when he had actually given his
life. And it was more, it was the power of God, which dwell
ing in him, enabled him not only to know the Father's wm,
but also to do it. Thus, because he had entirely laid aside
his own will, the Father worked in him both to will and to
do of his good pleasure, so that he could and did say, "Not
my will, but Thine be done."
It was of this indwelling spirit or power of God, that
Jesus spoke, when he said : "The words that I speak unto
you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelletb in
me, he doeth the works." ( John 1 4 : 1 0 . )
And it was not
merely because he was a perfect man, while all others were
imperfect, but also because his words were indited of the
indwelling Spirit of the Father, that men said of him :
''Never man spake like this man."
Does any one question this ? We refer to Peter's words
( Acts 1 0 : 37-39 ) "That word ye know, which was published
throughout all Judea, ard began from Galilee, after the
baptism which John preached-how God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with power, [thus con
stituting him Jesus the Ghrist, which means Jesus the
a,nointed,] who went about doing good and healing all that
were oppressed of the devil ; for God was with him, and we
are witnesses."
But another result of the anointing was that in conse
quence of his sacrifice, already reckoned complete, ( by which
he ransomed mankind, ) he was permitted to prea<>h or de
clare the good news. He was
' 'ANOINTED TO PREACH. ' '
T o him who so loved the world a s t o surrender his life
for them, it must have been a great pleasure to be per
mitted to declare to the ones being redeemed, the good news
of the blessing to result to them, and so Jesus preached.
We next inquire as to the exact doctrines which Jesus
was anointed to preach, assured that if we can understand
it we shall get the cream of all true doctrine and the essence
of all correct preaching. Was l1e anointed to preach that
every one who did not believe in the "shorter catechism" and
the eternal torment of nine-tenths of the human race, would
himself be condemned to never-ending torments T No. Was
he anointed to preach such a torment as being the doom
of any of God's creatures, no matter how wicked, no matter
against how much light they had sinned ? No, the prophet
knew nothing about such preaching commission. Where then
did the preachers of today get the authority to preach these
doctrines, and to make them the back-bone of all their
teachings ? Not from the Law or the Prophets, or the Gospel
( good news) of Jesus and his Apostles, we are sure :-proba
bly from the "tradition of the elders," and the creeds formed
in the "dark ages," when God's people began to get free from
what Luther called "the dung-hill of Romish decretals." But
what, according to the prophet, was Jesus anointed to preach t
The prophet answers us : "To preach the good news to the
meek." What is the "good news t" It is "Liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are
bound."
How singular--did Jesus tell of the emancipation of slaves
-of the freedom of the serfs of Russia, or the negroes of
America t And did he preach that there would be a general
discharge of all culprits in states prisons 1 Surely this last
would not be "good news."
Ah no my brother ; it was slaves-bondmen and bond
women of another sort whose freedom he proclaimed. All man
kind are slaves to sin, bound and crippled by the various
maladies which sin brought upon them ; and millions had gone
down in the great prison house-the tomb. These were the
captives and this the prison, and of no others did Jesus
preach. But did he in his preaching ever refer to these and
preach deliverance of these captives ! Yes, oh yes, repeatedly ;
hear him : "The hour is coming, in the which all that art> in

[ 240]

Jur,Y AND AucusT, 1881

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

the graves shall hear his ( Jesus' ) voice and shall come
"The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of man
forth."
and they that hear shall live." ( John 5 : 25, 28. )
Again, "I
am the resurrection and the life."
As Jesus preached freedom from evil maladies, and death,
he E.>xemplified the power and authority of his preaching by
"healing all manner of diseases," raising the dead to life,
and turning sadness and mourning into gladness and joy,
All of those miracles and all of
giving "beauty for ashes."
Jesus' preaching was but the proof or exemplification of the
power by which the great work, not yet commenced should
The apostle indicates this when he
finally be accomplished.
says concerning Jesus' miracles-"These things did Jesus
and manifested forth [before the time-the Millennia} age 1
( John 2 : 1 1 ) . Thus did Jesus preach by word
his glory."
and illustration the coming emancipation of mankind from the
thraldom of disease and death-"liberty to the captives and
opening of the prison to them that are bound."
But while Jesus had this general proclamation of deliver
ance for the world he had a special message to some-vi?.. :
an invitation to those who would, to enter in at the strait
gate and the narrow ( difficult ) way, and becomE' with him
joint heirs to "Glory, Honor and Immortality." Of this way
hE' truly said-"Few there be that find it." And foreknowing
that few would take up their cross and follow him, he called
those who would do so and thereby become heirs of the king
"Fear
dom which God had promised, a little flock-saying :
not, little flock ; it is your Father's good pleasure to give you
the kingdo m ." And this feature of Jesus' preaching is men
tioned by the prophet-"To appoint [promise] unto them
that mourn in Zion [ the repentant] to give unto them . . . . the
oil of joy for the spirit of mourning ; ( this is the promise of
the spirtt to all who truly turn to God. Oil, is a symbol of
the spirit. Thus the "little flock" is promised a share of the
same anointing as their head-Jesus, ) that they might be
called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that
he might be glorified."
Thus did Jesus preach the "good news" in two parts
First to the world a restitution of all things by a resurrec
tion-illustrated by his mi racles ; and second-the great prize
and blessing obtainable by those who will now walk in "the
narrow way" illustrated in his own person, for he set us an
example that we should walk in his footsteps.

THE CHURCH ANOINTED

The anointing spirit power which came first upon the
head was due and did in due time ( Pentecost) come upon
the church which is his body. And the anointing which she
Why was the
there received abideth in her. ( 1 Jno. 2 : 27 . )
The word answers-that she might share
church anointed!'
with her Lord in the present time the dishonor and sacrifice
and in the coming age of glory be joined with him in glory
And more-as he was "anointed to preach the
and power.
good news" so must we, his body, be anointed to preach the
same gospel with its same two parts-viz. : that for the world
-freedom-restitution through ransom and a resurrection ;
and for the little flock who follow the Lamb-the kingdom,
through the ransom and consecration.
This is all of it, just what it is called-"good news!' It
is what the apostles preached "that there should be a resur
rection of the dead both of the just and the unjust." ( Acts
24 : 15. ) They "preached through Jesus ( because of the ran
Act11
som he had paid ) the resurrection from the dead."
4 : 2 and 1 7 ; 1 8 : 32 ; and 23 : 6 . )
The news was s o new t o them and so good that the Phari
sees and religious teachers could not believe it to be true ;
they had become so accustomed to binding on mankind bur
dens which they did not help to remove, ( Matt. 23 : 4 ) that
though the common people "wondered at the gracious worda
( words of love and promises of release from death, ) which
proceeded out of his mouth," the c'IIIUrch authorities were
"grieved.'' Thus it still is and ever will be-the preaching
of the cross and its value as the price of the peace of all
sinners, has always been to all but those anointed to preach
it-"foolishness.''

WHO ARE TO PREACH?

We answer, All who receive of the anointing spirit and a re

thus recognized as members of the body of Christ ( the
Of each member it is true as of the head-"He
anointed. )
hath anointed me to preach the gospel.'' We have each gifts
and talents differing from the other and none of us are like
our head, perfect, but each is .responsible for such and so
much preaching as he can do. Some can preach to multitudes ;
others to the twos and threes ; others from house to house ;
others can drop a word in season ; others can distribute
tracts ; others can give of the consecrated money entrusted
1-16

TO WER

(2)

Some can do
to their stewardship to help others preach.
several of these things, and some can do all of them, and all
can and should preach by their life and customs the power
of the good news to transform, for we are all living epistles,
known and read of all men.
We believe that none will be of the
Are you preaching ?
little flock except preachers. Are you preaching with all your
If so, you will by-and -by hear
talents and all your might ?
If not, begin
the words : "Well done, good and faithful ! "
now ; remember that you consecrated your all before you were
anointed, and now you cannot be an overcomer and keep baek
part of the price. ( Acts 5 : 4. ) Paul says : "Ye know your
Yes, we were called to suffer with him
calling, brethren.''
and to proclaim that good news now, that in due time we
might be glorified and perform the things now preached. We
were not called, nor anointed to receive honor and amass
wealth, but to spend and be spent, and to preach the good
Let us give all diligence to make our calling sure
news.
and to perform that for which we were anointed.

FUTURE WORK AND GLORY

If Jesus was anointed of the Spirit to preach coming
blessings and freedom to Death's captives, tell me was his
preaching ( and ours ) true ? Will there ever be such a whole
sale release ? Yes, oh yes. "As in Adam all die, even so ( un
conditionally so far as they are concerned ) in ( or by ) Christ,
But the preachtng of the good
shall all be made aUve."
news comes before the performance of the blessings promised.
Now the preaching is going on "to the meek"-those willing
and able to hear, in order to develop from among them the
body of Christ, the joint heirs.
This work is almost finished, and soon the actual blessing
( instead of the promise ) will be given. Then we shall have
"Greater works than these shall ye
Jesus' words fulfilled :
do." The works which Jesus did were raising the dead, heal
ing the sick, opening blind eyes, etc., and none of the disciples
ever did greater works, hence the application of this language
applies to the Millennia! Age, and the great works there to
be performed, of which Jesus' miracles were but illustrations
oi a less important character. The work of the coming Glory
Age, opening the eyes of men's understanding, that they may
understand the truth ; the unstopping of the deaf ears that
they may hear and know of "the love of God which passeth
all understanding ; " the making whole of the sinsick, and the
healing of the morally lame and crooked, are surely far, far
greater things than the temporary healings which Jesus ac
complished and which served only to show forth his ( coming)
glory.
What means the prophet when
But some one inquires :
he says he shall "proclaim the acceptable year ( period or time )
of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God !"
The acceptable time is this Gospel Age, during which,
.
If any man hear the good news and fully consecrate himself
to God a living sac ifice he will be acepted and made a joint
!
.
heir w1th Jesus Chnst our Lord. It Is an acceptable time in
that, during this age, God accepts of all such sacrifices. And
it ends with this age lx cause the little flock will be complete'
and no more will be accepted to the DIVINE N ATUBE.
The day of vengeance of our God is the time of fire, or
purifying trouble, in which the world and all the church,
except the "little flock," are to be tried and purged, and
[It i::J
made ready for the blessings of the Millennia! Age.
this Day of the Lord," in which, from the prophetic evidences
we believe we have been, since 1 874, and which we believ
wll continue with increasing severity-first, on nominal
Zwn, and secondly, upon the world, until 1 9 1 4, the first seven
years of which, as heretofore shown, are years of favor and
end in October of this year.]
Jesus, in applying this prophecy to himself, stopped in
the middle of this paragraph, and said nothing relative to
the "Day of Vengeance," because it was not then due. The
We be
Spirit, through the Word, now shows it to be due.
lieve, and therefore now declare it.
How intimate a relationship this shows between Him, as
head, and us as the body of the Lord's anointed. The special
work of announcing this "Day of the Lord''-"Day of Ven
geance," being done now, because now due, is mentionl'd as
bei 1_1 g part of the good news proclaimed by the Lord's anointed.
It Is good news only as we are able to recognize the blessed
results God intends shall follow afterward.
God having called us to preach the Good News, let us see
to it that we do his will, and with Paul, we should feel "woe
is me if I prea<'h not the Gopel . " But if >OU are fille d with
the subj ect this privilege will be your gre;ttest pleasure and
ehiefest joy, and you can truly say :

[ 2U ]

"I love to tell the story.''

BEHOLD !

BEHOLD !

"There standeth one among you whom you know not."- ( John 1 : 26. )
How difficult a thing it seems, to believe spiritual things ;
that is to say things belonging or pertaining to spiritual
beings or conditions. Our experiences as men-earthly beings
-are so constant that our ideas are apt to be entirely from
that standpoint, while only those who are separated from
the earth by their hopes and ambitions, and who are continuously making spiritual things their study, are able at
all to appreciate them, to rightly divide truth and discriminate between earthly and spiritual things.
How few there are who know that there is a natural ( or
human ) body and there is a spiritual body ; their only idea
of organization is drawn from their daily experiences ; they
never saw any person whose body was not flesh and bones
and blood and therefore they do not believe that there could
be a being differently constructed. This is human reason
unguided by the Spirit and consequently it frequently finds
itself in direct conflict with the "Sword of the Spirit-the
word of God" ( Eph. 6 : 1 7. )
For instance, they can tell
you they ny, ju"t exactly what they will be like in the
future-that is just like what they are now except free
from present weaknesses and ailments ; and they know too
just \vhat Jesus will be like ; they say he will b
j ust as he was when crucified, the same wounds in hands
feet. and brow, etc., for they insist that it is "This same
Jesus," who shall come and reign.
Now, we do not blame
those who cannot see spiritual things for looking at and
imagining everything on the earthly plane, for we know ( The
Spirit declares it-1 Cor. 2 : 14. )
"The natural ( human \
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God- ( they are
foolishness unto him, ) neither can he know them because
they are spiritually discerned." But to those who have a
spiritual eye to see and a spiritual ear to hear we would
say : Paul teaches such that there will be a complete change
from natural ( human ) to spiritual conditions on the part of
that "little flock" to whom it is the Father's good pleasure
to giYe the kingdom which "flesh and blood cannot inherit."
- ( 1 Cor. 1 5 : 50. )
So great a change we repeat, that "it
doth not yet appear what we shall be." The spirit-begotten
Apostle knew of the human nature and human body, and if
we \Vere to be changed to the perfection of humanity he well
knew how to so express it, but knowing all this he positively
asserts that a fter the change it will be a spiritual and not
a natural body, and that "it doth not yet appear what" a
spiritual body is or what may be all of its powers-but "we
shall be like Him." It follows then that Jesus will be different from what he was also, so different that Paul intimates
that though he ( and he only-1 Cor. 1 5 : 8 ) had seen him
after his change he could not describe him, and we could not
understand what our change will be, or what his was, until
changed and made "like unto Christ's glorious body."
Who says that the body with nail prints in the hands
and feet was Christ's glorious body T Certainly there is no
one who has his senses exercised in spiritual things who
cannot see that "the body of flesh"-"the likeness of men""the form of a servant" was not His glorious body, but the
one taken in order that "He . . . . might taste death for
eYcry man."
If then, Jesus took a human nature and form that "as
by man came death, by man also might come the resurrection
of the dead," ( 1 Cor. 1 5 : 2 1 ) and if we are told that he has
now another nature and spiritual form, shall we not recognize
two-first the natural ( human ) afterward the spiritual ? It
was the man ( anointed Jesus ) who died for our sins ; but
he is a man no longer ; he is now a spiritual being. He as a
man was "obedient unto death even the death of the cross.
Wherefore, God also hath hightly exalted him" ( Phil. 2 : 9 )
a n d his i s no longer the human nature and form, but the
D ivine. He is now a glorious body-"the express image of
the Father's person-of the invisible God," "whom no man
hath seen nor can see." Paul as one born ( resurrected ) before the time was granted a glimpse of the glorified JesUtl,
which destroyed his natural sight.- ( 1 Cor. 15 : 8. )
Can
we doubt as to the time when Jesus received these forms ?
Wa< n o t the natural born of a woman, and after thirty
n a r < c,f ::rrowth in wisdom, stature, etc., did not the human
0
earh i t perfection ? Did he not immediately ( when thirty
yea r of age ) con<;ecrate that human nature a sacrifice for
t h e \w, rl d ?
Was it not accepted of God, and did not the
F a t h rr te<t i fy to the acceptance of that sacrifice by anointing
a n d fi l l i n g the man with His Spirit ? Was not that anointing
the begetting of the man Jesus to the Divine spiritual nature !
Wer' not the three and one-half years of his ministry, years
of the crnr i fy i n g of the fie<.h or ( perfect) human will of
Was
Did he not finish the sacrifice at the cross 1
Jsu ?
hr, not raiFed from the dead the third day T Was not that
(3)

called his birth-"The first-born from the dead"-"First-bom

among many brethren," etc. ? Was that said to be a birth
of the flesh or of the Spirit ? If then He is said to have
been born of the Spirit, how say some among you that he
was still flesh-human--does not the Word record that "That
which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of
the Spirit is Spirit"' John 3 : 16. Was he not sown a natural
body"-"raised a spiritual body" T
If then Jesus is and has been since his rez:urrection a
spiritual body, why should we look for him to be a fleshly body
at his second coming T Do you know of any place in holy
writ where it says he will be changed so as to become again
a human, earthly, fleshly body ? Is it not foolish for those
who have been somewhat enlightened by the Word of God
to expect that Jesus will come in the flesh-to be seen of
the earthly eyer
Have any ever seen spiritual beings-God, or Angels, or
Devils-with the human eye ( except as a miracle has occurred
which specially revealed them as recorded in the Scriptures ) !
Did any astronomer sweeping the sky by day or by night with
powerful telescope ever see those ( angels ) whom Paul declares
are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who
shall be heirs of salvation"- r did they ever see Him who
is called "the Devil"-the 'Prince of this world"-"the
Prince of the power of the air P"
But does some one object- Did not the Angels say, "This
same Jesus shall come" T Yet , we answer as frequently be
fore ; yes, it will be so ; but Fas it the Jesus born of Mary,
or the Jesus born of the Spirit a spiritual body, a quickening
spirit, of which the Angel sp 1ke ? You answer that it was
he who was raised by the power of the Father to the per
fection of spiritual being ; and we answer, Yes, t1Ws same
( spiritual ) Jesus shall so come in like manner as he went
away-unknown to the world who were eating, drinking,
planting, and building and knew not.
So we believe he has come again, not a man but a
Spirit, not a man's form of flesh-but a Spirit's form-a
spiritual body. Now none can see him pre!lcnt but those who
have spiritual eye-sight and are looking. Some who are thuc
looking can now see him-the eyes of their understanding
being enlightened by the light shining from the more sure
word of prophecy : Such walk by faith and not by sight, and
may well endure "as seeing him that is invisible" to humanity.
Our mission-those who see the present one-is to de
clare Him to the nominal church-the ripe wheat of which,
we expect will hear and recognize, while others will in thir;
respect be blind. Our position is much like that of John
the Baptist at first advent of Jesus when he came in the
flesh to "Israel after the flesh." John introduced him-an
nounced him as the "Lamb of God" who would take away the
sin of the world. So we announce him now to the Spiritual
Israel as the Lord of life and King of Glory.
When addressed by the leading men of the fleshly house
as to his business and his right to preach outside the pale
of the Jewish church, he declares it to be his special 'vork
to bear witness to the light and the truth of the presence of
Jesus the Lord's anointed. So too when we are asked for
our reasons, they are these : that the King has come and is
calling for the joint-heirs and they must needs be made aware
of his presence. Now as then it is true, that "There stand
eth one among you whom you know not." Behold, see, but
"look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that
are not seen ; for the things that are seen ( by the natural eye )
are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
- (2 Cor. 4 : 18. )
Though you cannot see the "reaper" you can see his work
going on around you in the nominal church-the wheat and
the tares-the real and the imitation must be and are being
separated, that in due time the wheat may "shine forth
as the sun in the kingdom of their Father"-which flesh and
blood cannot inherit.
This recognition of the Lord's prese?We we understand to
be the sanctifying and essential truth necessary to the per
fecting of the saints now living, and ability to perceive it,
the test of spiritual sight now, even as at the first advent :
Then, the test was not whether the Jewish church believed
the Prophets-that the Messiah should come sometime, nor
whether they believed that that coming would be soon, for
we read that "All men were in expectation" of :S: is coming ;
but the test to them was, would they believe in H1s presence,
in a way they had not expected Him to come. So now thl'
test is similar-not who believes Jesus is coming-but who
can see Him to be present; and only those possessed of
spiritual sight can see Him. "There standeth one among you
( in. your midst) whom you know not."

[ 24 2 ]

THE TABERNACLE
THB LAKPSTAND
"And thou shalt make a Lampstand of pure gold : of beaten work shall the lampstand be made ; his shaft, and h i s
branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers shall be o f t h e same. And s i x branches shall come out o f the sdes of it ;
three branches of the lampstand out of the one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other s1de ; three
bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch ; and three bowls made like almonds in the other
branch, with a knop and a flower ; so in the six branches that come out of the lampstand . . . their knops and their branches
shall be of the same ; all of it shall be one beaten work of pure gold. And thou shalt make the seven lamp thereof ; and
they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it. And the tongs thereof and the f.>nuff-dihes
thereof shall be of pure gold. Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it with all the!!(' vesels. And look that thou ma.ke
them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount." Ex. xxv. 3 1-40.

Light has ever been symbolic of that which brings joy

and gladness, while by common consent night and darkness
have been put for ignorance and its accompanying misery.
w find all about us in nature that light is the cause of the
most beneficial results, so very early in the world's history
among those who were in moral darkness, light, fire, the
sun, moon, &c., became objects o{ worship and were adored
either as symbols of a god or as gods in visible form. The
natural man has ever been desirous of some visible mani
festation ; he seeks to walk by sight ; only the justr-the
!!piritu.al-walk by faith. Perhaps it was for this reason
mainly, that Jehovah saw fit to give so many typical form>
to the children of Israel. The nations around them all had
their objects of sense which, placed where they could often
see them, satisfied the eye and gave them contentment. How
often we have seen children, who, not satisfied with knowing
that their mother was in the house, must follow her from
room to room, refusing even to have a door shut between them.
So we find even in this age those who must have crucifixes,
pictures, relics, &c., to fill the eye, and satisfy an untutored
conscience. We might come nearer home and speak of those
who think there is neither life nor power without a mourners'
bench and a great deal of noise and excitement, but w:
remember that there are true children who are but children,
and we would not oJTend the least. However, noise is not
power, and as we are speaking of light, and of light as a
symbol of God, it might be well to say that although it i 11
one o f the most powerful forces in nature, i t i s one o f the
most quiet. Bonar, who has written so much that is pure
and true says :
"The light ie ever silent ;
It sparkles on morn's million gems of dew,
It flings itself into the shower of noon,
It weaves its gold into the cloud of sunset,
Yet not a sound is heard ; it dashes full
On yon broad rock, yet not an echo answers.
It lights in myriad drops upon the flower,
Yet not a blossom stirs ; it does not move
The slightest film of floating gossamer,
''nich the faint touch of insect's wing would shiYer.
The light is ever pure,
No art of man can ever rob it of its beauty,
Nor stain its unpolluted heaven lines.
It is the fairest, purest thing in nature ;
Fit type of that fair heaven where all is pure,
And into which no evil thing can enter ;
Where darkness comes not, where no shadow falls ;
Where night and sin can have no dwelling place."
The first recorded words of Deity are, "Let there be light."
It seems to be a pre-requisite in the formation and develop
ment of the natural, and our hearts seeking spiritual light
and growth, echo the cry : "Let there be light." Whither
shall we go ? as God is the source and fountain of all life
and love, so is he the source of all light. To us he mani
fests himself through his Words. Not the written Word alone,
but its author Jeses, "The Word of God." "This is the true
light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."
"In him was life and the life was the light of men."
ThP lampstand then primarily typifies Christ, and conse
quently in some sense every true member of the Christ
body.
Light is peculiarly expressive of the character
of God and of his people.
"God is light," says the
beloved John. James calls him the "Father of lights with
whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world ; he that follows
me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life." Of his followers he says, "Ye are the light of the
world." The lampstand beautifully symbolizes Christ as the
hope of our fallen race. It stood where there was no other
light. Christ is the light of life. It had seven branches
typifying perfection, or as seven is a symbol of that which
is complete and entire, it represents Christ as the embodi
ment of light, not only the trutl1, but the whole truth, the
fullness of God.
Light is composed of the seven primary colors, thus

symbolizing Jesus as the one altogether lovely. The beautiful

rainbow-the seal of promise-is but an individualizing of the
pure white ray ; so the hope of the world and t h e prom1-;e
of its eternal preservation is in the manifestation of the
various beauties, the ineffable glories of the immaculate one ;
that concentrated beam of heavenly light which piercing
the dark clouds of despair, reflects even from the storm drop
a vision of hope and a pledge of the covenant of mercy.
Majestic sweetness sits enthroned,
Upon the Saviour's brow ;
His head with radiant glories crowned,
His lips with grace o'erflow.
No mortal can with him compare,
Among the sons of men ;
Fairer is he than all the fair
Who fill the heavenly train.
"And he made the lampstand of pure gold ; of beaten work
made he the lampstand. His shaft, his branch, his bowl!!,
his knops and his flowers, were of the same." Ex. xxxvu. 1 7 .
W e feel almost discourage1l sometim('s a t the rough handling
we seem to receive--the knocks and the blows. \\'e forget
the branches must be like the shaft-all of beaten work. No
machine-made lords of the flock, no church ornaments cast
wholesale in a mold, about this lamp stand ; as is the shaft
so are the branches-all of beaten work. In its structure
there was a knop and a flower, in continuous succession,
typifying the beautiful graces of a Christ-like spirit accom
panying the solid fruit of a christian life : a sort of com
bination of faith and works.
It would also represent 11.
vigorous ever-developing plant, always blooming, continually
fruit bearing ; like the trees growing by the river of life,
yielding their fruit every month.
The Tabernacle as we have seen contained wondrous things,
but as there were no windows in it, they would have bn
unseen, hut for the lampstand. The well furnished table of
shew bread with its typical spiritual food, ever fresh and
fragrant, was unknown to natural light ; hidden to those
without. Here was the Altar of Incense and the way to
God, but the world by wisdom ( natural light ) knew not God.
As Paul said to the Athenians, groping in darkness "they
seek God, if haply they might feel after him, and find him,
though he is not far from each one of us." I n their blindned
they erect an altar inscribed, "To the unknown God." In our
day men still erect altars to baseless creeds and isms, and
sacrifice themselves upon them. Thank God that we can say .
"With Thee is the fountain of life ; in thy litiht sha ll we
see light." Psa. xxxvi. 9.
The furniture of the Tabernacle was a ll made o f \\ OOd
covered with gold, excepting this piece, w h i ch is f1 equen t l y
called the pure lampstand by way of pre-eminen el'. L1ke
the laver it was made of one material ; like the laver its
dimensions are not given. They both evidently symbolized the
illimitable truth of God , pur<' nnd unalloyld, ahle to :>t a n < !
alone without help of human reasonings and imagining:>. For
long years men have been trying to ex!'ue God's cha r
acter, his dealings anrl his word. The truth req u i re n o
bolstering ; keep it pure and you keep i t a f e . The p<Wt
has said :
"Truth crushed to t>:t r t h will rit> aga i n ;
The Eternal ca 1 s of Got! :u e her--.''
To bP ('tcrnal i t must h<' p u re ; it 1s a un ive r s a l !.1 w.
The laver and lampstand being without dimensions . wou ld
seem to typify the fact-O that creed worshipers m il:!'ht , ,.e
it-that truth like its author is bound }c,s.
Thl Y:l l ltlliS
;ectaries scattered along the stream of truth eYer flowing irom
the throne, have built little mud dams in the sand a n d haH
fenced o !f a little of the strcan1 ; and claiming that tht>y had
secured It all, have covered it up carcfullv from the light and
air, until what should haYe been to them a " l'll l,f life.
has become a veritable frog pond. Re,-. xd. 1 3 ; x Y i i i :2.
In tl1is age the Worn i the In.mp ( Psa c'\h: . J o;; , l .1 t t
xxv. 1 . ) and tho church i s the Ia mpsta n d : ( g ,.,- i 0 \ b u t
w e think i t will not. always b so. Jesus !' a i d f , , h 1 ivl
lowers, "Ye are the light of the world," and h<' ,., th n t l y 1 n

[ 243]

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

tended that his light should shine through and be reflected by

us ; but in a deeper sense will we be the light of the world,
when, made pa rta kers of his glorious body, we shine forth as
the ;;un in till' k ingdom of our Father. Matt. xiii. 43.
.\ iter the ta rthlv Jerusalem has been restored, the heav
t> u l y ,l t>I u -a !tm \\ I Ii be its :>ource of light and Ia w and will
,;lllllt' t lu ough i t ( t h e earthly ) u po n the nations. Isaiah ( ii 23 )
tell us that after the k mgdom ha s been set up-"out of
1 1 o11 1 t h e heavenlY
) shal l go forth th e law and the word
'
,, f t ht Lord from Jt>rusalem," ( th e earthly ) .
Before this
t q k"' pl.\ce howe\ er, Jerusalem must first hear the cry ,
"Ai l , ,., shine ! for thy light is come and the glory of the
Lurd is risen upon thee."
( Isaiah lx. ) This explains what
John says of the new Jeruoalem. The Lamb ( Head and body )
1s the light thereof.
( Also, Is a. lx. 19-20. )
It is evidently
th1s heavenly company, the u ni t ed and perfected body of
Christ, that l\I a l a ch i a l ludes to as the sun of righteousness
that hall arise with heal ing in his wings to bless first the
,Jt\\ t .h people and ultnnately every man that cometh into
John i. 9.
t he world.
The lampstand seems to have been modeled after the
Almond tree with its knops, flowers and nut-like bowls. The
Almond is remarkable for its early blossoming ( sometimes
even in January ) the flowers appearing before the leaves. The
Hebrl'w word for Almond is from a root which signifies " to
hasten," being thus descriptive of the tree which hastened
to put forth 1ts blossoms in spring. Hence, it was regarded
by the Jews as a harbinger of spring. The lampstand would
thus symbolize the church of the fi rs t - born j and the appear
,\JlC'P of th i " co!llpany arrayed in beauty, the surety that the
winter is past, that the time of the singing of birds is come,
that soon the voice of the dove will be heard in the land.
The nations of course, will not see the church of the first
born until the eyes of their understanding are opened, which
will be a.fter the time of trouble has prepared them for the
reception of the truth.
While Christ and His bride are clearly the light of the
future, in this age we are dependent on the written word

T O WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

( Ps.
1 19 : 105. ) In one of the visions of Zechariah, ( eh. 4 ) he saw
a golden lampstand between two olive trees from which
through golden pipes flowed the needed oil. The Angel ex
plained that these lamps did not burn by human wisdom
or knowledge, "not by might, nor by power, but by My
Spirit ; saith the Lord of hosts." The prophet was further
told that "these are the two anointed ones, ( Heb., sons of
oil) that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." This helps
us to understand the symbol of the two witnesses in Rev.
xi. for it is written "these are the two olive trees, and the
two lampstands standing before the God of the earth."
Thus we perceive they are the Old and New Testaments ;
the sources of light from which the church, ( the spiritual
channel, ) must draw her supply of oil. These witnesses were
to be clothed in sackcloth ( symbolic of mourning and prob
ably of the clothing in a dead language, Latin) during 1260
years, while they testified for God. They were killed in the
Babylonian city-Rome-and exposed in one of her ten
streets-France-during the three and one-half years ( 1793
and onward. )
Since then, they have been caught up to
heavenly places in symbolic language-a position of honor
and power, and translated into nearly every tongue have
witnessed to all nations as Jesus foretold.
The lampstand was the only light available to those in the
Tabernacle. This shows us plainly where we must go for
all our light. What if none of the rulers or of the Pharisees
have believed 1 Why should they 1 Very, very few of them
have entered into the presence of the lampstand. The but
terflies love the sunshine. Let us be followers of Him who
walked in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.
He
was there to trim and furnish the light; let us rejoice
and walk in it.
Walk in the light ! thy path shall be
Peaceful, serene, and bright ;
For God, by grace, shall dwell in thee,
And God, Himself, is light.
W. I . M.

DO YOU LOVE COD }

I Jno . .:> : . Diagl ott.
but we can and do become acquainted with hig :opirit-lm
mind-as we see it manifested in Christ Jesus, our Lord,
and through the apostles, and throu6'h those who are entirely
consecrated to him now living in the world. And the morl'
we see of his spirit-its meekness, pahcnce, long -suffering,
charity-love, the more we come to lore Him who i8 in
the fount or source of all this-for we realize that God is loY!'.
Nor is this the only way we can learn of God's spirit,
for as we look in His Word, ( having come into harmony
with him and consecrated ourselves to him) the spirit of
God is more and more revealed to us as we come to see his
great and loving plans therein recorded ; and the more we
see of perfection and beauty and love in the plan, the more
we will admire and love the great planner-our Father.
God desires all his creatures to become acquainted with him
( and in due time will cause "the knowledge of the Lord to
fill the whole earth," in order that all may have an opportu
nity to love him-"for his mercy endureth forever " ) but now
during this "present evil world," or time while evil is allowed
to reign, he is revealing himself only to those who hM'e
eyes to see and ears to hear, and who use them. I f then
we would love, we must know God ; if we would know, we
must make use of the instrumentality and search the Scrip
tures for his plan and will, and seek to know what is "that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
In the verse following the one above considered, the ap011
tle lays down a rule by which we may know whether we
really love God or not, viz : "For this is the love of God : that
we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not
burdensome."
Are you in the Lord's hands-are you seeking to do his
wilU If so, what motives actuate you-love, or fear1 If
fear your service will be a drudgery you may perform but it
'
will be a burden and a continuous ffort to render obdience
to his wishes. If you serve God from love your experience
will be different--i t will be a pleasure to do his wil l a
'
"Joy to find in every station
Something still to do or bear"-

" Hj this \\ e knuw t h a t we love the children of God, when we love God and practice his commandments."

This does not read as is generally supposed ; it does not

say we know that we love God because we love his children,
but almost the reverse : We love the children because we love
the Father. In a word, it is through our relationship and
union with our Head, Jesus, that we are permitted to par
take of the spirit or mind of the Father, and that spirit
is the spirit of Love-love toward all that is good and noble
and pure and just, and consequently, hatred of all that is impure, sinful, and opposed to the things loved-"hating
iniquity"-loving righteousness.
If then you love God and have become a partaker of
His spirit, ( "Let the same m ind [ spirit] be in you which was
also in Christ Jt'sus, our Lord" ) -"if the spirit of Christ
dwell in you," you will Ion all things in which there is
any good and hate all evi l , becaue it is opposed to good.
And not only o. but as John expr<'Rses it, if we are entirely
surre nde red to God and to obedience to his will, those to
\\ h o m we will he <'pedally drawn and whom we will especially
l o t e w i l l be thoe who are begotten of the same spirit--who
also love righteousnes" and hate iniquity.
How you have prond this in your own experience : You
met a stranger and before you were aware you were acquainted ; you ref'ognized in each other the spirit of Christ and
not the spi rit of the world, and this was the basis of fellowehip.
But h ow ha l l we know whether the ones you love
Perhaps you love worldly
are the ehi l d ren of God or not ?
pr:ople, tr pPrhap you love moral people who are not new
:rrr1 t u re, bet.
How <"an you tell ?
By the Apostle's rule :
"By thl " we know that we love the children of God"-if
\I. e love God supremely.
"How can I kow that I om'
But drJe!:. sr e one say :
.
.
We have heard dear Chnstlans pray : . Oh,
upremely r
(_.od
Lord help me to love thee." and we remember a swee t
hymn which sayg : "Let me love thee." And we wish that
all ho are the Lord's might realize that love t? hi is . not
.
a gtft to
he prayed for, and not a thmg which 1s g1ven
t(J u, but a th ing which we ourselves must develop.
The
ba:.i of a l l lo1e for any person or thing is knowledge. You
ran only learn to low good and hate evil by becoming ac
'l uain ted w1th them ; so the way by which we come to love
Gr,d is by becoming acquainted with him. \Ve cannot become
persona lly acquainted with him, for no man hath seen God,

a pleasure to sacrifice earthly comforts or pleasures whenever

his will thus indicates.

[244]

}ULY AND AUGUST, 1881

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

How simple and yet how absolute i s this test of whether

and how much we love God or fear him ! If we fear we may
obey and find it burdensome but if we love him we keep his
commands and do not find them burdensome.
Oh, how often has this burdensome obedience to God been
brought to our notice ! Some one whom we had supposed
was serving the Lord in loving obedience begins to tell us
how much he suffers for Christ's sake, and how much he
bears of the burden and heat of the day laboring in the vine
yard. No, if we have the spirit of Christ, we will not feel
the commands of our Father burdensome, but a pleasant
service, and it will be true of us as of him : "I delight to do
thy will, 0 God."
If then the doing of the will of God be unpleasant to us,
if it be not with us as with Paul, that sacrifice of earthly

T O WE R

()

things--earthly wealth, influence, pleasures-is a privilege

and a joy, it must be beeause we lack the love of God, whtch
constrained Paul and all the apostles to reckon all the:!e
things and life itself but los and dross, on account of the
knowledge of the anointed Jesus, our Lord, on whose account
we suffer the loss of all things and constder them to be t-tle
refuse, so that we may gain Christ. ( Phil. 3 : 8. )
Come then, you who labor, you who are burdened in th-'
Lord's service, come to Him who speaks, saying : "Come unto
me, ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest." ( Matt. 1 1 : 2 8 )
Come, reeeive of his spirit of entire
consecration. Then you can with him say : "I delight to do
thy will, 0 God." Thus we wtll know that our obedience
is from love of God-if his will is not burdensome, but a.
delight to us.

THOUGHTS ON THE TABERNACLE

.FJditor Zion's Watch Tower :
DEAR BROTHER-I send you a few thoughts on the taberuacle and the work of the high priest. I presume all admit
that the tabernacle that God commanded Moses to build was
a "figure" or "pattern" of, and was designed to teach us the
way into the "true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and
not man" ( Heb. 8 : 2 ) ; also that the office and work of the
high priest prefigured the office and work of Christ ; and that
the high priest making atonement with the blood ( life ) of
the victim, carrying it into the most holy, "within the vail,"
and applying it to all that needed to be cleansed, foreshadowed the atonement by the application of the blood ( life )
of Christ. Therefore, the study of the movements of the
high priest in his official duties is one of great interest to
us who are hopefully awaiting the blessing of Him who hath
entered within the vail for us.
The 1 6th of Leviticus gives a pen picture of the official
scene. The high priest was to be attired with linen coat,
"These are holy garments"
breeehes, girdle and mitre.
He was to "wash his flesh with water and
( verse 1 0 ) .
[Thus clothed with "holy" garments
so put them on."
--<>r righteousness- ( "The fine linen is the righteousness of
saints," i. e., holy ones. Rev. 19 : 8 ) -he was prepared to offer
acceptable sacrifice] .
".And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering,
which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself and for his house"-"whose house are ye" ( verse 1 1 and
He b. 3 : 6 ) . This offering of the bullock, in its antitype in the
body of Jesus, which was prepared for sacrifice ( Heb. 1 0 : 5 )
was certainly for the church, the body of Christ. The shed
blood ( i. e., the evidence of the completeness of the sac
rifice) was carried withm the vail by the high priest, and
atonement made. When that work was done he came out"his house" being typically cleansed. "THEN shall he kill the
goat of the sin-offering what is for the people [ type of the
world, as the house of Aaron is a type of the church] , and
bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he
did with the blood of the bullock" ( verse 15. )
The point to which I would call espeeial attention is, the
going in and coming out of the high priest. If the first going
in, with the blood of the bullock, was for the "church of the
first born," and, like the paschal lamb, affeeted only them, as
seems clear, then the blood of the goat, which was not for the
priesthood, but for the people, would not be applied until
its blood had been carried in and sprinkled, and the high
priest would again come out. It will be seen that the law
teaches that the high priest goes in and comes out twice.
.As the bullock represented Jesus, the Head of the church,
does not the goat represent the church ? .As the goat followed
the bullock in the sacrifice, does not the church follow her
Head 7 Do not we "fill up that which is behind of the
atllictions of Christ ?" ( Col. 1 : 24. ) The Head suffered first,
and the body through the Gospel age, under the control o f
the Spirit, as Christ i n us, presenting our bodies as a living
( Rom. 8 : 13 and 12 : l . ) If we suffer with Him,
sacrifice."
we shall be glorified with Him, and so reign with Him. ( Rom.
8 : 17 and 2 Tim. 2 : 12. )
Is not then our suffering as necessary in order that we
with Him may become the Kings and Priests of the world,
in order to their salvation, as was His suffering necessary in
order that He might be our Saviour ?-it being God's purpose to bless the world, "the people," or the nations, through
the Seed, Head and Body, made perfect through sufferings.
The thought, then, is, that as the bullock slain represented
the sacrifice of the flesh-life of Jesus, which secured to Him
the right and power to shed forth His Spirit-as the pow,r of
Eternal life--on the church, so the slain goat represented the

sacrifice of the flesh li fe of the church whieh secure: to her

the right and power, as the Bride of Christ, to apply her
spiritual power for the benefit of the people. Then it 1,;
certainly a fact. that the high priest must come out and take
this goat-blood ( the evidence of the completeness of the
sacrifice ) within the vail, before it will affect the world. And
will not Christ fulfill this when He gathers the saints to Him
self and presents them before the Father ? Christ commg for
His saints and our gathering together unto Him is certainly
the "coming as a thief," but not the appearing with Him in
glory, which must be a later event. This late1 event seems to
be the fulfillment of Zech. 1 4 : 5 and of the prophecy that
"every eye shall see Him." ( Rev. 1 : 7. )
If the above conclusions are correct it follows that the
high priest's coming out after making the atonement for 'the
people" by sprinkling the goat's blood, is a type of the open
manifestations then due--the saints being already with Htm.
Now we desire to fasten this one point, that the high priest
did not change his clothes nor wash his flesh at the con1ing
out from the work of atonement "for his house," but after the
sprinkling of the goat's blood, on coming out the second time.
It then follows that the visible or open appearance of
Christ is not due now, that is when He comes for hia saints.
And one thing more i s equally true that the washing o f the
flesh is not due until the change of garments, and therefore
cannot be fulfilled on the saints, unless they need washing
after they have been beyond the vail. Some are certainly
locating this washing at the wrong time accordtng to the lau:.
May we be fully prepared for every event in God'o order, bv
the sanctifying influences of the word.
W. F. CARSON.
DEAR BROTHER :
We are glad to hear from you and furthermore we are
glad that our views regarding the teachings of the word on
this important subject are so much in harmony. Our ne\\ S
on this subject as expressed in previous papers, are almot
ientical with those you herein express ; the only p!Jint of
difference perhaps being that you ( seemingly ) expect a maui
festation of the great High Priest, Chnst Jeus the head and
his body, ( the church ) in glory visible to the natural sight of
humanity, while in my view of the matter, "the world
seeth him no more" with the natural eye, but will sec or
recognize his presence and reign by the eyes of their under
standing being opened by the judgments of the "day of t h e
Lord." Then they all shall see him and us by the lig h t of
those judgments as we now see him by the light of His Word
--<>ur Lamp.
We agree fully that the wahiug and change oi gnrmmt
from those of sacrifice-the linen-to those of executiq o :Ji,.,.
of-"glory and beauty," take place after we ha Ye been chang,!
and been presented in the Father's presence as His Bnd, o r
body. The significance of the waRhing and chang<' to o ur
mind is, that when he beg i n to renal h i m s e l f to tho"'' 1 n
the "court" ( believers-not <H"<ounted worthv o f transla t w n
-and to be a part of the Bride ) -tht.>y will be a blc to rtnw
nize Him as the one altogether lovely ; in whom n i l t h elr
Honor and Immortality-tlwy will rca li1c him a t he on<'
whose blessing is to be dt.>sired. A i t er wa r d ( LeY. ix. ) h,,
goes forwa rd to the gate and there blt;;e-; a l l the P''''Ph
( the world at large,-unbelievers ) all of whom while Jt,
blesses ( the work of the Millcnnial Age ) wtll come to rt''''''!'
nizc Him as the one a ltogether lovely ; 111 wh i ch a ll t he;r
hopes centre and upon whom all tho connants a n d promt"'<'
of God ( the Ephods ) depend.
If we !Jut k:eep docly in sight tht> intimatP n Lt t wnlup
and close res<'mblance betw<'en the bullock att<l t it, Lot ,r
goat, it should <'ontinually stir u;; up to ,.,. t h tt t \Vl' !ll l'
being crucified with Him i f wo would r et g n \\ t t h 1 I t m. tht

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WA T C H

scapegoat." evidently representing that part of the church

" ho !:'hall be deli eered afterward. After "the body" is com
plete He eha 11 "deliter those who through fear of death ( cruci
tixion of pride an d self, etc., ) were all their lifetime subject

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to bondage"-Let us not be of this class, but as the Lord's

goat-"Let us go to him without the camp ( nominal church )
bearing the reproach with him."- [EDITOB.]

"IT'S ALL IN THE DOCUMENT"

I n conversing with an inquiring soul, who was seekin

to find how he might know his sins were forgiven, it pleased

the Lord to use the following illustration, as bringing before
!urn the simple message of the gospel as in Gal. 3 : 1 3. He
.:ould not get hold of the truth in the verse, and had been
told : "Now, my friend, instead of trusting just what that
word reveals, and accepting your pardon upon the authority
of God's word and commencing the service of God as a saved
man, you are occupied with looking at your feeling or some
thing in yourself, in some expected change of heart, as a
ground of hope that you are saved. Let me give you this
illustration : Suppose three men under condemnation for crime,
and shut up in prison, were to receive, each of them, as an
act of grace from the governor, a pardon. This pardon is a
written document signed with the Governor's name and bearing the seal of state.
Now upon what ground does the
keeper of the prison release these three men from the pen
alty of their crime?"
"Why, on the ground of the pardon by the governor."
"Yes, just so. Supposing one of them should come to the
keeper after having had the pardon handed to him, and
should weep, and cry, and feel bad on account of his crime.
Would his weeping and crying and feeling bad be the reason
of the keeper unlocking the door and setting him freet"
"No ; it would not. He is let go because of the pardon.''
"Supposing another should come after having received
the pardon, and begin to beg and plead and pray with the
keeper in very earnest, touching words to be released. Would
his begging and praying be the reason of the keeper's un
locking the door when he finally was released t"
"No ; the keeper lets him out because he is pardoned."
"Well, supposing the third one should come after he had
received his pardon, and should say : 'Now, Mr. Keeper, I want
to get out and have seen the pardon, but of course before
I can be released I must promise you as to my future be
haviour, and here are twenty-seven resolutions and promises
that I have drawn up in writing that I think will cover
the ground.' The keeper, without reply, unlocks the door and
he goes free. Is the door unlocked because of his promises
and resolutions ?"
"No ; it's his pardon, and that alone, that sets him free.''
"Very well ; now let us pursue the illustration a. little
further. Let us follow these three men as they leave the
prison with their pardons safely in their pockets. The first
one, we will imagine, is met, not far from the prison, by the
officer who detected him in his crime and was the means of
his arrest and punishment. This officer knows that according
to the law the man should be in prison. He does not know
of the pardon provided by grace. He advances toward the
man with keen, suspicious glance. How shall the released
man act-what reply make to the searching question : 'Have
you any right to be here ? Have you been pardoned t' L et u&
imagine him, if we can, so occupied with himself, so lacking in confidence in the seal of the governor, as to sadly
reply : 'Well, I thought I had been pardoned, but since seeing
you my crime and my unworthiness come back to me, and I do
not feel that I have been. I am unworthy of it, and you can
take me back again where I belong. I was wrong in leaving
and thinking I was pardoned.' What would you have said
to that man if you had been near him ?"
'"\Vhy, I should have told the foolish fellow to look at his
document and show it to the officer. who would very quickly
have let him alone.''
"Just so. \Veil, let us follow the second man as with
his pardon in his pocket he is getting away from the prison.
He is very happy, he is freely and joyfully telling old a.c
quaintances as he meets them that he has been pardoned
and delivered from penalty. Soon an officer also stands in
his path, and as he recogmzes in h1m a former criminal
h e ask for evidence of his pardon, Let us imagine him so
oceupied with himself, so utterly unappreciative of the grace
of the governor, and of his only ground of safety, as in the
written pardon, as to answer : 'Why, I know I am pardoned
he<":aue I fe('l I am pardoned. Don't you see how happy I
am ?' The anwer of the officer would certainly be : 'Well,
- i r, I make no account of your feeling happy ; if you have
nothing to how a'! evidence from the governor that you are
pardoned, y(JU will just come right back with me to prison.'

Now, what would you have said if you had been there t"
"Why, of course I would have told him to pull out his
document and show that, instead of talking of his feelings."
"Very well ; now one more illustration, and then for tht'
application : We will suppose the third man met by an officer.
He has bought a new suit of clothes, washed and shaved him
self, and procured a situation, where he proposes to go to
work and earn an honest living. We will imagine his reply
for evidence that he is pardoned. 'Why, sir, you see I have
turned over a new leaf. I have put on new clothes, I have
formed honest associations, and purpose to be a new man.'
Not a word as to his pardon, and no presentation of that
as the ground for his liberty. The inexorable officer would
at once reply :
Sir, your turning over a new leaf is all
very well, but that cannot deliver you from the sentence
of the law. If you have no pardon from the governor to
show, you are my prisoner.' You see the folly of this third
man's talking about his new leaf, as you saw the folly of the
first man's talking about his bad feelings, and the second
about his good feeling, instead of simply showing their pardon
and relying only upon it.
"Now for the application :
I have read to you the
testimony of God's word ( Gal. 3 : 10 ; Rom. 3 : 19 ; John 3 : 18,
and other passages ) , that having broken God's law you are
condemned by the law, and under the penalty of sin. You
admit this testimony as true, and confess yourself a sinner
before God, and are anxious to be saved. I have read to
you the testimony of God's word ( John 3 : 1 4 -1 7 ; Isa. 53 ; Acts
1 0 : 36-4 3 ) as to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ from
heaven to be the Saviour of lost sinners by dying on the cross
for their sins ( 1 Pet. 2 : 24 ) , and ascending in newness of
life to the presence of God as their justification ( Rom. 4 : 25 ) .
You say you believe this testimony. I now point you to the
pardon from God to you, on the ground of Christ's death, as
summed up in Gal. 3 : 13 : 'Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.' Now, please
read that over ; read it again, and again. Do you believe
that messa.ge t"
"Yes, sir ; I do.''
"Very well ; are you redeemed ?"
"No. I don't feel
"
"Hold up-what did you say about that pardoned man who
talked about his feelings, instead of showing his pardon T"
How
"0 , I see, I see ; it's all in the document, of course.
stupid I have been !
Christ hath redeemed me ; I have
never believed the word." And a happy smile broke over
the inquirer as he looked at the word.
''Well, are you redeemed t"
''Yes, I am.''
"How do you know you are t Supposing the detective
meets you t Supposing the memory of past sins comes up t"
"I know it by believing the word. I accept Christ as my
Saviour. I have His word that He has redeemed me. I pull
out the document."
"That is right, my friend. God has given you light. Make
much of the document. Rest only upon that as the ground of
assurance. Now, one word as to the life you are to live as a.
saved, a. redeemed man.
Redeemed means bought-what
did Christ pay for you t"
"His own life.''
"Peter says we are redeemed ( bought ) not with silver or
gold as corruptible things, but with the precious blood of
Christ. Well, if Jesus bought you, whom do you belong to t"
"To Jesus.''
"Are you willing to have it so, to be His property, to
have Him to put His name upon you, and you own yourself
as His disciple, and to live henceforth to please Him., as your
Lord and Master t"
"I am.''
''Well, let us tell him so.''
And we knelt in prayer and the Saviour rejoiced over
another blood-bought soul, saved by grace.
D. W. WHITTLE,
In Messiah's Herald.
Brother Whittle's illustration is good : We would that all
miht realize that their justification is based not on their
feelings. nor on good resolutions, but upon the ransom, pur
l"hal'led by the precious blood of Christ.

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]ULY AND AUGUST,

1 88 1

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

Death is the great-prison-house. Sin is its bolts and bars.

Our ransom---pard011r-0pens those bolts and bars, thus setting
us at liberty to go forth, and the loving voice of Him who
redeemed us calls us to come forth and become his Bride.
Oh ! what love ! Some of ( us ) the prisoners "have an ear
to hear," and have accepted gladly the call to become joint
heirs with him in the coming kingdom.
Others are so
degraded by prison life that they are "blind and cannot see
afar off." Sin hath blinded their eyes, and some are so deaf
that they have no "ear to hear" the message of liberty and
ransom.
But what-how many of those prisoners were ransomed
pardoned ?
Is it only those who now have the hearing ear
and unclouded vision ?
If so, Jesus' death will affect but
very few. But no, the ransom was given for all the prisoners,
every child of Adam-for those more degraded as well as for
those yet possessed of S('nsibilities ;
"For all my Lord was crucified ;
For all the world my Saviour died."
We thank God that he is showing us a little of his bound
less love, and the value of Jesus' death, as being great
enough to ransom all from the great prison-house of death.
He came "to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim l iberty
to the captives and opening of prison doors to them that are
bound."
This was the substance of Jesus' preaching, and it
is proper, as the theme of all the church which is his body,
during this Gospel Age ( or "acceptabl e year" ) .
But the Millennia! reign will not be a proclamation, but

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a performance of the things now proclaimed.

The great
prison-house-death-is to be destroyed, and the blind and
deaf shall all be brought to know of the redemption through
his blood-that Jesus Christ ( by the grace of God ) tasted
death for every man-to be testified in due time."
For the sharing with our Lord as his Bride, in this great
work of blessing and liberating those who were our fellow
prisoners, we are called. When this "church," "little flock,"
"Bride," is perfected, at the resurrection ( of which they will
constitute the "first" or chief ) "then shall be brought to pass
the saying which is written" by the Prophet Isaiah ( 25 . 6-8 ) .
He will destroy the covering of death spread over all people
and the vail of ignorance spread over all nations.
He will
swallow up death victoriously.
Then the prisoners will all
come forth out of the pit ( tomb ) -"Then the blind eyes shall
be opened and the deaf ears shall be unstopped."-EDITOR.
THE first honors of the graduating class of Yale were taken
by a Jew.
Commenting on this fact a New York paper says that in
the public schools of that city the best pupils are very
apt to be Jews.
They take the lead both in scholarship
and deportment so often that the principals expect to SC('
Jews at the head of the classes. When prizes were given not
long ago to pupils of the grammar schools who had made the
most creditable record during a specified time, the majority of
them were carried off by boys of Hebrew parentage.
This is significant ; this is the race to be elevated to
chief position among nations during the Millennial age.

WHAT WE EXPECT
The hope of our change from the human, earthly nature,
to a spirituaJ, heavenly nature, is of course the grand climax
of our hopes. As begotten ones, we long for birth into the
full and express image of our Father's person, into the glory
of Christ's glorious body.
This being the case, it is not to
be wondered at that this most coveted thing is ever sup
posed to be the thing expected when any date is referred to
as being the fulfillment of a prophetic period.
We continually meet with this difficulty in referring to
the present year,
1881.
Since all know we expect the
Saints to be changed from human to piritual being, and
since we frequently refer to October of the present year as
the terminus of a prophetic parallel, some readers have sup
posed that we expect the change at that time.
This is not
the case ; we look to October of this year, as the limit of favor
-the end of "the acceptable year ( time or age ) of the Lord"
-the closing of the "strait gate" to the "narrow way" of
opportunity to become a member of the Bride of Christ and
partaker of his Divine Nature.
Tl1e Gospel age has been a period of selecting from the
world those that have made a covenant with the Lord by
sacrifice ( Psa. 60 : 5, and Mal. 3 : 1 7 . )
They shall be his
Bride.
It has been a period of "sealing" of the saints-a.
marking of them off as separate ; and our understanding of
the matter is, that this clwosing and sealing will cease in
October and whoever would he of the "Bride, the Lamb's wife"
must consecrate and sacrifice before that time, or it will be
too late.
Now some one will doubtless suppose from this
expression, "too late," that we e..'{pect that the Bride will be
withdrawn from the earth, and therefore it will be-"too late."
Not so, however ; we expect that while they will all be counted
sealed and selected they may not be changed for some time
after : We do not pretend to know how long, but believe that
there is a work of instructing the "great company," to be
done before their translation-change.
Do you then believe that all those who are not thus con
secrated and sealed before October are lost ?-is asked by some
one not familiar with our views.
We do not believe that
they will be "lost" in the sense generally understood by that
word, viz. : to be put into everlasting torments :
But we
do believe that all such will have lost the great prize of our
high calling"-lost forever the opportunity of becoming mem
bers of the Bride of Christ-joint heirs with Him and par
takers of the Divine nature. They still will have the old or
human nature and it, Jesus has redeemed, and promises that
it ( when the Bride is complete-in the Millennia! age ) shall
be restored to its original ( human ) perfection.*
If then, we do not expect that the completion of the Bride
will be indicated by their change, what do we expect as a
sign then ? We expect no sign visible to our physical eye ; it
has been with the eyes of our understanding enlighted by
God's word that we have seen all that we do see, of what is
now taking place-viz. : "The Harvest" and the presence of

[See Scripture Studies, Volume III, for later light

on

this subject.]

our Lord.
And it is by that same eye of faith that we
expect to see "the acceptable year ( age ) of the Lord" close,
and "the day of vengeance of our God" commence with October
next. This same thought is conveyed by the prophet when he
says ( I sa. 63 : 4 )
"The day of vengeance is in mine heart for
the year of my redeemed is come"-vengeance follows im
mediately upon the completion of the "little flock."
This transition period following the Gospel age and pre
ceding the Millennia! age is often mentioned as "a time of
trouble," or "day of vengeance" designed to punish evil doers
and to prepare the world for the blessed reign of righteous
ness under "The Prince of Peace."
See the following texts :
Prov. 6 : 34, Isa. 35 : 4 ; and 34 : 1 to 8, Rom. 1 2 : 1 9 , Heb. 1 0 : 30
and 2 Thes. 1 8 . Some of which are symbolical.
This "day of vengeance" began chronologically in 1 874, but
the first seven years of it seemed marked off upon the nom
inal church here, as a time both of trial and favor, just as the
parallel period of seven years, was to fleshly Israel.
Seven
years there ( the seventieth week of Daniel 9 : 2 7 ) of favor-
trial and separation of "I!lraelites indeed in whom was no
guile" from nominal Israel.
Seven years here, ( the exact
parallel ) of favor--trial and separation of the Ch ristians
indeed ( entirely consecrated ) from the nominal church of

professors.

Now if this be the correct understanding of the Word, we

may e."':pect vengeance to commence in October. As we have
already shown, this vengeance begins with the nominal church
and will cause pain, anguish, "vexation" !nd symbolic "gnash
ing of teeth" among those who are taught and governed by
church c1eeds instead of by the word of God-among those
who recognize Synods, Councils, Conferen<'es, Presbyteries,
etc., as the h eads, "standards" and "authorities" from which
emanate the laws by which they are governed, instead of rec
ognizing Christ as the only head and authority-a s Paul puts
it :
Holding the head ( Jesus ) from which all the body . . . .
having nourishment, increaseth with the increase of God"
Whose law the Word
in grace and knowledge : ( Col. 2 : 19. )
should be the o:-.LY "law" or "standard" for those who are
truly his members.
Terrible indeed will it be to those, to find their orga niza
tions crumbling and their laws and creeds torn to shreds and
their "standards" and "authorities'' ( their heads ) losing
power, being cast off and disregardl'd. [ "\Voe unto them that
give suck ( teaeh ) in those days."l It will be heeanse the true
Jlead, A1ttlzority and Standard of the church-Christ, 1hall
have takPn to himself his great power, and begins his reim
( Rev. 1 1 : 1 7 ) that these fa lse heads. "standards" and "au
thorities"-will be overthrown-for "His lighwnings ( 1hnll )
enlighten thC' l'arth." Light and knowledge will 80 inC'rC'ast?
that all forms of error and evil will be finally dipl'lled by
"the bright shining of the present one." ( ii. The;. 2 : 8. )
Let none hereafter think. that Wl' are e"'l:pe<'ting transla
tion this year ; and to those who did so think. Wl' suggt'st
a second careful reading of the article in the May number

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WA T C H

L<'t us add, that while the

hea ded "Tht' Y<'ar l SS l ."
"Vl'ng't'nnr<' " o r "trouble" will be no longer hindered after Oc
tober, yet, i t dOt's not follow, that great results need be looked
for in a day.
It will require months and years for its full
arcompl 1 h m ent. t
It h a been aked what do you mean hy s a y m g "Come
out of her "-do you really mean for people to sever their
eon!ll'd ion with the dmrch of Christ ? By what authority do
you denounce the church of Christ-or lay anything to the
charg-e of God's elect-in which we know of many undoubtedly
the Lord"s Jewel s ?
_\h yes, there is your mistake.
\Ve never advised any
Lll l <' to eVl'l' tlwir eomJPction " ith t h e church of Christ, "whose
names Rre written in heavrn.'' No, far, far from that. We
nonr denounced tlr n t chureh whose creed is the Word of
tod, whose orgamzation 1 s that of the Spiri t ; and whose
union is in the ''bonds of love ; " and when we quote the
denunciations of thr \Yord, we do not offend "God's elect"-the
S:J.i nts-brcame, "Great pcacP have they that love thy law
a nd notlung shall
offend them."
Nor have we ever
rlaimE.'d
that
the nominn l church is
devoid of
those
whom th e Lord ealls his "jewels'' ; on the contrary it is
heenuse there are such in the nominal church, that the Spirit
throu?h the W or d calls to that very class and to them only
' 'Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her
And those who do not
i n s and receive not of her plagues."
free tlwmselv<'s a nd come out from bondage to creeds and isms
we shall be forced to conclude are so bound by "the fear of
man that bringeth a snare." that they have obeyed men, rather
than God, and consequently are not "overcomers."
Look about you in the nominal churches, you who
think that they are the church owned by the Lord as
the chaste virgin soon to be made his bride ; apply the
scriptural
conditions and discipleship to them and to
oursehes and let them j udge themselves whether they
Jesus said ''If any man will be
come near the standard :
my disciple let him deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me." Now do you think there are many in the nominal
church who are thus entirely consecrated-time, money tal
ents, reputation, all ? ri ll the members of t he rea l church are
thus consecratE>d, but few of the nominal.
Have you any
reasons for supposing that one in ten of those who arE'
professors, are performers of this their covenant ? Yet those
who are following in the footsteps of Jesus, are the only
one wl10 a r e oH.>rcoming the world and who will be his
.J O i nt - hei rs .
Of the others, some are being overcome by the

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PITTSBURGH, PA.

world and others never were con secrated, consequently always

were of the world.
In conclusion, let us add :
If you realize that we are
now in the "harvest," you can readily see that the work in
order is to separate and divide. The work of the Reaper King,
now present is to gather his jewels, and he calls his sheep
by name, and they know his voice and they follow him.
When we come to see the matter from the right stand
point, we realize that nothing is really injuring and crippling
the usefulness and influence of the truly consecrated "little
flock" so much as the great worldly-minded institutions clai m
i n g the honor of being the followers of the meek and lowly
Saviour-who indeed draw nigh to God with their lips, but
whose hearts are far from him. By attending to m aking clean
the outside they divert their own attention from the r!'al
inward condition, and so exalt the commandments and creeds
of men as to inspire their members with a fear of future tor
ment if they should think for themselves. It is from these
institutions which have gained so strong a hold upon sorit'ty
as to be able to threaten with ostracism any who venture to
gainsay their m andates, which make void thE.' Jaw of ( ; o,J
( His word ) -through ( their ) traditions, that God's word calls,
"Come out of her" into a place of freedom from man and man
worship and creed worship, to a place where you cnn worship
God and be taught of God j come out where you <'an g1ow in

grace.

Many will say and have said, Are th!'re not many "good
people" still in the church ?-and because of them we cannot

condemn it-neither will we leave it.

Ah but Jesus con
demns i t. and !';ay!';-"T w i l l spew thel' o u t of mv mouth."
The call comes to all these "good people" and
( Rev. 3 : 16. )
will test their goodness.
I f not obedient, they ar e not
reckoned good in God's sight, but a s partakers of Babylon 's
sins, and they shall be sharers in h!'r plagues. Let not these
be stumbling blocks in the way of your obedience ; consider
God's call to you as imperative as though you were the only
j ewel to be saved.
The call now is, come--from "the housetop," "the bed"
and "the mill".
The message is, "Gather my saints ( holy
ones ) together, ( out from among the tares, ) unto me ; those
who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."- ( Psa.
50 : 5 . )
Those who sacrifice all in willing obedience arc hie
"jewels."

t [The third woe-the message of Present Truth-did hegin to bring

God's vengeance upon Babylon in a very significant way 111 the fall o f
1 8 8 1 b y the circulation o f 1,400,000 copies of Food for Tl,n !.. itJg Chri
tians.]

THE NEW VERSION

The revied version of the New Testament recently pub

lished to the world by translators, has excited very general
attention and criticiRm among all interested in God's word,
as it shou ld, being so important.
Doubtles by t h i R time most of you have examined it
and are ahle to ,iude of its points of merit and demerit
for yourselveR.
While it could have been improved upon by more radical
changes, yet it could have been far worse as it certainly is in
many respects much superior to the old version.
We mil!"ht offer commendation of their course in omitting
certain interpolations-passages not found in ancient manu
ecripts, etc., but this is needless for of course it was their
We regret to notice
duty to eradicate all words of men.
that all of these interpolations have not been excluded
perhaps the most importa nt of these stumbling blocks being
the first clau"c of Rev. 20 5-"The rest of the dead lived not
again until the thouf:anrl yt>nrs were finished"-alrt-ady re
ferred to in th!'c;e c-olumn'<.
We notice that the wordR-Ohrist and BaptiZP a re l eft
u n trr> n Qi ated II !'I in the old version ; th!'c;e are Grel'k words
tra n " fcrred into our language and it would have been a help
to the J!<'n l'ral reader had thl' English of them heen given,
Y i z . anointPd and immersed. The Greek word hades left un
trn n ., J a tcrl in t h P new version, is certainly better than to have
it ac; i n th" old version rendered heU, which to the general
reader r.onY<>yed anything but the correct meaning-though
all scholarc; well understood it to mean death or the condi

tio" of droth.

We have heretofore called your attention to the fact that

the Greek words, kosmos, oikoumenee, and aion, are in the old
vereion all translated by the English word, world, which doeR
great violence to their meaning and grossly misleads the
reader.
We are very much surpriRed to find that the new
translation IeaveR them .i uc;t th e sam l' : \\'!' a re at a loss to
ee how men of so much lea rn i n l! !'OII I<I do RO by mistake,
fr>r doubtless each of them would i f asked, particularly answer

that kosmos signifies the world of mankind, or pr<'sr-nt ord"r

of things-that oikoumenee signifies the habitabiP e a r t h or
land ; while aion means an age or period of time. I t is be
cause of the mistranslation of this last word that so manv
have been lead to expect "the end of the world" at the second
advent of Jesus, instead of the end of the gospel age, and
hence they are expecting "a wreck of matter and a crush of
worlds" i nstead of the ending of one age and gradual be
ginning of another which is now in progress. Can it be that
the learned translators feared that articles of human creeds
would have been exposed as false and erroneous by a proper
rendering ?
Only error requires covering-truth courts the
light and always shines the brighter for it.
The Greek word pii'Ukee signifying existence or being is in
Matt. 1 6 : 26 rendered life--''What shall a man be profited if he
shall gain the whole world and forfeit his life-or what shall
a man give in exchange for his lifef" This is certainly a
great improvement over the much misunderstood word soul.
Had psukee in every case, as here, been translated life or better
-being, it would have helped people in the understanding of
God's word, but, at the same time it would have dissolved
some of the mysteries with which the traditions of men-the
church creeds-have surrounded the nature and destiny of
man-and that might destroy confidence in those creeds
hence psukee is generally translated by the mysterious word
soul as before, the above exception and a few others being
made because it would here have been very absurd to trans
late it soul and would have conflicted with the very idea
the creeds and translations seek to uphold-viz. : that soul
is a thing in a. man yet separate from him.
From the
orthodox ( 1 ) standpoint how absurd it would sound to say
''Whosoever would save his soul sha.ll lose it."- ( Luke 9 : 24, )
or to translate the word psukee, soul in Matt. 1 0 : 39, or Mark
8 : 35, and Luke 1 7 : 33. Yet in these the same word occurs
which elsewht>re is translated by the mysterious word soul.
Another word left by the new version as in the old is

[ 248]

Jux.Y AND AucusT, 1881

Z I O N'S

WA T C H

GODHEAD
of which H. V. Reed in the Restitution pointedly says :
"The reader has been led to infer that this was among
the most approved and clearly stated ideas of the original
scriptures. Nothing can be more unfair. The word god
head is not good English : it means nothing in itself and
conveys no idea to the reader. What is a godhead 1 The
idea in the original is simple and beautiful. We will note
the three texts wherein it occurs. Acts 17 : 'Being, therefore,
already offspring of GoJ, we ought not to be supposing that
which is Divine to be like unto gold, or silver, or stone, etc.'
( Rotherham. )
Rom. 1 : 20 : 'For his unseen things, from a
world's creation are to be clearly seen by the things made
being perceived, both his eternal power and divinity.' ( Rother
ham. ) Col. 2 : 9. 'For in him ( Christ ) dwelleth all the com
pleteness of the Divine nature in a body.' The word godhead
like the word trinity, carries with it the idea of a society
which is not the idea of the original. Had the word been
left out of the revised Testament it would have removed
another impression from the 'three-in-one-God' theory. Mod
ern criticism has forced certain interpretations from the
sacred texts, and it will be a long time before doctrinal
harmony and Biblical exegesis will expurge from the creed of
man the theories of endless misery, the destruction of our
globe, and the heathen dogma of the God society, or trinity.
No effect on the part of authorized versions will succeed in
bolstering up theories which are contrary alike to sound
reason and the Scriptures of truth.''
Taken as a whole, however, the new version is as good
as we could expect : it is better in fact than we did expect, for

TO WER

(8)

we all know that a man's creed or belief as to the generl

teachings of the word, must have an effect and beanng upon
his translation of any particular passage which in his Judg
ment would cause i t to confiict with the general teaching
Then too, it is almost impossible to translate word for word
from the Greek to the English language and if this werr,
accomplished as is attempted with considerable succe9 I ll
the translations known as Rotherham's, Young's and The
Diaglott it produces a reading so peculiar and rough that
it would not meet with acceptance by the general readers and
any attempt to give a smooth English reading gives opportu
nity and license for the use of the translator's personal
views on the passages translated.
We say then : Thank God for the "ew Version ; " it i
a step nearer pure light and perfect truth at least ; i t wi l l
serve too t o draw the attention o f all t o t h e basis o f all
faith-God's Word-and away from church creeds-the tra
ditions of men-the sandy foundation upon which the faith
of most of the nominal church is at present resting.
But as every progress in knowledge is a tep toward
freedom and a blow to bondage so is t h 1 s compara t i vely good
work, to prove a powerful element in the storm wlu<'h a l ready
begins to sweep over the nominal church of all dt>nomma
tions, and which eventually will sweep away all refuges
of lies. ( lsa. 28 : 17 ) -all the falsities and errors of
those who exalt themselves, their words and their churches
which they have organized and rule : instead of exalt
in g the Lord and His wo r d s and His church ( whose names
are written in heaven ) which He organized at Pentecot and
the rule of which He has not given to another.

CONCERNING TRACTS
We have a few thousand tracts of Nos. 3, 4 and 5 which
may be had for gratuitous distribution, by any who may write
for them.
No. 7 is not yet published.
Other Nos. are
exhausted.
We have a number of inquiries relative to tract No. 6,
( Written by Bro. A. D. Jones ) asking whether the editor's
views are in harmony with those expressed in that tract. To
which we answer that it is quite possible for different per
ons to have somewhat different ideas regarding the manner
of the unfolding future, though they be entirely agreed with
refNence to the work of the past, present and future. 'Ve are
for instance, not much in sympathy with the idea that the
"Perihelion of the planets" is to bring "a carnival of death,"
and for th is reason have refrained from mentioning the
harrowing details furnished by astrologists as the probable
1 e:,ult. It may be that such a dreadful scourging is to come
upon the world so soon, but from our understanding of
prophe<>y we expect that the carnival of moral pestilence,

Rpiritual famine, and death will come first, upon the nominal
church-the sort of "pestilence" and "arrows" referred to in
Psa. 91 from which nothing will shield but t h e ''t1 u tlt ." v. 4.
But while we do not expect such literal plague, we do not
venture to gainsay the astrologers and their predictions ; it
is possible that both astrology and scripture may be correct
concerning the coming events, but our confidence and sole
reliance is on the latter. To compare notes we suggest that
Scripture indicates that the nominal church is to be given
over to tribulation and be P.ltow-n no favor from October of
this year ; and every thing HPems ripe for just sueh a thing :
On the other hand the astrologers began as far b ack as 1 8 i l
t o predict what would occur in I 880 and 1 88 1 . But though
the largest planet Jupiter has already reaehcd the point ot
perihelion ( more than nine month ago ) and though Jupiter
and Saturn were in conjunctwn Jo.ix months a g o yet th e re is
nothing except mtusml rain storm th u s far to justify th<
awful pictures drawn.
,

CORRESPONDENTS' QUESTIONS
Ques. BROTHER RUSSELL.-Will it be the work of the
Millennia! age to restore mankind to perfect human being or
will they be raised from the tomb perfect men-justified to
perfect life by Jesus' ransom ?
Ans. It will be the work of the entire age to bring
mankind to perfection of human being : It is called "the
times ( years or age ) of restitution"-though all may not
reach perfection at the same time, yet all who do not then
sin against light-the sin unto death ( second death ) , will be
perfected during that age.
They are justified in the sight of God ( the Father ) by
the death of Jesus for their sins, therefore, the Father's law
no longer condemns them to the tomb and Jesus by purchase
has the control of them and during the Millennia! age will
"restore all things;" and when all are brought into harmony

and perfection-at the end of that age-the Son nlo delivers

up the kingdom to God even the Father- ( ! Cor. 1 5 : 2 8. )
Q. When will they who know their Master's w i i l a nd do
it not be beaten with many stripes ?
A. The beating referred to ( Luke 1 2 : 47 . 48 ) has reference
not to the world but to Jesus' d i<iplPs ( servant" ) who w i l l
be l iv ing m thP end or "harvc,.t" of this age. The "little
tloek" will be "aecountrd w o rt hy to e s ca pe all" while the
greater part of .Jesus' servants because not in harmony with
his plan, etc., will go through the gn a t time of t r ou b l e \\ l 1 1 l'h
rinses th i age and introduces the M i l lennia! age-50IIll' o f
these will pass through a severer ordea I than others. ( ma ny
or fewer stripes ) as they had neglected kno w i n g and doin!!
the Master' will. But the principle will apply dm i ng t ill'
next age also.

CHART SUPPLEMENT
We present to each of our readers with thi s issue, a
"Chart of the Ages," ( unfortunately printed June, instead o t
July supplement ) with the suggestion that you hang i t in
some convenient place where it will be often in your sight ;
that its diagram of the narrow way to life, may be a con
stant and helpful reminder to you of the way our Leader trod ;
that thereby you may be enabled to make your calling and
election sure.
We hope too, that you will so place it, that it will be an
object of interest to all who may visit you, and that you
will so familiarize yourself with it as to be able to explain
its teachings to them ; thus each reader will be a preacher of
the "narrow way to life,"-to Glory, Honor and Immortality,

so soon to cloe ; and also of the plan of God for t h e \\ ll r\,J's

Ralvation which is only just beginning. 1\fay Clod m a k t you
able ministers of his word.
The Chart should have your cardn l a t t P n t ion ami s t u d)!
for at least one month : for this rrason, a nd to allow needtd
time for other parts of the serviee. this paper and ehart
supplement will constitute the July and A ugust issue. Then
fore you may expect nothing more unt il Sq>ttmhcr.
Subscribers living in this ci ty ( Pi t tsburgh) \\ 1 1 1 plt.b<'
call for their charts at the otlicl', and thus sa H ' po8ta g<' .
Failure to receive your chart ( or a t any tinw, y<ur papa \
should be reported at once.

[249]

VoL. III

No. 3

PITTSBURGH, PA., SEPTEMBER, 1881

FOOD FOR THINKING CHRISTIANS

I t 1s requested tha t any receiving this paper 1eho

arc

not

"Thinking Christians," please hand it to their friend

Of'

neigh

bor 1cho is.

E.rtra copies of this extra sized number may be ordered sent to your thinking Christian friends j or to yourself for personal use.
A ddress, ZION'S WATCH TOWER TRA CT SOCIETY,
No. 1 01 Fifth A venue, Pittsburgh, Pa.

0. T. RUSSELL, PubUsher.-Fifty cents per annum.

WHY EVIL WAS PERMITTED

A DIALOGUE
B. GooD evening, Brother A., if you are at leisure I would
like to have some conversation with reference to the Bible.
A. I am at leisure, my brother, and such a conversation
should be of interest and profit to both of us. Have you
struck a new vein of precious metal in the mine of truth 1
B. Well, no ; I cannot say so. The fact is, I am somewhat perplexed to know whether the Bible is really a mine
of truth or not. There are many beautiful truths taught
in the Bible which commend themselves to my judgment,
and if I could only have my mind clear on some points, I
would gladly accept tl1e whole. It seems, too, that there
must be some way out of my difficulties, if I could only find
it, for surely the book is stamped with a wisdom higher than
human, and my difficulty may arise from a failure to comprehend it more fully.
A. Well, my brother, it gives me great pleasure to meet
with an honC!st inquirer after truth. You are anxious, then,
to find the connecting links in the great chain which binds
the interests of humanity to the throne of God. We believe
that all Scripture is givl'n by inspiration of God, and that
the Spirit will guide us in the understanding of it. If it
should please him to use me as his mouth-piece it will be
a great privilege, and if I can render any assistance it will
afford m e pleasure.
B.
Well, can you explain why evil was permitted ? If
God is infinite in power, wisdom, and goodness, why did he
permit his fair creation to be so marred by sin 7 After
creating our first parents perfect and upright, why did he
permit Satan to present the temptation, or why allow the forbidden tree to have a place among the good ? Could he
not have prevented all possibility of man's overthrow ?
A. I see just where your difficulty lies, and I think I can
make it very plain to you. It pleased God for the joy it
gives him to dispense his goodness, and to exercise the attributes of his glorious being, to create various orders of intelligent beings. Some he has endowed with greater capacity
than others ; but each he made perfectly adapted to his
sphere. We are acquainted with many forms of life in our
world, but above all others stands man, the masterpiece of
God's workmanship, endowed with reason and intelligence
superior to all others, and given the dominion over all. He
was made upright and perfect ; God pronounced him "very
good"-a perfect man-physically, mentally and morally,
yet unacquainted with evil l1im he could not have resisted
it and consequently there would have been no virtue nor
merit in his right-doing. I presume I need scarcely remark
here that not the fruit of the tree but the act of disobed1ence caused man's fall.
B. But could not God have made man unchangeably perfeet ?
A. No ; to have done so would have been to make another
God. Unchangeableness is an attribute only of an infallible, infinite being-G od. He who cannot err must, of necessity, be all-wise, all -powerful, and consequently eternal.
B. I had newr thought of it so.
A.
If an intell igent being is to be made at all, he must
be made liable to change ; and, as he was created pure, any
change must be from purity to sin. He could not even know
the meaning of good unless he had evil to contrast with it.
He could not be reckoned as obedient to God unless a temptation to disobedience were presented, and such an evil made
possible.
B. But could not God, with whom we are told "all
thmgs are possible," have interfered in season to prevent
the full accomplishment of Satan's designs 1
A. You say "all things are possible" with God. I trust
you remember that it is all possible things that are possible
w1th him. "It is impossible for God to lie."-Heb. vi. 1 8.
"He c.:annot deny himself."-11 Tim. ii, 1 3 . He cannot do
wrong. He cannot choo'>e any but the wisest and best plan
for introduc.:ing his creature<> into life ; and we should bear
m mmd th at tl1e fart of God's not interfering with the introdu<:tion and de; eloprncut of ;,Jn is one of the very strong-

( l -5 )

est of reasons for believing that evil is nl'cessary and designed ultimately to work good.
C. Brother A., may I interrupt you here to ask, why,
if it was proper and wise that Adam should have a trial
under the most favorable circumstances, as a perfect man,
should not all his posterity have a similarly favorable trial ?
We all know that we l.'" re born with both mental and physical
ailments and imperfections. Why did not God give us all
as good a chance as Adam 1
A. If you or I had been in Adam's place, we should
have done just as he did. Remember, he had known God
only a little while. He found himself alive-perhaps God
told him he was his Creator, had a right to command his
obedience, and to threaten and inflict punishment for dis
obedience.
But what did Adam know about the matter ?
Here was another creature at his side who contradicted God
telling him that he would not die from eating the fruit ; that
God was j ealous, because eating of this fruit would make
him a God also. Then the tempter exemplified his teaehing
by eating of it himself, and man saw that he was the wisest
of creatures. Can you wonder that they ate ? No ; as a
reasoning being he could scarcely have done otherwise.
C. But he should have remembered the penalty-what
a terrible price he must pay for his disobedience-the wretchedness and death wl:ich would follow. If I were so placed,
I think I should make more effort to withstand the tempter.
A. Wait, Brother C. ; you forget that Adam, up to this
time, was totally unacquainted with wretchedness and death.
He could not know what wretchedness meant ; he never had
been wretched. He did not know what dying meant ; and,
if you or I had been there, controlled by an unbiased judgment, we would have done just as Adam did. The reason
you think you could withstand better is, that you have had
experience with evil, and have learned, in a measure, what
Adam up to that time had not learned in the smallest de
gree.-viz., to know good from evil.
U. 0, I see. Then it is because we would have done
just as Adam did, that God is justified in counting us all
sinners, that "by one man's disobedience the many were made
sinners," and by "the offence of one, all were condemned"
( Rom. v, 18, 1 9 ) , and so "the wages of sin ( death ) passed
upon all," and tl1rough or "in Adam all die."
B. Do I understand you to say that God does evil that
good may come ?
A. By no means. God did no evil, and he permitted it
only because it was necessary that his creatures should know
good from evil ; that by being made acquainted with sin and
its consequences-sickness, misery, and death-they might
learn "the exceeding sinfulness of sin," and having tasted
that the bitter "wages of sin is death," they might be prepared to choose life and to understand the wisdom and love
of God in commanding obedience to his righteous laws.
B. But did not God implant in his creature that very
thirst for knowledge which led him to an act of disobedience
in order to gratify it ? Does it not seem, too, that he wanted
man to become acquainted with evil, and, if so, why should
he attach a penalty to the sinful act, knowing that a knowl
edge of evil could be obtained in no other way ?
A. We can see readily that a knowledge of evil could be
obtained in no way except by its introduction ; and, remem
ber, Adam could not have disobeyed if God had given no
commandment, and every command must have a penalty
attached to give it force.
Therefore, I claim that God not
only fo1esaw man's fall into sin but designed i t : i t was a part
of his plan. God permitted, nay, designed man's fall ; and
why ? Because, having the remedy provided for his release
from its consequences, he saw that the result would be to
lead man to a knowledge, through experience, which would
enable him to see the bitterness and blackness of sin-"the
exceeding sinfulness of sin," and the matchless brilliancy of
virtue in contrast with it ; thus teaching him the more to
love and honor his Creator, who is the fountain and source
of all goodness, and to forever shun that which brought so

[ 250]

SEPTI!llBJ!R, 1881

Z I O N'S

WA T C H

much woe and misery. So the final result is greater love

for God, and greater hatred of all that is opposed to him.
The best argument against temptation is knowledge.
C. Your reasoning is clear, forcible, and, would seem to
me, plausible, were it not that this experience and knowledge
came too late to benefit the human family. Adam failed
from want of knowledge and experience to maintain upright
ness of character - his posterity, though possessing that
knowledge and experience, fail to attain uprightness from
lack of ability occasioned by his sin.
B. I can see no objection to your view, that evil was
permitted because necessary to man's development and de
signed for his ultimate good, were it not as Brother C. sug
gests-mankind will never have an opportunity to make
use of the experience and knowledge thus obtained. But,
Brother A., what did you mean a few minutes since when
you said God had a remedy provided for man's release from
the effects of the fall before he fell ?
A. God foresaw that having given man freedom of choice,
he would, through lack of knowledge, accept evil when dis
guised as an "angel of light," and, also, that becoming ac
quainted with it, he would still choose it, because that ac
quaintance would so impair his moral nature that evil would
become more agreeable to him and more to be desired than
good. Thus permitted to take his own course, man brought
upon himself misery and death, from which he could never
recover himself. Then the voice of infinite love is heard :
"Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the
world." This is Christ Jesus, and the death of Christ for
man's sin was a part of God's plan as much as man's fall.
He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
His death for our sins was purposed by God before man fell,
yes, before man was created.
B. I began to see a harmony and beauty connected with
the introduction of evil which I had not suspected. May
we not reasonably say that God could not have displayed
those qualities of his nature so attractive to us-mercy and
pity-nor could his great love have been made so apparent
had not the occasion for their exercise been presented by
man's necessities ?
A. I am glad that you have suggested this thought. It
is true, that though "the Lord is very pitiful and of tender
mercy," yet neither of these would have been seen had there
not been a sinner requiring them ; and while "God is love,"
and always has been the same, yet it is true that "in this
was manifested the love of God, and hereby perceive we the
love of God, because he ( Christ ) laid down his life for us."
And do you not see that in the arrangement of the whole
plan the wisdom of God is beautifully shown ?
Let me say
further, that as we proceed, we shall find God's justice
made to shine because of the introduction of evil. God
might have told his creatures of these attributes, but never
could he have exhibited them had not sin furnished an occa
sion for their exhibition.
B. I am becoming anxious to see the outcome. You
have suggested that Christ is the remedy for man's recovery
from the effects of the fall, and that it was so arranged and
purposed by God before creating the race, but you have not
shown how the recovery is effected.
A. I am glad that you have not lost sight of the real
object of our conversation. The answer to this question will
involve the consideration of two points : -First, What was
the penalty pronounced and inflicted ? and, Second, What was
the remedy, and how applied ? May I ask you to state in
Scripture language what penalty God pronounced on Adam's
sin ?
B. I believe it reads, "In the day thou eatest thereof,
thou shalt surely die." But he did not die for nine hundred
and thirty years.
A. You quote correctly. The marginal reading will help
you over the diffi culty of his living nine hundred and thirty
years. It is a more literal rendering of the Hebrew text :
"ln the day thou eatest thereof, dying thou shalt die."
i. e., from the moment he should disobey God, death would
have dominion over him-would have a claim and right to
him, and would begin its work. It was only a question of
time how soon it should lay him low. Elements of disease
infested all nature with which he came in contact, since
separated from Eden and its trees of life.
We all are in a dying condition, partially dead ; men
tally, morally, and physically. From the moment of birth,
and before it, we have been in the clutches of death, and
he never lets go until he has conquered. Man, by means
of medical aid, attempts resistance ; but, at best, it is but
a very brief struggle. Adam, because physically perfect,
could offer great resistance. Death did not completely con-

TO WER

( 5-9)

quer him for nine hundred and thirty years, while the race
at the present time, through the accumulated ills handed
down through generations past, yields to his power on an
average in about thirty-two yet.rs.
C. We are, then, so to speak, overshadowed by death
from the cradle to t.he tomb, the shade increasing each mo
ment until it is blackness complete.
A. Yes ; you get the thought. As David expresses it in
the twenty-third Psalm : "I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death." The further we go down into this valley
the darker it becomes, until the last spark of life expires.
B. I understand you to believe that diseases of vari
ous kinds, are but the mouths of death by which we are de
voured, since we were placed within his reach by Arla m' sin ?
A. Yes ; every pam and ache we feel is evidence not
that death will get hold of us, but that he note has us in his
grasp. Adam and all his race have been in death ever since
he disobeyed.
C. We frequently speak of death as the "Angel God has
sent," "the gate to endless joy," etc., and yet I confess I
could never regard it except as an enemy, and such it would
really seem to be.
A. Nowhere in Scripture is it represented as our friend,
but always as an enemy of man, and consequently the enemy
of God, who loves man ; and we are told that "for this
purpose Christ was manifest, that he might destroy death
and him that hath the power of death,-that is, the devil."
B. If death is the penalty for sin, has not mankind paid
that penalty in full when dead T Might he not be released
from death the moment after dying, yet fully meet the de
mand of justice ?
A. "The wages of sin is death"-not dying, but "dea th"
-forever. As well say that a man condemned to imprison
ment for life, had received the full penalty in the act of
going into prison, as that man received his penalty in the
act of going into death. By disobedience man fell into the
hands of Justice, and, though G od is merciful and loving,
there can be no warfare between his attributes. Mercy and
love must be exercised in harmony with justice. "God is just"
and "will by no means clear the guilty." Man was guilty
and must therefore be dealt with by Justice. Justice erie.
"Your life is forfeited. Dying thou shalt die." l\Ian is C<l '-t
into the great prison-house of death, and Justice, while lock
ing him in, says : "Thou shalt by no means come out thence
until thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."
B. Do I express the same idea by saying that man for
feited his right to life by his disobedience, and, consequently,
God, in justice, recognizing and enforcing his own law, could
not permit him to live again unless he could meet the claims
of justice ?
A. The idea is the same. Man is the debtor, and unless
he can pay the debt he cannot come out of the prison-house
of death-eannot have life. HP cannot pay this debt, and
consequently cannot release l1imself. But man's weakness
and helplessness gives occasion for the display of God's mercy
and love in Christ Jesus, for " wlwn there was no pp to pit.
and no arm to save," God devif<cd a way by which he could
be both just and merciful ; and so. "while we were yet with
out strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."
C. How for them ? His death docs not prennt men from
dying.
A. It does not prevent their dying, but it does prevent
their continuance in the prison-house of death. He came to
"open the prison doors and set at liberty the captives." This
he does, not by opposing God's justire, but by recognizing it,
and paying that which is due. He has a right to set those
prisoners free. In his own death-the just for the unjust
-he ransomed us, as it is written, "I will ransom ( purchase )
them from the power of the grave ; " "I will redeem them
from death ; " "for ye were bought with a price, even the
precious blood ( life ) of Christ."
C. I understand you to mean that as Jesus came into
the world by a special creative act of God, he was free from
the curse which rested upon the balance of the race, there
fore not liable to death. As the second Adam he was tried.
but came off conqueror. "He was obedient even unto death ; "
but his right to life not having been forfeited, either throul!h
Adam's sin or his own, death had no claim upon It. He
therefore had an nnforfcitcd life to offer Justice as a ransom
for the forfeited life of mankind.
A. Yes, as he himsplf aid. "l\fy flesh I will gin for t h ,,
life of the world."-,Tohn vi. fi l . He must have a rig-ht t <)
continuance of lif<'. else he coultl not give it. He <lid n0t ron
quer nor overthrow Justirc, hut rcrogni illfT the ju;:tirc of
the law of God in the forfeit. of the sinner",; life. he pnrrhn!lcd
it back with his own, and thereby ohtained the right to "de-

[251]

! l C'

14)

Z I O N'S

WA T C H

- t l l'V dc,! t h ''-tlw ruemy

" ho for a time is used as the servant

,,j ,i ust l l'C.

R. Thrn ,Tusticc accepted the life of Christ as a substitute
i'r t IH' 5mncr's lifr. But it seems unjust to make the innocent

,utl,,r for the guilty.

.\. It w ou l d be unjust to make or compel such suffering,
hut "Clu i s t ga tc himself for us." "1ile for the joy that was
st't beiore him endured the cross."
C. But how could the life of one purchase the life of
II! O i l !f .'
.\. By the rule of

SUBSTITUTION
.\s .\clam was substituted for the race in trial, and through
h 1 s fa! lure " d ea t h passed upon all men," and all were counted
sm ner5, enn before birth, so the obedience of death in Christ
1 m t i tird all men to a return to life. Paul so expresses it
in Rom. " 1 8 , [ Em. Diaglott] : "For as through the disobed
I en ce of OXE man , the many were constituted sinners, so also
through the obedience of the ONE, the many will be constituted

( rerkoncd ) righteous ; " and, "as through one offense, sentence

came on a l l men to condemnation ( condemning them to death ) ,
so also, through one righteous act, sentence came on all men
to J Ustification of life," justifying their living again.
B. Shall we understand then, that the resurrection of
the dead is optional or compulsory on Justice ?
A. Christ having "tasted death for every man," it is
certainly compulsory on Justice to release the prisoners held
for sin. Christ's sacrifice having been accepted as "the pro
pitiation ( settlement ) for our sins ; and not of ours ( believers )
only, but also fo r the sins of the WHOLE WORLD," all must go
free. because God is "Just to forgive us our sins."-1 John i. 9.
B. Does this imply universal, eternal salvation ?
..$.. No, it implies the saving or salvation of all men from
the Adamic death, but as many of them will be liable to the
"second death," on account of their own sin, it cannot be eter
lta l sah:ation. The second Adam will eventually restore to
the race all that it lost by the first Adam's sin.
C. Was everlasting life one of the things possessed by
Adam before he sinned, and which he lost in death ; and is
J t to be restored to mankind through Christ's ransom !
A. Yes ; his continuance of life, if obedient, is implied in
the threatening of death if disobedient.
Adam, when created
perfect, was possessed of a perfect body, and with perfect
arrangements for the continuance of the perfect life, in the
trees ( woods ) of life, in the garden. This kind of life
would have la s ted fo1cver had he continued obedient, hence
was everlasting life, conditioned only on obedience. This was
lost. and is to be restored to all mankind,-viz., perfection
of being, or life and perfect provision for its everlasting con
I nmance in harmony with God.
C . Then this salvation cannot be what Paul refers to,
ym. "The gift of God is eternal life."
.\. X a tura I ( human ) li fe-everlasting-was originally a
r;tft from God. hut its restoration is not, strictly speaking,
n n ew gtft j rather it is an old gift returned.
Life once pos
ced wa s lost, and is to be restored because purchased1'a 1rl for-by the <IP th of Christ. The restored race, brought
ba fk to where tlw.'' WPre before the fall, will have the ad
ntntage of kno" mg from actual experience the character
a n d rc,ults of s m . wh i ch plunged our race in ruin. Then,
w i t h the knowledge of sin and its miserable results, gained
rlu n ng the present time, they may be considered superior to
a l l temptation and o;in, and, therefore, not liable to death.
Thry w! ll enjoy crcrlasting life in the same sense that Adam
po-esed it before the fall, and that angels now possess it,
-nz , the right a n d mean of continuing their life ( by
rating, etc . . Pa l m lxxviii, 2!> ) , as long as they continue
ohed1ent to God' l a ws. This is not the same, however, as
immr,rta ll ty-t hr 1 ' '"' gift of God [ see "The Narrow Way to
Ll fc."-Tract Xo . .] which the Scriptures assert to be pos
<P--Pd hy God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ only,
and ]'romts(rl to thoc;c of the Gospel church, who overcome
a n rl IJefome !11 Bri,lc. This new gift was never known of
bdore t h i s G o-pel age, "\Vhich in other ages was not made
l-. n r,wn u n t r, t h e o;on of men as it is now revealed unto his
} ! r, J y n potlt a n d p r oph et hy the Spirit."- ( Eph. iii, 5 ;
<-rc a l '-o I Cor. 1 i , 1 0, and 1 Pet. i, 12. )
It "is now made
m a n i fe<t h_v thr n ppParing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who
l l a t l 1 a ho l h ('(l rletl th ( obtained the right to do so by giving
" I i i - l i l e a r a n <." m for a l i " ) , an d hath brought Life and
[ ltW!ortti lt t y to l t ght through the Gospcl."-II Tim. i, 10.
y,, ''1 1 r Lor d made both things poo;sihle, the restoration
,,f Ltfe to man k md in general, and the attainment of the
c;uperlative degrre of li fe-Immorta lity--by those who over
r:ome and hecomP his bride. It is of thi-; great prize srt before
hr l t rHr'l of th i Gospel age that Paul speaks, saying : "God

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having provided some better thing for us." ( Theirs was good
and grand, but the bride's p ortion is better. ) -Heb. xi, 40.
The character and exc l usive application of this promise
of the divine, incorruptible, immortal principle of life to the
"little flock," the "bride," is shown in the following and
other Scriptures-! Tim. vi, 16 : God "only hath immortality :"
a life incorruptible, independent of any support, eternal ( the
word eternal merely expresses duration, nothing more : God
In John v,
is both eternal and immortal.-! Tim. i, 17. )
26, Jesus gives his own definition of immortality, claiming
that the Father gives it to him. "As the Father hath life
in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have hfe in kim
self. " He thus became a partaker of the divine ( Jehovah's )
nature, a son of God-the "only begotten" on that highest
plane. And it is to partake of this same gift of God-"glory,
honor, and immortality"-that his BridP. is called. Accord
ing to his promise she is to become " p artaker of the divine
nature," also-the same high plane o f sonship-"joint heir
with Jesus." She is to have within her "a well of water
( life ) springing up" ( Jno. iv. 1 4 ) , while the rest of man
kind may come to the fountain to drink.-Rev. vii, 1 7, and
xxii, l i. Paul says of the overcoming church, "This mortal
must put on immortality." I Cor. xv, 53.
Thus we see that the new gift is that held out for the
bride-immortality-divinity : while that which the world will
get will be the restoration of the former life. When the
world is restored to perfect human life, possessing the knowl
edge of good and evil, as perfect obedience will be expected
of them as was required of Adam.
C. You seem to think there are no condttions to salva
tion, while the Scriptures mention them frequently.
A. There are conditions laid down for attaining the
high calling to joint-heirship and dominion with Jesus and
immortality, but none for the recovery of the race from the
fall, except the righteousness and acceptableness of the sub
stitute.
C. If ransomed why do they remain in death, and others
die, since Christ has paid the price ?
A. But the price is not yet fully paid. To have a clear
understanding of God's plan, we must recognize the distinction
which he makes between the world in general and the Church,
or called-out ones of the present time. God loves the wo1 }(I
and has made great and rich provisions, as we have seen for
their coming in his due time, to a condition of perfection and
happiness, but, in the meantime, while they are getting their
experience with evil, God calls out "a little flock," to whom he
makes "ea;ceeding great and precious promises," conditioned on
their living separate from the balance of the world-"over
coming the world,"-viz. : that they may become "children of
God," "partakes of the divine nature," the "bride." and "joint
heirs," with his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ ( anointed ) .
With her Lord, the wife becomes a part of the Christ-the
anointed "body." She now fills up the measure of the afflic
tions of Christ, which are behind.-Col. i. 24. With him, she
bears the cross here and when every member of that body is
made "a living sacrifice," has crucified the fleshly human
nature, then the ATONEMENT sacrifice will be finished, and the
bride, being complete, will enter with her Lord into the glory
which follows, and share with him in the "joy that was set
before him," and which he set before her-of blessing all the
families of the earth, thus completing the AT-ONEMENT between
GQd and the redeemed race. And, "as in the first Adam ( and
Eve-they being counted as one-Gen. v. 2) all die, so in Christ
( Jesus and his bride made one-Eph. v. 27 ) shall all be
made alive." 1 Cor. xv. 22. Jesus, the head, atoned for his
body, his bride, and his righteousness is imputed to her. Being
thus j ustified, and considered holy in God's sight, she is per
mitted to have fellowship with him in his sufferings that she
rnay also share with him in l1is glory. [ See Tract No. 7 , "Work
of Atonement"-Tabernacle Types.]
"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us ( believers ) , that we should be called the children of
God, and if children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with JESus CHRIST, our Lord, if so be that we suffer with
him ."-Rom. viii. 1 7 .
B . It is very clear to m y mind, that a false idea of sub
stitution has obtained among Christian people, from a sup
position that it represented God as a vindictive, vengeful
tyrant, angry because man had sinned ; refusing to show mercy
until blood had been shed, and caring not whether it was the
blood of the innocent or the guilty, so long as it was blood.
I doubt not many Christians have been led to look upon sub
stitution as a God-dishonoring doctrine, even though there
are many scriptures which are found difficult to otherwise
make use of as, "He tasted death for every man ; " "My flesh
I will give for the life of the world ; " "Without the shedding

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of blood ( life ) there is no remtl!! sion of sins ; " ''Redemption

through his blood ; " ''While we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us ; " "We were reconciled to God by the death of his son ; "
and many other texts t o the same effect. I t was not by his
leaving the glory which he had, nor by his keeping the law,
nor by his being rejected of the Jews, a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief, nor by his resurrection, nor by work
he has since accomplished, but, "by his DEATH that we are
reconciled 'o God."
I now see him as mankind's substitute, suffering death, the
penalty which the justice of God had inflicted upon us. I can
see "the exceeding sinfulness of sin" in God's sight, the perfec
tion of his justice, and his great wisdom in so arranging it all,
that man's extremity was made the occasion for the manifesta
tion of "the great love wherewith he loved us" when ''he gave
his only begotten Son," and "laid upon him the iniquity of us
all," as well as the love of C:hrist, who gave himself for us,
that he might redeem us from all iniquity, ( buy back to us all
WE.' had lost by iniquity ) .
I feel to exclaim with Paul, "0 !
the depth of the riches both of the knowledge and wisdom of
God ! "
C. Do you understand the Scriptures to teach that all
mankind will reach and maintain the perfection of life which
Adam loet-which you called "everlasting lifef"
A. It would seem aR though such love, when seen, would
beget love and obedience ; but we are assured there is a second
death, and while those who become subject to it, will not com
pare in numbers with the saved, yet there will be some, who
wil l not reach perfection, even at the end of the thousand
years, who being incorrigible will be cast into the lake of
tire ( the second death. )
God made provision before our creation for the recovery
from the first d!'ath, ( the present Adamic death, ) but, if after
experience with evil and a knowledge of good, they do not
appreciate good, they will die for their own sin ( not Adam's ) .
There is no recovery from the second death-Christ will not
die for them again. Justice and love can do nothing more
for them.
C. Do you not understand that some are condemned to
the second death during the Gospel age ?
A. Yes. in 1 Jno. v. 16. and in Hl'b. vi. 4-6, we are in
formed that some commit this sin now, but from the con
ditions mentioned, they are evidently few. Only those who
have been brought to a knowledge of God and his good word
and have rec!'ivcd the Holy Ghost-in a word, Saints are the
only ones who could commit it-those who have already re
ceived all the benefits of ransom from sin, etc., and who
know of it. If these being washed, like the sow, willingly
go back to the wallowing in the mire of sin, they commit
the sin unto death.
I do not mean simply backsliding, but open apostacy and
rejection of Jesus' work of ransom and purchase as explained
by the Apostle.
And now there is another thought I would like you to
notice : Jesus not only ransomed his bride from death, but as
her head becomes her leader, example, forerunner, and captain
of her salvation to the spiritual condition and divine nature.
The death and resurrection of our Lord are inseparably joined :
the death was necessary aa our ransom, to release us from
the condemnation of sin, and to justify us before God ; the
resurrection was necessary that through our Lord's guidance,
grace and strength bestowed through the Spirit we might be
able to walk in his footsteps as he hath set us an example
"being made conformable to his death."
B. I see a force, then, in Paul's expression, Rom. v. 1 0 :
"Reconciled by the death-saved by the life." His death justi
fied, us to human life, but his example and aid enable us to
"become partakers of the divine nature" and life immortal.
C. If juRtice <'ould not let mankind go free from death,
how could Jesus be permitted to live if he became man's
substitute ? Must not his life be forever forfeited ?
A.
It was forever forfeU ed-he never took the same life
again. He was qni<kened ( made alive ) to a higher life by
the Father. He was "put to death in the flesh, but quickened
by the Spirit" to a h igher plane, a spiritual body. As we
sh.tll be, he, our leader, was "sown a natural body, raised a
spiritual body." Had he risen a fleshly being, with fleshly
life, we could not go free. lt would have been taking back
our "ransom"--()ur "price." As Paul says, "He took upon
him the form of a servant ( flesh ) for the suffering of death."
He had no need of it further ; he left it. "He made his soul
( life ) an offering for sin : " "My flesh 1 will give for the life
of the world."--Jno. vi. 5 ) . It was given forever. "This
man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down on the right hand of God," Heb. x. 1 2, having received
a higher life.

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B. This change, then, accounts for his acting so strangely

after his resurrection-appearing in different forms-as the
gardener to Mary, and "afterwards in another form to two of
them," etc. His appearing in their midst, the doors being
shut, and anon vanishing out of their sight. I often thought
it peculiar. But did not his fleshly body disappear from t h.-.
tomb ?
A. Yes ; "His flesh saw not corruption." \Vhat became of
his tiesh, I know not any more than I know what became of
the various bodies in which he appeared after his resurrection,
and of the various fleshly bodies in which angels appeared
at various times. "They saw not corruption ; " but, remember,
it was not the atoms of matter which composed the body
( and which are continually chan ing ) -those at o ms did not
sin, and were not cursed nor forfeited by the fall. It was the
flesh life, and Christ's laying down his flesh life effects thf'
ransom.
C. Now, another point : Are all our sins, actual as well
as imputed, forgiven ?
A. While all are justified from Adam's sin unconditionally,
yet, where knowledge of right is possessed, obedience is e x
pected as far as they are able to obey. Failure in this respect
is the occasion for their being beaten with many or few stripes
in the age to come ; while the "little flock" who now beheve
into and are baptized into Christ, become members of his body,
are by their faith justified from all things ( Acts xiii. 39 ) ,
wil l not be beaten with stripes in the world to come. True,
they now receive "chastisement whereof all are partakers,"
but not as a penalty; only as the "rod and staff" of Christ,
the Bhepherd, to guide his sheep.
Thus the sins of the "Church of the First-born" are passed
over, ( not imputed ) , and she is justified, not from death only.
but "from all things."
This is beautifully pictured in the law by the Passover.
Wherever in that night the lamb was eaten, and his blood
sprinkled, the first-born was passed o ver-spared.-Ex. 12. So,
during this night-the Gospel age-Christ, our Passover
( Lamb ) is sacrificed, and we "keep the feast."-1 Cor. v. R .
We feed on our Lamb with some of the "bitter herbs" of
affliction to sharpen our appetite. All such are passed over.
This type shows the special value of Christ's death to his
body, "The Church of the First-born." Thus, "God is the
Saviour of all men, especially of those that believc."-1 Tim.
iv. 10.
C. Does not the race get back, in the second Adam,
spiritual lifet
A. Certainly not ; Adam was not a spiritual but a hur>tan
being, consl'quently had human life and powers. which were
"very good." Believers of this Gospel age only are warranted
by the word of God in expt>cting a change from human to
spiritual conditions-spiritual bodies with spiritual powers
"like unto the angels," and "like unto Christ's glorious body."
This spiritual condition wil l be ours "in the resurrection."
Those who hope to obtain this new nature are influenced by
those hopes and promises during the present lifl', and endeavor
to live in harmony with that new nature. These are said to
be "begotten of the Spirit through the word of truth that tht>y
should be ( at birth-resurrection ) a kind of first fruits of his
( God's ) creatures."-Jas. i. 1 8 ; Rev. xiv. 4. Because of this
begetting we speak of them as already spiritual beings, though
really such in embryo only. Those of our race not begotten
of these promises, etc., will never be spiritual beings, but as
we have seen will be restored to human perfection.
C. I have heard frequently your views of restitution, and
saw some force and considerable beauty in them. but I nenr
before saw how absolutely <'ertain man:s rrstoration to life is.
I see now that the same J11Sf1cr of G od, which could in no
case clear the guilty, could not permit man's release from
death until the price of his ransom had been paid. The n>ry
purity of this justice, as well as th e love of God in pro,ichng
the ransom, assures us that the penalty or price being p.11d,
every ma n must ultimately be released from rll'a th. And.
Brother A., from one of your remarks I get a beautiful
thought,-i. e., That the world's redemption from In and
restoration from death, has been awaiting for 6000 :pa rs the
commg and work of THE CHRIST ( head and bodv \ . For oHr
4000 years it awaited the coming and sacnfice of thl' II<' ad.
and for nearly 2000 years it has also been awaiting the <'0111
p lction and sacrifice of the body. When the body is comphtt,
sacrih<'e<l and united to thl I-l<'ad. then follows the glonous
restoration of the fallen race. "\h. how gr.md and glorious
it seems ! How like a God of i n finite wt dom and Ion.
B. Yes, yes ; it l t ftf\ a loacl from my heart, as I t h i n k
how God's word is t t own int<'rprder, and shows for t h !1 1
great, loving plans for a l l our race. A n d yl't, w e can sl'arld
rea l i ze its truth. though thus supportNI by his \Yord 11nd

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,.,,mmended of o u r j HdgnHnt. I presume it is because from

m f.t!H'Y we havt> been found bound by false ideas.
A.
And how it setms to unfold itse l f now, just at the time
m o ;:. t lltedt<l . as t h e offset of the a rgu m e nts of infidels ; to
1\"l' eon tiden ct' a n d st rength to God's children, who are bemg
forced o u t of. and st>parated from the worldly-minded churches
of t n d a y . I con 1 dcr i t a strong evtdence that the Gospel age
i 5 end l llg'. a n d t h a t. t h nefo re, this message of "Restitution,"
lwt du e d u rnz.Q t he age, is put into our mouths now. Thus,
God i s gra d u a 1\y reYC:tling himself through his plans, and the
more we know of lum, the more we will love and honor him.
C. One o t h er thought I would like to suggest. Paul speaks
of bcmg m a de a spectacle to angels.
Can it be that angels
a r e \ (':t i n i n g the dreadful effects of sin, from seeing man's
<' ' P<'I'Il'!lce w i t h it, and the love, mercy, justice, and power
o i God. in rl'scuing man from it ?
The thought presented to
my m m d i s . that this terrible fall, with all its bitter con
"<'qutnees, together w i t h this glorious plan of the ages for the
re.:: t ora t10n of the fallen race, and the introduction of the new
rna t 1 on , of whtch Jesus is the head, is intended for the in
structiOn and benE>fit of a ll God's intelligent creatures, as well
as for mankmd.
A. A very good thought. We know that angels are in
t en se ly m t ere>ted in watching the unfolding of the plan.
We read in 1 Pete r i. 12, "Which things the angels desire to
look into," and a ga i n ( Heb. i. 1 4 ) , "Are they not all minister
ing sp i r i t s sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs
of s a l vatiOn ?'' Probably they are learning for the first time
t he imm en si ty of God's love, and wisdom, and power-the
excl'Nhng beauty of holiness in contrast with sin, and the
leson of the necessity of entire obedience and complete sub
mission to the will of the one great Master and Father of
a l l . as was beautifully exemplified in his dear Son, our Lord
.Jesus Christ.
C. '\'hat we have seen relative to evil in man-how and
why it came-when and how it will be eradicated, its useful
ness, yea, necessity, as a protection against future sin, etc.,
cern not only satisfactory, but a grand solution of a question
which h a long perplexed me and many others of God's
rl1 1 ldr!'n. Xow let me ask, can we go further and learn God's
p l a n re l at i ve to Satan, the tempter ?
A. Our only source of information on the subject is the
Bible. and its accounts, while brief, are to the point, and
Scriptures refer to evil
furn i h all requisite information.
sp1nt a ''legion," or a multitude under a head or prince
r a i led a t an .
They were at one time angels of God. Peter
( ii. 4 ) and Jude ( 6 ) speak of them as-"The angels who kept
not their fi r st e<Jtate" ( of purity and sinlessness ) whom God
"cat down to Tartarus and delivered into chains of darkness."
It i-, a fundamental Jaw of God's universe, governing all
his err a tureq, t h a t "The soul ( being) that sinneth, it shall
dze"-tJwt. in a wo r<l , God would supply life to no creature
t h at wou 1 <1 not live in harmony with his righteous laws : and
thon)!h in conformity to this universal law, all the rebel
an< l \\'Pre from the moment of rebellion doomed to die, and
m u o t ti l t i m a trly rile, yet God, who we are told "makes the
wrath ri m a n to prai<;c him and the remainder ( of man's
w r11 th l he w i l l rrtrr dn. lm 'l ac te <l upon the same principle
" i th t h e rebel a ngrl'i.
He mes them as his agents in the
s en oe t h a t t h ey a <co m p lish ( probably unknowingly ) a part of
h i p l a n . a n d g i 1e ma nki n d the knowledge of evil and its
b i t t l r rcul ts-iekn cs, p a i n, and death of mind and body.
. \ n rl hrrau"e of tiii work which they are designed to accom
p l i ' " (;nt\. t h e Fa ther, ' who only hath immortality" ( 1 Tim.
1 1 . l G l l1fe w h z m srlf-th e fountain of all life continues for
ren t m i <' t o npply lifr to thee condemned to death.
.
I rz e u me t h a t the I rbel ang-els thought that they were 1m
rw,rtrz l be>i n !! . a n< \ t h at " hile God could give life to any crea
t u re h r conll n " t tal;c it a zwy again, and probably with pride
rn,ZPnrl<'rcd hy t l i i t h ou ght of their own hold on life and their
- n rP'-<<1 mherent greatness, they may have meditated and
a t rrrq.t Nl "a tt'iurpation" of God's authority.
B
We ran <; e c the folly of presuming that he who created
a n d :,!fi l l' l i f<', r o u l d not by the same power remand any of
tl1 n - c: f,,. z n g 'i a ga in to the same elements from which he

r nr,trd tlu m .
.\ . T l t : I r rehr l l ion w a followed not b y death, but by an
r xr,n l - z r,n from God's presence [ to "Tartarus"-which prob
a b ly '- r g u z fi e onr ea1t h ] . Th i 'l we can imagine a source of
t r w ! trJ the ' m lP an ge ls .
I f God had said sinners should
rh r:, 11 n rl th<'-e h av mg sinned did not die, it would appear as
t ! t rJ u gl t; r,rl h;ul bPe n m i rcprcenting Ius power. He had power
t<J r:at them <111t of h i 'i pr cen ce , but apparently lacked power
to d f) < t roy thf' T n .
Here was apparently a rival government
r1 r!a rly a'i tr on l! a<; God's and any who loved evil might
rleHt .J eho\ ah'" hnts and join those of Satan.

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

When man was created and placed in Eden, a marvel of

perfection and beauty, but on a different plane of being from
any previous creation, and with one power possessed by none
other-the power to propagate his own species, can we wonder
if Satan felt disposed to capture this wonderful creation for
allies and subjects ? This he did attempt, and approached as
a friend who was truly interested in them, and desired their
welfare, saying-'Why not eat of the "tree of knowledge of
good and evil," and be very wise?' They said that God had
charged them not to eat of it, and had cautioned them that
if they ate they would die--l ose lite and return to the dust
from whence they were taken. 'Ah, my dear friends,' says
Satan, 'Be not deceived ; God has told you an untruth ; let
me assure you, that you will "not surely die ; " you are im
mortal beings and can no more die than God himself. Let
me convince you that God is deceiving you, because the Lord
God doth know that you would become as gods, knowing good
and evil ; therefore, he seeks to prevent your progress and
knowledge by this threat of death.' Then Satan ate and diE-d
not, an d th1s seemed to corroborate his statements and to
make God a liar. I doubt not that Satan thought he told
the truth when he said man had immortality and could not die.
His own experience had evidently been such as to lead him
to suppose God could not withdraw life when once given.
And the fact that Adam, after sinning, was shut out from
fellowship and communion with God, but did not instant ly
die, seemed but a corroboration of Satan's own previous ex
perience.
It was not long, however, until dea.th made its appearance,
and gave evidence that man was "mortal" ( Job iv. 1 7 ) , proving
the word of God true and Satan's statement false, We can
imagine the awe and terror of the rebel angels as they saw
lifeless Abel, and realized that their theories as to the end
lessness of life were thus proved false. As they began to
see the power of God to destroy as well as to create, they
realized that the penalty against them as sinners ( death )
would sometime be fulfilled. That they now realize that their
end is de.,truction, i evidenced by the word'! of the legion t o
J esus-"We know thee . .
Art thou come t o destroy us ?"
-Luke iv. 34.
Though now convinced of God's power, they are still his
enemies, and use their power to oppose God's plan, etc. ; and
they are permitted to exercise great power, and seemingly to
triumph over God's plans and people, but it is only for a. time,
thank God, and their power is limited ; so far can they go
and no further.
The untruth which deceived in Eden-"Thou shalt not
surely die"-has been the teaching of the devil through all
generations since. He has taught it to all heathen peoples,
and among those who are Goo's children-Christians-he has
succeeded in getting many to believe him instead of God. But
since death has come, he offsets the logical conclusions by say
ing that the real being is not dead ; that merely the house has
died, and that the being himself you cannot see, that he is
immortal-indestructible. Upon this falsehood he has built up
in the minds of Christian people the belief in a place o f
endless torment for the supposed endless being, which doctrine
is a blasphemy on the character of .Jehovah and a contradiction
of his word, which repeatedly declares that "the wages of
sin is death" ( not life in torment ) , and "the soul ( being) that
sinneth, it shall die" ( not live in misery ) .
By these doctrines and teachings Satan causes the state
ments of God's word to sound like mockery when it declares
-"God is love"-"God so loved the world," etc. But while
Satan may have supposed that he was opposing Jehovah by
making the pathway which leads by Faith to glory, rugged
and steep and hard to climb, vet we can see that God is still
making use of e1Jil to accomplish his plans ; for the "narrow
way," and careful walk and great faith are essential elements
in the development of the little flock, to whom it is the
Father's good Vleasure to give the kingdom-"The Christ
( anointed ) of God.''
Every truth of God seems to be opposed with a specious
error, and every error of Satan's which we receive ig a hin
drance to our reception of some truth of God ; and likewise
every word of God's truth which we get a firm hold of, repels
at once the error of the enemy. Let us give the more earnest
heed to the word of God "which is able to make us wise unto
salvation" ( the great salvation promised to the overcomers
the Bride ) .
Soon Satan's power must wane. When in God's plan evil
has served its designed purposes, the Lord will take to himself
his great power and reign ( Rev. xi. 1 7 ) , and the rule which
Satan now bears over those who do his will, will be over
thrown, and a new age ushered in, the law and controlling
power of which will be righteousness-a great contrast, indeed,

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with "the present evil world" ( age ) . This taking of control

is described by Jesus in a parable-Mark. iii. 27. And again,
in Rev. xx. 2, it is represented in a pen picture as a binding
of Satan with a strong chain of power for a thousand years.
When bound he has not yet met his doom-destruction-but
will merely be restrained from deceiving the nations until the
end of the Millennia} age. Then all mankind having come to
know good and evil, and having been restored to perfection
of being, should and could resist all temptation, and if Satan
were again to present temptation, they should oppose it and
him, else they are as guilty as he. And so we read, Satan
is again permitted to try the restored perfect human family,
who now know by experience what sin is, and what God's
love is ; and, strange as it may seem, a number follow and
join the rebellion of the angels-yet we cannot doubt that
the number will be small in comparison with the numbers who
shall live in barmony with God.
The agency of evil being then ended, all evil will be wiped
out ; and "every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess
( Jesus ) to the glory of God the Fatber."-Phil. ii. 1 1. As
Paul declares ( writing of Christ and his bodychurch ) : "The
very God of peace shall bruise Satan ( crush the serpent's
head ; destroy him ) under your feet shortly."-Rom. xvi. 20.
Paul again declares that the destruction of Satan and the
evil which he has caused, was the object of Jesus' coming into
the world and dying-"That through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death,-that is, the deviZ."-Heb.
ii. 1 4 .
John also adds his testimony that "For this purpose the
Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works
of the devil"-all evil ( 1 J no. iii. 8 ) .
C. How wonderful it seems ! To think that God has for
over six thousand years permitted not only men, but angels, to
m1stmderstand h i s great 1csdom, power, and love that in due
tlme those attributes might shine with ten-fold brilliancy. This
furnishes us a key, too, to our Christian experience. How
often, while endeavoring to walk in Jesus' footsteps, and to
overcome evil with good, we are misunderstood and our pur
poses mnl igued. "The world knoweth us not because it knew
him not."-1 Jno. iii. I .
B. I want t o say t o you before leaving, that I am much
rejoiced to ce clearly as I now do, why God permitted evil ;
that it was not that he had elected ninety to hell to each one
chosen for glory, and introduced evil as a pretext to justify

TO WE R

their damnation : nor, on the other hand, was it becau,e God

could not help its introduction, and lacked w isdom to foresee,
and power to avert it ; but that he ananged for t t s in tro
duction, and our recovery from it as the em bodim e n t of
WISDOM, LOVE, and MERCY.
A. What a privilege is ours, dear friend. to be living
during the fulfillment of the "Seventh T l urn p e t , " during whtch
"the mystery of God shall be finished."-Rev. x . 7 . A the
mystery and cloud of error and evil begins to roll away, and
we get a glimpse of our Father's loving plans, how it reJOices
and refreshes our hearts to see him as, indeed, a God of Love.
Let us lift up our hearts and rejoice as we ec tl m t t ! t c
glorious Millennia! day is dawning, and that soon"His truth shall break through every cloud
That vails and darkens his designs."
In the light of the unfolding plan, Cowper',; line,; SCim
almost an inspiration :
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform ;
H e plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take ;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace ;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour ;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his word in vain ;
God is h i s own i nt Prpret P r ,
And he will make it plain.

WHY WILL CHRIST COME AGAIN

TI!A'l' 0111' w rd intended us as his disciples to understand,

that for some purpose, in some manner, and at some time, he
would come again, is, we presume, admitted and believed by
all familiar with the Scriptures.
\\'hen he said, "I f I go away, I will come again," we
believe that he certainly referred to his second personal com
ing. 8ome think he referred to the descent of the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost ; others, to the destruction of Jerusalem, etc. ;
but all apparently forget the fact that in the last book of
the Bible, written more than sixty years after Pentecost, and
twenty-six yea1s after Jerusalem's destruction, he that was
dead, and i s ali\e, :>peaks of the event as yet future, saying :
"Behold, I come qmckly, and my reward is with me." And
the inspired John replies : "Even so come Lord Jesus."
Quite a number think that when they are converted, that
forms a part of the coming of Christ, and that so he con
tmues coming u n t i l all the world is converted. Then, say
they, he will have fully come.
These evidently overlook the fact that the world will not
be converted when he comes ; that the Bible, our only guide
on the subject, declares that, "In the last days perilous times
shall come, for men shall be lovers of pleasure, more than
lovers of God ; " that "evil men and seducers shall wax worse
and worse, deceiving and being deceived ; " and that Jesus
gave special warning to his little flock, saying : "Take heed
to yourselves, lest that day come upon you unawares, for as
a snare shall it come upon all them ( not taking heed ) that
dwell upon the face of the whole earth." And they shall not
escape.
Again, we may rest assured that when Jesus said "All
the tribes of the earth shall mourn and wail because of him
when they see him coming," he did not refer to the conversion
of sinners-Do the tribes mourn and wail because of the con
version of a sinner ? And if it refers, as almost all admit,
to Christ's personal presence on earth, it teaches that all
on earth will not love his appearing, as they certainly would do
1f all were converted.
These expect that through the efforts of the Church, the
world will be converted , and thus the Millennia! age be in

troduced, at the close of which the Lord will co me, wind up

earthly affairs, reward hclieYers and condemn sinners ; that
to convert the world, buill Sa tan, make "the knowl>dge o f the
Lord to fill the whole earth," and "nations to learn war n o
more," are the work of the Church in her present mortal
condition. When she has accomplished this great and d i flicult
task, .Jesus comes to wind it up, etc.
They have much Scripture, which taken d i sconnectedly.
seems to favor this vi>w. But even this, we belie,e, when
God's word and plan a re lo ok ed at as a whole, will be found
to favor the other v i e w,-viz., that Christ comes to reign
before the conversion of the world ; that the Church is now
being tried, and that the !'('ward promiP<l tlw O\"L r co nw r s 1 5 .
that they shall sh a re i n t h a t reign : ..T o h u n t h a t o \ c reume t h .
will I give to sit with me i n my throne."-Rcv. iii. 2 1 . "And
'
they l ived and reigned with Chn8t a thousand ycars.
Rev . xx. 4.
There arc two texb in p a r t i e u l a r U8ed by our put -m l l
lennial br>thren, t o wlul'11 w e would rcfl'r : -'"Tld U<pd
must first he preached i n a l l the wo1 l d for a witiws. T h t n
shall the end com' ." Thcy c l a i m t l u s to re fe r to t he U Mpel's
co n n r ting the world before thl' end o f the Go!.pl'l n gL'.
\\'p
pre-nullennial believers clann, t hat 1Ci t11 css111g to t h t wor),!
dope; not mean convc1 t i n g the " o 1 l d , hu t a " i t reads. tu ' ' 1! 11<-
o r t&tify.
This witness has a l r<'ac ly bctn g i ven. In l SG l t h, np o r t ,;
o f t h e ll i bl l' soc1eti!s lwwcd t h a t t h e G osJll'l had htt'll p u b
l i she d in e\Pry language o f earth, 1 w t t h .t t a l l ea r t h ' myn.td,;
had reccivl'd 1t. No ; n ot one I l l a h un dntl o f t h , t l u r t ttn
hundred null ions ha vc e\ er htard the n a m e of ,] ,., u. Y tt
the text is fulfilled : the G ospel has been prea dittl to en>ry
natto11 .
\\'e undl'rtan<l t h a t the main and tirst obj ect of t he G o,;pcl
Ill the pnsent age i, "To L1ke o u t a people, fo r h 1 nam,"
the C hu r< 'h-w h o at Chri t,., eom i ng a re muted to lum, a n d
receive his namc.-Rcv. iii. 1 2 .
The second te:\.t " ' : "Sit thou on m 1 1 g h t ham!, unt t l l
make thine E>nenue" thv foottotl .. -:\ l a t t . :-.. ' 1 1
II
I h,
th ou ght generally gatheicd f r o m t h i !' :<er1pt ur, i :; t h.l t i u

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ll<!a Hn Uod has a throne on which he sits continually, and

that when "Chnst sat down on the right hand of the Majesty
l'n high," he sat down also upon the same throne. This is a
lllt 5<'0nl'<'ptwn. ThP throne of God referred to is not a material
<'Ill', b u t refers to hi s supreme a u t hority and rulership, for
J w a ' <'II is my tht one and earth is my footstool," and Paul
.1y. (od h a t h highly exalted h i m [Jesus] and given him
.1 n a m ,, abo,e l'Hry name."
He hath given him authority
( a bo\ <' en > ry other ) next to the Father. If Christ sits upon
a matrnal throne until his enemies are made his footstool
r a II nhdned l then, of cour;;(', he could not come until the
l i l iPnn t ll tll h a s bee n ful l y i n a n)!nmted.
But if it m ea ns the
c.ra l f l ll !l I n po tcer, 1t would not interfere with his coming and
, u h d u l ll g a l l t h i ngs unto himself.
T<' t l lnb a te : K i ng Wi lliam is on the throne of Germany,
" '' "-.'" ,\"<'t we cln no t rrfer to the royal bench, and as a
T t l.\ t t e t
of fa c t . he eldom occupies it.
\Ve mean that he
I

GermanY.
Htght h a n rl c; i gn i ties the chief place, position of excellence
or po wl'r. a n d the \\ ords of Jesus to Pilate agree with this
rulr;;

tho ugh t : T ferea t t e r ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on

t h e right l t .t r<l of power and coming in the clouds ( storm

t roul .I!'.-ZPph. i. 1 5 ) of heaven." He will be on the

right h and '' l!rn colll i H g, and remain at the right hand during

cloud c; of

t h e Iillenn i a l nge.

m<>nts are

On both views of the subject abl!' argu

po-. ihle. yet both cannot be true.

\Ve

purpose,

to t ake a glance at the general

PLAN OF SALVATION,
to see \\ h ic h ' Jew is in harmony with it. In so doing, we
sha l l find the relation and bearing of both the first and the
second lOming, and know where to locate them.
Ftrst, t h e n , Has God a plan ? All must agree that he has,
a lthough almoo;; t all are inclined to think and talk of his
dealings a s t hough he were dealing by a rule of chance, and
g-o,erned e n t i rely by circumstance. No ; he that would con
demn a man for building a tower without first counting the
co,t. hal l he b u d d and people a universe without counting
the eos t ?
Ko. brethren ; "Known unto the Lord are all his
ways from beginning." God has a plan, a purpose and we
know that a l l h i s purposes shall be accomplished,
But how
ha ll we find that plan ? It is revealed to us in his word.
"Benrch the Bcriptures." Compare Scripture with Scripture,
therefor!'.

for

"God is his own interpreter,

A.nd he will make it plain."
We are too much incl ined to ask-,Vhat does my church

.:ty ?- upo n any question. instead of-What saith the Scrip

ture<; ?
Too much di -.poRed to consult men's theological
op ini on " . rntlter than G od's \\'ord. With the thought, then,
that " t he Scriptures are able to make us wise," that "the
t e <, tt mon ies of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple,"
let u o;; examinE'.
We have learned in the foregoing chapter Why evil was
perm 1 t ted. I t e x istence is attributed in Scripture to the
de n ! . E\ II i'ontinues because Satan's power is continued. lt
will lat throughout the present age because the devil is tlte
pr1nre [ ruler] of this world.-Eph. ii. 2. He will continue
a Its ruler as long as he can, or until he is bound.
He cannot
he hou n d until a stronger than he take the control out of his
h a ndo,.
G od of course, can control him ; and of Jesus it is written,
".\ll power in heaYeu and in earth is given unto me."
But while .Jp<;u<; has all power, for wise purposes he has not
made me o f i t . permitting evil to reign and measurably con
trol the world, and permitting the devil to be "prince of
t h i world."-,John :-. iv. 30.
But the time is coming when "He
shal l take to h i m Plf his great power, and reign," exalting
h i <; Church. gidng hPr "power over the nations," so that, in
tead of, as now, being "subject to the powers that be," she
ha l l "rule the nations."
But when will he thus assume
c cm t ro l ?
\\'hen the Gospel Church, "His body ( G reek-Ec
( Edl now being permitted for the trial
' l h i a ) , 1s complete.
and perfecting of the saints. ) This completion of the Church
I'!
attamed under the !>Ounding of the seventh trumpet.
P.ev. xi. 15. Here the my,tery [ church] of God is finished,
and "the kingdom'! of thi'l world become the kingdoms of our
Lord and ht" anointed" [church ] .
Kow, we inquire, is this
tran'>fer of authority
FROM SATAN TO CHRIST
r:aU'>!'U by the r:onverion of the nations to Christ through
preaching the Gop .. l ?
We answer, No. At this time the
n a t s o n are lt()t c " " ' crted ( vs. 1 8 ) , "And the nations were
a n g ry , and thy wrath is come." If converted, they would not
br, thu ho:,tile, nCJther would God's wrath <"Orne upon them.
(Ju the contrary, God teaches in many Scriptures that a great

TO WER

PtTTSBLRGH, PA.

time of trouble will come upon the nations.

"He cometh
with clouds"-indications of storm-trouble. "Come, behold
the desolations which the Lord hath made in the earth. He
maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth." This is
the way God tells us he will make wars to cease. The next
clause informs us that then he will be exalted among the
heathen and in all the earth.-Psa. xlvi. 10. This chastisement
of nations will be for their good, and is necessary to them
as is the chastisement which God now inflicts upon his
children, and it will have a good effect, for we read, When
the judgments of the Lord are abroad in the earth, the in
habitants of the world will learn righteousness.-Isa. xxvi. 9.
It is in this new dispensation that, with evil restrained
Satan bound-"the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole
earth as the waters do the sea."-Isa. xi. 9. The conversion
of the world, instead of being due now while the devil is the
prince of this world, will be, David says, "When the kingdom
IS the Lord's and h!.' is the Governor among the nations ;
[then] all the ends of the world shall remember and turn
to the Lord, and all nations shall come and worship before
him."-Psa. xxii. 27, 28.
During the infancy of the human family-say from Adam
to Moses-God treated his creatures like very young children.
So far as we know, they had very little knowledge of their
Creator's power or character. They had scarcely any revela
tion, the exception being the few eases where God favored
certain persons, as Abraham, Lot, and others, communicating
to them by angels, giving to Eve and to Abraham peculiar
promises, which they could only vaguely comprehend.
The next age was to the Jewish nation a schooling season,
during which God taught them to respect his promises and
laws. They were yet minors, under age, therefore were treated
as children, but kept under the Law, their schoolmaster.
Gal. iii. 24.
While the Word of God was being written and committed
to the Jews for keeping, etc., the remainder of the world
seems to have been left in the darkness of heathenism. They
bowed down to wood and stone, destitute of truth as they
are today.
In 8cripture the period from Adam to the flood is cttlled
"the world [ age] that was."-2 Pet. iii. 6. From the flood
to the second coming of the Lord, "the world that now is,"
and "the present evil world," vs. 7, and the next grand era
is called "the world to come."-Heb. ii. 5.
"The present evil world," Gal. i. 4, contains three
SEPARATE AGES.
The Patriarchal, lasting from the flood to the death o f
.Jacob ; the Jewish Age, lasting from the death o f ,J a cob t o
the death of Christ, when he gave them up, wept over them,
and sai d : "Your house is left unto you desolate ; " the Gospel
A ge, lasting from the resurrection of Christ, when he became
"the first-born from the dead, and the beginning of the new
rreation," until the full company of "the Church of the First
born" is complete, at his coming. The time of the sounding
of the seventh trumpet, the resurrection and reward of proph
ets, saints, etc.-Rev. xi. 1 8.
We know not how many ages may be in "the world to
come ; " but that there is more than one we are sure, for Paul
speaks of "the ages to come."-Eph. ii. 7. The first of these
alone is dealt with in Scripture--t he Millennia! age, during
which we live and reign with Christ.-Rev. xx. 4.
Having this outline, let us look more particularly at God's
doings and sayings, and, first, it will astonish you, doubtless,
until you reflect, when I say, that according to his word, God
has not exhausted his resources for the world's salvation ;
that, in short, he is not now trying to save the world, nor has
he been during past ages. What has he been doing T "Taking
out a people--Church-for his name." Don't think this won
derful, as it is only putting in a striking form what all
Calvinists believe, among whom are Baptists, Presbyterians,
and others,-viz., That God is now electing, or choosing his
Church out of the world. Yes, and all our brethren who be
lieve in free grace must admit, that if all his purposes shall be
accomplished, and "God's word shall not return unto him
void ; " if these Scriptures are true, God did not purpose the
conversion of the world during the past six thousand years,
else it would be accomplished. Neither did he send his word
to convert the world up to the present time, else it did nof
prosper in the thing whereto he sent it.-Isa. lv. 1 1. These
two views have been a dividing point in the churches for
centuries,-viz. :
ELECTION AND FREE GRACE,
We believe the Scripture to teach both, but that it requires
the observance of heaven's first law-order, to rightly divide
the Word of Truth on this subject.
First, we will glance at Election. During the age pre-

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WA T C H

ceding the deluge, there is no Scriptural account of God's

giving mankind any law, nor any but very little light of
revelation. One promise shines out ; the Seed of the Woman
was to bruise the Serpent, and even this required future
revelation in order to be comprehended. God had, however, a
few patriarchs or servants, who had light a hove the masses
as lampposts in a dark way.
The Patriarchal age had increase of light. It is now re
vealed that this seed is not only to crush evil [the serpent] ,
but to "bless all the families of the earth ;" still God's Church
is represented by single individuals only, Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, etc.
These patriarchs were elected-ehosen. "God called Abra
ham and said," etc. Not his kin, but Abraham alone was
chosen ; he had many sons and daughters, but only Isaac was
chosen. "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." Of Isaac's two
sons only one was chosen, "as it is written," Rom. ix. 1 1, 1 3,
"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated," ( loved less ) .
God chose before they were born, "that the purpose of God
according to election might stand."
Now, remember, I do
not say that God had elected one to go to heaven and the
other to go to hell : No, far from it. That is the common
misconception of the Scriptural, and when properly under
stood, beautiful doctrine of Election.
At Jacob's death another advance step in God's plan is
taken, and typical or fleshly Israel is formed. From this
time one man no longer represents God in the world ; but a
nation, all the sons of Jacob and their p osterity. And now
we have an elect nation or church, an d God gives all his
special blessings to it.
Other and larger nations-Egypt,
Chaldea, etc., are passed by, left without light and without
knowledge, while these are given to Israel. "What advantage
then hath the Jew ? Much every way, chiefly because to them
were committed the oracles ( laws and testimonies ) of God."
This is Paul's statement. God speaking to them, says : "You
only have I known of all the families of the earth."-Amos.
iii. 2. This people alone was recognized and thus continued
until Christ came. Yes, and after it, for during his ministry
he preached to them, and would not suffer his disciples to
do otherwise, saying as he sends them out, "Go not into the
way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter
ye not." Why so, Lord ? "I am not sent but to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel."-Matt. xv. 24. All his time was
devoted to them until death, and here was his first work for
the world-the first display of his free and all abounding
grace-GOD ' S GRANDEST GIFT,
not for Israel only, but for all, for "Jesus Christ, by the
grace of God, tasted death for every man." And now, also,
in the Gospel age, a certain sort of election obtains. Some
parts of the world are more favored with the Gospel ( which
1s free to all who hear ) than others. Contrast yourself, with
your privileges and knowledge, with the heathen man who
never heard the call. When this called-out company ( called
to be "sons of God," "heirs of God, and j oint-heirs with Jesus
Christ, our Lord" ) is complete, then the plan of God for the
worwl's salvation is only beginning. Not until then will "THE
SEED" "bruise the serpent's head," and "bless all the families
of the earth." For the seed is not Christ, the head, alone,
but the Church, which is his body, as Paul informs us, Gal.
iii. 16, 29, "Which seed is Christ . . . . and i f ye be Christ's,
then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs, according to the
promise." The same company are to bruise the serpent.Rom. xvi. 20 : "The very God of Peace shall bruise Satan
under your feet shortly."
THE GOS:PEL AGE
The Gospel age makes ready the chaste virgin ( church )
for the coming Bridegroom.
When ready, the Bridegroom
comes, and they that are ready are rmited to him. The second
Adam and the second Eve become one, and then the glorious
work of restoring mankind begins-"the time of restitution
o f all things which God hath spoken."-Acts i i i . 2 1 . I n the
next dispensation, new heavens and new earth, she is no longer
the espoused Virgin, but the Bride. THEN "the Spirit and
the Bride say, Come ; and whosoever will, let h im come and
drink of the water of life freely."-Rev. xxii. 1 7 .
As Adam, the beginning of the fleshly race, was composed
of man and the helpmeet taken from his side, as it is written
"Male and female created he them, and he called their name
ADAM."-Gen. v. 2 ; so the "Seco-nd Adam," of whom Paul
says the first "was a figure," or type ( Rom. v. 14 ) , has a
helpmeet taken from his side ( redeemed by his blood ) , and
when she is fully formed and perfected, the Bridegroom comes,
and they go in to the marriage ; they become one, "the new
creation of God"- ( Read Eph. v. 25, 30, 32 ) , making in "Himself of twain ( Jews and Gentiles ) one new man." The Church
I-1 7

T O W E R

( 34-3 8)

IS composed of both.-Eph. ii. 1 5.

This new man we have
found to be the seed "to crush the serpent's head,"-"the
seed of Abraham," "in whom all the families of the earth
shall be blessed." The Gospel ag, so far from closiug the
Church's mission, was only a school of afflictiOn to enable
her, as well as her Head to be touched with a feeling of earth '
infirmities, that she al so might sympathize with mankind, and
during the Millennia} age assist them, when "the knowledge
of the Lord shall fill the whole earth," scattering the dark
ness of sin and ignorance, causing "wars to cease unto the
ends of the earth." These are the "times of restitution,"
which Peter says are due when Christ comes.-Acts iii. 1 7, H I .
For this "the whole creation groaneth a n d travaileth in pain
together until now, waiting for the manifestation of the sons
of God."-Rom. viii. 22, 1 9 . These sons a r e not now mamfest.
There are among Christ's flock many "wolves in sheep's cloth
ing." Among the wheat there are many tares ; but when in
"the harvest" ( "the end of the age" ) they are separated,
then shall the righteous shine forth ( be manifested ) as the
sun in the kingdom of their Father-and then to the groa n
i n g creation ( mankind ) shall this "Sun of Righteousness arise,
with healing in his wings."
But let us leave this bright and pleasant picture of the
coming day, of which with the poet we could say :
"Haste thee along, ages of glory,
Haste the glad time when Christ appears,"
and turning, look at a dark picture. Have you ever asked
yourself, while rejoicing in the glorious opportunites to be
offered to mankind during the l\iillennial age,
WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
before the plan of God has thus reached its fullness ? There
have lived on earth since creation { six thousand years ) , about
one hundred and forty-three billions of human beings.
Of
these the very broadest estimate that could be made with
reason would be, that less than one billion were Saints of God
-the Church-the Bride.
What of the one hundred and
forty-two billions who died out of Christ ? What is their
condition ?
Atheism answers : They are eternally dead. There is no
hereafter. They will never live again.
Calvinism answers : They were not elected to be saved.
God foreordained and predestined them to be lost-to go to
hell-and they are there now. writhmg in agony, where they
will ever remain without hope.
Arminianism answers : We believe that God excuses them
on account of ignorance, and that if they did the hest they
knew how, they will be as sure of being a part of the "Church
of the First-born" as is Paul himself.
To this last view the great majority of Christians of all
denominations hold, from a feeling that any other view would
be irreconcilable with justice on God's part.
But, we inquire, what do the Scriptures teach on this last
point ? That ignorance is a ground of salvation ? No ; the
only condition known in Scripture is FAITH. "By grace are ye
saved through Faith." Justification by faith is t11e ground
rock of the whole system of Christianity. When, on the day o f
Pentecost, Peter was asked-"What must we do to be saved ?"
-he answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and b :!
baptized, and thou shalt be saved."
Again he says, Acts iv. 12. "There is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved,"
than the name of Jesus.
Paul reasons that a man must hear the Gospel before he
can believe : "How shall they believe on him of whom they
have not heard ?" This-God's plan-that men shall be saYed
on account of faith, Paul says was to the Jews a stumbling
block ( because they expected salvation as a reward of keep
ing the Law ) and to the Greeks ( the worldly-wise ) foolish
ness. But, nevertheless, it has "pleased God, by the foolishncs
( in the eyes of men ) of preaclnng to save
THEM wmcH BELIEVE. "
I want t o Scripturally close you i n t o the thought, that all
who have not heard could not believe, and not believing, could
not be a part of the Bride of Christ. But you object : Paul.
in the first two chapters of Romans, teaches, "that these
having not the law, a r e a law unto themselves," a n d that
this law, which their conscience furnishes, is sufficient to
justify them. No, I answer ; you understand Paul differently
from what he intended. Paul's argument everywhere is that
"all the world is guilty beflll r God." "For if I had not k11l1\\ 11
the law I had not known sin." "For by the law is the knowl
edge of sin." The law given to the Jew revealed his weakness,
and was intended to show him that he was una ble to justify
himself before God. "For by the deeds of the Law shall no
flegh be justified in his ( God's ) sight." As the law thus
condemned the Jews, so Paul says it is with the Gentiles also.

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Though 1gnorant of the Law, they had light enough of con

Science to coude m n them.
( All the light the Gentile could
have would not J Ustify sin ; it would all the more condemn
them. as the written law did the Jew. )
"That every mouth
may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before
God," Rom. 1 1 1 . 1 9 , in order that eternal hfe may be seen to
be 'the gift of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord," to every
one that belltTc t h .
Well, you answer, the Bible to the contrary, I believe and
m i t that God won't damn the world for ignorance. Now,
let U5 see. Do you practHe what you declare ? Why do you
a s :; 1 st 1 11 sendmg missionaries to the heathen, at a cost of
thousands o f valuable h ves and millions of money T I f they
wlll all be saved, or even half of them, through ignorance,
you do them a pos1the mjury in sending them a preacher
to tel l them of Christ, for we know that only about one in
a thou5and believes \1 hen the missionaries do go to them. I f
your 1dea b e correct, 1 t were far better that no missionary
should ever be sent. Before, nearly all saved ; now, because
of knol\ ledge, nearly all lost.
In the same way we might
reason that 1 f God had left all in ignorance, we would aU have
uee-11 sa red.
Then m stead of the Gospel being good news, it
woul d be more properly named bad news.
No, my brethren ; you do believe that "there is no other
name g1nn whereby we must be saved." Your actions speak
the loudest and speak nghtly.
Now, suppose we look at these things just as God tells us
of them. and leave the dearmg of his character to himself.

WHAT HAS BEOOME OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND

FORTY-TWO BILLIONS?
Fust, we answer, that you may be sure they are not now
sufl'enng in hell, because not only do the Scriptures teach that
ful l and complete re11 ard is not given to the Church until
Chnst comes, ''when he hall reward every man," but the
utrJ u s t are to rece1ve the1r punishment then also.
\Vhatever
may be the1r present condition, it cannot be their full reward,
for Peter says : "God knoweth how to resetve the unjust unto
the day of j udgment to be punished," and he will do so. But
the thought of so many of our fellow creatures at any time
bemg lost, w1thout having had the knowledge which is nec
essary to salvation, seems terrible, indeed, to all who have a
spark ot love or p1ty. Then, too, there are a number of Scrip
tures which 1t seems dilli.cult to harmonize with all this. Let
us see m the light of his dealings how we shall understand
the btatement, "God is love," or "God so loved the world that
he gave Ius only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in
hrm m1ght not perish."
Ah, Lord, it seems to poor, frail humanity that if you loved
tht> world so much, you might have made provision, not only
that believers might be saved, but also that all might heat.
Again we 1 ead : "This is the true light that lighteth every
m a n that cometh mto the world." Lord, all our reason seems
to f>ay, Not 'iO. We c.mnot see how Jesus l ighted more than a
few of earth's billions. Yonder Hottentot gives no evidence of
having been so enl ightened, neither did the Sodomites and
mynads of others.
Once more we read : "Jesus Christ, by the grace of God,
tasted death for every man." How, Lord, we ask T If he tasted
death for the one hundred and forty-three billions, 8Jld from
other causes it bcromes efficacious only to one billion, is not his
death comparathely a failure ?
Again : "Behold I bring you glad tidings of great j oy, which
hall be to all people." Surely it is to but a little flock that it
has been glad tidings, and not to all people.
Another is : "There is one God, and one Mediator between
Cod and man-the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ran
!'.Om for all." A ransom ! Then why should not all have some
benefi t from Christ's death !
Oh , how dark, how inconsistent do these statements appear
when we rt>mPmber that the Gospel Church is "a little flock."
Oh, hoi\ we wi<>h it would please God to open our eyes that we
mirht undPrstand the Scriptures, for we feel sure that did we
but undPrstand. it must all seem clear ; it must all declare in
sweett>st harmony, "God i s Love." Oh, that we had the key !
Do you want it ?-Are you sure you do ? It is the last text we
q u otPd : "Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in
due t i m e . " Due time !
Ah, now we sre ! God has a due time
for everything. He could have testified it to this one hundred
a nd forty-tVI o bilhons in their lifetime. Then that would have
hePn tlrerr due time ; n., it was not so, their due time must be
future. We know that now is our due time, because it is testi
fied to us now. Chri<>t was a ransom for you before you were
born, b u t it waR not due timP for you to hear it until years
after. So with the Hottentot ; he has not heard it yet, and may
not in thi'l life ; but in God's due time he will.
Rut does not death end probation !-one inquires. There is

TO WER

PiTTSBURGH, Pt..

no Scripture which says so, we answer, and all the above 8Jld
many more Scriptures would be meaningless of worse,
IF DEATH ENDS ALL
to the ignorant masses of the world. 'l'he only Scripture ever
quoted to prove this generally entertained view, is, "As the tree
falleth, so it lies." If this has any relation to m8Jl's future,
1t indicates that in whatever condition of knowledge or igno
1 ance he enters death, he retains the same until raised up
again.
But can knowledge ever reach these billions in their graves
while dead T No ; God has provided for the resurrection of them
all. For "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive." As death came by the first Adam, so life comes
by the second Adam. Everything that mankind lost in the
first, is to be restored in the second. Hence, the age following
Christ's second coming is spoken of as "the times of restitu
tion."-Acts iii, 2 1 .
Life is one o f the things lost, and is t o b e one o f the things
restored. When restored to life w ith the advantage of experi
ence and knowledge of exil, which Adam had not, he may
continue to live eternally on the original condition of obedience.
Perfect obedience will be required, and perfect ability will be
given under the righteous reign of the Prince of Peace. Here
is the salvation vouchsafed to the wo1 Id. Tl1 1s enables us 1.o
use another text which is little used except by Universalists,
and although not Universalists, yet we claim the right to use
all Scripture. It reads : "We trust in the living God, who is the
Saviour of all men, specially of them which believe." Here
are two classes of saved ones-all ( the world ) and believers.
A ll are saved from the Adamic death and beltevers of the pres
ent Gospel age receive the special salvation.
When the first mentioned class ( the worl d ) are saved from
the weakness, degradation and death to which all are now sub
j ect-whPn they by reason of Christ's ransom are, during the
Millennia! age restored to human perfection, enlightened by
truth and brought to a knowledge of the love of God ; if then
they will not live in harmony with the law of God's kingdom
Love-thPy will be "destroyed from among the people."-Acts
iii, 23. This is the second death.
Now, we see that "the testimony in due time," explains all
of those difficult texts. In due time it shall be "glad tidings of
,qreat joy to all people." In due time, that "True Light shall
lighten every man that cometh into the world," and in no other
way can these Scriptures be used without wresting. We take
them to mean just what they say. Paul carries out the line of
argument with emphasis in Rom. v, 1 8 , } !}, He rea sons that
as all men were condemned to death and suffered it because of
Adam's transgression, so also Christ's righteousness justifies
all to life again. All lost life, not of their own will or choice.
in the first Adam ; all receive life at the hands of the second
Adam, equally without their will or choice. When thus brought
to life, having the love of God testified to them, their proba
tion,
THEIR FIRST CHANCE,
begins. \Ve do not preach a second chance for any. Since all
believers are now "called in one hope of their calling,"-viz. :
to be the Bride of Christ, and since this company will be com
pleted at the end of this age, it could not be a second chance for
any in the next age, for there is to be but one Bride of Christ.
Peter tells us that the "restitution is spoken of by the
mouth of all the holy prophets." They do all teach it. Ezekiel
tells us of the valley of dry bones, "This is the whole house of
Israel ;" and God says to them, "I will bring you up out of
your graves and bring you into your own land." To this Paul's
words agree, Rom. xi, 25, 26. "Blindness in part is happened
to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles ( the elect compan
'taken out of the Gentiles,' the Gospel church ) be come in, an1l
so all Israel shall be saved," or brought back from their cast-oft'
condition. For "God hath not cast off his people whom he fore
knew." They were cut off from his favor while the bride of
Christ was being selected, but will return to favor when that
work is accomplished.-Vs. 28 to 33. The prophets are full of
statements of how God will "plant them again, and they shall
be no more plucked up." This does not refer to restorations
from former captivities in Babylon, Syria, etc., for the Lord
says, "In that day it shall no more be a proverb among you
'the fathers ate a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set
on edge ; ' but every man shall die for his own sin."-Jer. xxxi,
29, 30. This is not the case now. You do not die for your own
sin, but for Adam's-"As in Adam all die." He ate the sour
grape and our forefathers continut>d to eat them, entailing
further sickness and misery upon us. The day in which "every
man shall die for his own sin," is this Millennia! or Restitution
day. But, when restored to the same conditions as Adam, will
they not be as liable to sin and fall again as he was ? No ; they
will be liahlt>, but not as liable ; they will have learned in their

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present lifetime the Jesson which God designs to teach all,

viz., "The exceeding sinfulness of sin." They will then be pre
pared to appreciate the good and shun the evil, and the Gospel
Church then glorified will be, "the kings ( rulers ) and priests
( teachers ) " of that new age, for "Unto the angels hath he not
put in subjection the world ( age ) to come, whereof we speak,"
etc. This restoration to perfect manhood will not be an in
stantaneous act accomplished in their resurrection , but a.
gradual work after their resurrection, requiring for its ac
complishment all of the Millennia} age-"Times of Restitu
tion." And during that time, they shall be rewarded for the
"c11p of cold water" given ( Matt. x, 42 ) or "beaten with many
or few stripes" ( Luke xii, 47 ) , according to their improvement
or neglect of the measure of light enjoyed during the Gospel
age.
There will be something to be gained, and therefore to be
sought for by mankind during the next age : Raised to a
measure of life, the means of reaching perfection as men will
he supplied them, yet they will never reach that condition, un
less they put forth effort to obtain it, and make use of the
means provided. When made perfect they will have ev erlasting
life, in the same sense that Adam had it, and that angels now
have it, i. e., on condition of obedience to God's law.
But are we sure that God intends these blessings for any
hut the "people whom he foreknew"-the Jews ? Yes. He men
tions other nations also by name, and speaks of their restitu
tion. Let me give you an illustration that will be forcib le.
THE SODOMITES
Surely, if we find their restitution foretold you will be satis
fied. But why should they not have an opportunity to reach
perfection ? True they were not righteous, but neither were
you when God gave you your opportunity. Jesus' own words
<hall tell ns that they are no t a. g ui lty in his sight as the
Jews, who had more knowledge : "Woe unto thee, Capernaum,
for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been
done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day." Thus
.Tesuc; teaches us that they had not had their full opportunity.
"Remember," Jesus says of the Sodomites, that "God rained
down fire and destroyed them all." So if their restoration
is spoken of in Scripture it implies their resurrection.
Let us look at the prophecy of Ezek. xvi, 48, to the close.
Read it carefully. God here speaks of Israel, and compares
her with her neighbor Samaria, and also with the Sodomites, of
whom he says, "I took away as I saw good." Why did God
see good to t:tkE' away these people without giving them a
<'hance, through the knowledge of "the only name !" Because,
it was not their due time. They will come to a knowledge of
the truth when restored. He will save them from death's bond
age first, and then give them knowledge as it is written. "God
will have all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of
the tru th."-1 Tim. ii, 4. When brought to the knowledge, then,
and not until then, are they on trial for eternal life. With this
thougllt and with no other, can we understand the dealings of
the God of love with those Amalekites and other nations, whom
he not only permitted but commanded Israel to butcher. "Slay
Amalek utterly-leave neither man, woman nor child." "Spare
not the little ones." How often my heart has ached, and yours,
too, as we sought to reconcile this apparent wantonness on
God's part with the teachings of the new dispensation, "God is
love," "Love your enemies," etc. Now we can see, that the en
tire Jewish age was a type of the higher Gospel age ; Israel's
victories and conquests are merely pictures of the Christian's
battles with sin, etc. These Amalekitt.'s, Sodomites and others
were used to illustrate, or to be "examples" for our admoni
tion." These people might just as well die so, as of disease
and plague, and it mattered little to them, as they were merely
learning to know evil, that when on trial "in due time," they
might learn good, and be able to discriminate and choose the
good and have life.
But let us read the prophecy further. After comparing
Israel with Sodom and Samaria, and pronouncing her worse,
vs. 53, says : "When I bring again the captivity of Sodom and
Samaria , then will I bring thy captives in the midst of them."
f in death all are captives, and Christ came to "set at liberty
the captives and to open the prison doors" of the grave.] In
vs. 5.3 thiR is called "a return to
THEIR FORMER ESTATE,"
-restitution.
But some one who cannot imagine how God
really could be so good or j ust, suggests : God must be speak
ing ironically to the Jews, and saying he would j ust as soon
bring back the Sodomites a'! them, but has no notion of either.
Let us see. Read vss. 6 1 , 62. Nevertheless, "! will remember
my covenant with thee ; l will establish it to thee." "Yes,"
says Paul, "This is God's covenant with them-they are be
loved for the fathers' sakE's. For the gifts and <'allings of God
are without repentance."-Rorn . xi, 27, 2!J.
The sixty-thi rtl

TO WE R

(44- 4 )

verse concludes the argument, showing that the promio;ed RESTI

TUTION is not based on the merits of the ,Jews, Samaritans or

Sodomites-"That thou mayest remember, and be confounded ,

and never open thy mouth any more, bccauc;e of thy shame,
tvhen I mn pacified toward thee, for all that thou hast done,
SAITJI THE LoRD Goo." When God signs his name to a state
ment in this way, I must believe it-" .ai th the !Jord God."
And no wonder if they are confounded when in the ages to
come he shows forth the exceeding riches of his grace. Yea,
many of God's children will be confounded and amazed whP.n
they see how "God so loved THE WORLD." They will be rearly
to exclaim with brother Paul : "Oh, the depth of the richr
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! How un'>earcha blc
are his judgments, and his ways past finding out."
But some will inquire, How comes it that this hac; not been
seen long ago ? We answer, God gives light and knowledge to
his people only as it is due. The world was left in almo-.t en
tire ignorance of God's plan until the Gospel age, when Christ
came, bringing life and immortality to light through the
Gospel. The Jews up to that time supposed that all the
promises of God were to and for them alone, but in du e tim'l
God showed Javor to the Gentiles a lso. Chritianc; generally
have supposed that God's blessings a re nil a ml only to the
Church, but we began to see that God i<> bettPr than all our
fears ; and, though he has giYen the Church the "exceeding
great and precious promises," he has made som e to tl1e world
also.
"The path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more
and more, unto the perfE>ct d ay . " and the fnct that it now shines
so brightly, and that we are able to see more of the beauty anti
harmony of God's word, is strong presumptive evidence that we
are in the dawn of that glorious :!\1illennial d ay, when "we shall
know even as we are known."
But we promised to harmonize those doctrines of the Church
generally supposed to confiict.-viz., CALVINISr, or E le c tion ,
ARMINIANISM, or Free Grace. Perhaps you already see how
they harmonize themselves by simply recognizing the order of
the ages, and applying each text to the place and time to which
it belongs. Let me, then, point out to you

THE INCONSISTENCY OF EITHER CALVINISM OR

ARMINIANISM
when separated from each other. In doing so, we do not wi!oh
to reflect on those who hold these doctrines. We shall merely
call your attention to fen.tures which their warmest advocates
must confess to be their 1c eak pou t ts .
First-Calvinism says : God is a 1 1-wise ; he knew the end
from the beginning ; and, as all his purposes shall be ac
complished, he never could have intended to save any but a
few-the true Church-the little flock. These he elected and
predestined to be eternally saved ; all others were equally pre
destined and elected to go to hell, for "known unto God are a II
his works from the beginning of the world."-Acts xv, IS.
This h a s its good features. It shows, and properly, God's
Omniscience. This would be our ideal of a GREAT God, were
it not that three essential qualiti<'s of greatness, viz., :!\IERCY.
Lov E and JusTICE are lacking, for none of these qualities find
place in bringing into the world one h undred and fortyh\'0
billions of creatures damned befor<' they were born, and mocked
by protestations of love. No, no ; "God is love;" "God is
just ;" "God is merciful."
Second-Arminianism says : Yes, "God is love," an< I i n
bringing humanity into the world h e meant them n o harm
only good. But Satan succeeded in temptin. Adam. Tim.
"sin entered into the world, and death by sin," and ever :inc<',
God has bern doing all he can to deliYer man from his enemy.
even to the giving of his Son : nnd though n o w . ix t h on '; ,i ll d
years after, the Gospel has only reacht.'tl a very mall port ion
of those crcaturPR. yet we do ho pe a n d trust that " i t h i n " I X:
thousand years more, through the energy an<l l iberalit of t h r
Church, G o d w i l l have s o far remedied the rvil introduce<! h
Satan, that al l may at least know of his low. and the know !
edge of G o d b e co-extensive with the knowl<-<lge o f H i ! .
The comnl<'ndnble feature o f this view i s . t h at i t accep t t l H
statement that "God i. love." But, while full of loving
' an<l
benevolent t!Psigns for his creatures, he Jack a bility and fore
knowledge adequate to the accomplishment of thoe lodnf!'
designs.
WhilP G orl was bnw a rranging and d Pvi in g for the g-ood 0 f
h i s newlv-<'rl'ated childrrn, Satan slippr<l i n . a n d b y o n r strokt>
upset all <i ocl's plnns, rtn(l in one Ill0111<'1lt b r ou g-ht sin an<l ('vil
among mPn to such an extPnt that, even h exhausting a l l h i
power, Go<l m ust spend twelvr th o usan d yrars t o e\en re i n ><t a t t>
r ighteon n <''<'l t o such a tl eg'l <'f> that th e r<'mainder o f t h l:' ra''"
who " t i l l l i vP will h a vP a n opportun i t y t o <'hooP G oo,] a
r('adily n '> Evil ; aml t.ll(' one htl iHrt>d a n d fo r ty - t wo h i i Ji,ns ,,j
thP prt"t <IX t h o 1 1 " n n d 'E':lr. and 11" m a n y morp o f t ht> llt'Xt, a l <"

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WA T C H

los/ to a l l o>fenn ty, in spite of God's love for them, because

interfered with h i s plans as God had not foreseen.

Thu" S.ttan, in spite of God, gets thousands into hell to one
G od g-ets to glory. This view must exalt men's ideas of Satan,
and lo\\ er their estimation of him who "spake and it was do:1e ;
rommancled, and it stood fast."
flut how refreshing It is for US to turn from these frag
lll<'llt of truth, a<; separately considered, and
S.tt.m

SEE HOW HARMONIOUS

.t tHl lwautiful they are when united. How, during the present
and p 1 st ages G od is electing or gathering, by the preaching of
h i s won! , the Gospel Church. How he wisely permitted evil to
rome i n t o the wo r l d . in order that he might develop his church,
whiC'h. tint h'ing- made pe1 feet through suffenng," might be
prPparNl for h<:'r glorious work in the future ; and how the
masses of mankind, though not now on probation, are neverthe
less gPtting a knowledge and experience by contact with sin,
which he fores'lw they would be the better of ; and, further
more, how he took occa sion, in connection with this, his plan,
t o show u s hi-> great love, by so arranging that the death of
Christ wa<; nPressary to our recovery from sin , and then freely
ghing him, "to be a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours
only, but also for the sins of the whole tcorld," and then in the
next dispensation-

"Haste thee along. ages of glory,

Haste the glad time when Christ appPars ! "
Is not this the teaching of God's word ? Men never would
have thou!!ht of such a glorious plan of salvation. Truly God
has said : "My ways are not your ways, nor my thoughts your
thoughts." Hereafter when we address him, "Our Father," may
it call to our mind that his love and compassion are far greater
than the pity of our earthly parents ; and while we study his
words more and more, and seek to ''grow in grace, and in the
knowledge and love of God" let us ever remember that"Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his Word in vain.
God ie. his own interpreter.
And he will make it phin.''

' ' THE NEW HEAVENS AND EARTH, ' '

me!lf<UI't.

Thi period of his presence and reign is commonly known

n :m'ng Christian people as the Millennium, which means one

PITTSBURGH, PA.

thousand, and which is applied. to the time future, "when the

earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters
co,er the sea" ( !sa. xi, 9 ) , and none need to say unto his
neighbor, "Know thou the J...o rd ?" "A ll shall know him," etc.
The time when there shall be no more curse ( Rev. xxii, 3 ) ,
"when the desert shall blossom as the rose" ( I sa. xxxv, 1 ) , and
"streams shall break forth in the deserts" ( !sa. xxxv, 6 ) , when
"the tabernacle of God will be with men and he shall dwell
with them" ( Rev. xxi, 3 ) , when Satan shall be restrained and
righteousness shall control.
"Then nation shall not lift up
sword against nation," nor learn war any more ; " but "they
shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into
pruning-hooks" ( Micah iv. 3 ) . Glorious prospect for the world !

( R e\. x -.. i. 1 9- 1 0. a n d xxii, 1 7 ) -when "the Sptrit a n d the

Bride sa. C'ome ; and whosoever will may come and take of Ute
wnter of life freely," he will show his "Free Grace" in fullest

TO WER

Having seen how much of the great plan of God awnits the
corning of Christ for its accomplishment, and having, wr tru<>t,
found why Christ comes, can we help loving hiR appParing ?

THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

'' WHOSOEVER speaketh a word agninst the Son of Man it

hall be forgiven him ; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy

Ghost it shall not be forgiven him, neither i n this world,
neither in the world to come."-Matt. xii, 32. [The word here
rendered world, as in many other places, should be rendered
age, and is so rendered in all new translations.]
This text teache'l first that there is such a thing as forgive
ness of sins both in the present Gospel age and in the coming
l\fillennial-age. The basis of all forgiveness of sins, is in the
fact that "Christ rlied for our sins."
Secondly, it teaches that some sins are possible, which God
will not reckon as a part of the Adnmic sin which passed upon
a ll men and which is to be forgiven all men. If men looked at
.Jesus and ignorantly supposed him an impostor and blasphemed
him, it would be excusable and forgivable as a result of the
fallen nature. Even should they blaspheme the name of God,
and say they bel ieved in no such being, etc., this too m ight be
forgiven for the same reasons.
But when God's power ( the
Holy Ghost ) was manifested in doing them good a s it was man
ifested through Jesus, there certainly was no excuse for even
the most depraved of men ascribing those good works to an
evil power-Satan. A n d this is just what JeRUS tells them,
that such conduct cannot be classed a s a part of the general
human depravity, and it therefore cannot be forgiven.
The light was shining so clearly, that though their eyes
were nearly blinded by sin, they could not help realizing some
of the light a<; Jesus mani fested some of "the powers of the
world ( age ) to come." As he said to them on another occasion,
their "stripes" ( punishment ) in the next age will be in pro
portion as they h n ve been able to comprehend and do j ustly
and h ave not flO done.
They whose moral Right and hearing
h a ve hPPn tota l l y d<:'t royed by Adam's sin and its results ( if
a n y stwh thPrf' b<>-thP Lord knoweth ) will have no stripes in
the futnre, wi l l he fo rg i : en fully. They who see a little and
coulcl obey a l ittle a n rl do not so do, shall be forgiven the
t l d ng they did not <>c and could not do, but will be beaten
( pnn i<,lwrl ) with a fpw stripes for the few things they saw, and
cou l d , hut did not d o . They w h o saw more and whose r.bility
f o perform was les impaired by the fallen nature, and who fail
to 1l o according to their abil ity, are to be beaten with many

l rt[JC8.

Now notice that all who rPceive

"stripes" receive them for

u npardrmed in-;, for if the sins were pardoned they would not
be puni shed for them. In our earthly courts if 'l man had tres

pn ed against the law in two ways, and the penalty of the first
crime " a<o imprisonment for five years, and for the second six
months ; if it could be shown that he was not really to blame
for the first crime, but was forced into it by circumstances over
which he had no control , but the second crimP was measurably
n n rl er his control, the decision of the court would be "guilty"
on both charges ; hut he would be pardoned on the first charge

and not on the second ; the result would be that he would servt>
the six months' punishment.
Here are two earthly crimes, one pardonable and one un
pardonable. So it is with God's law ; all are sinners and con
demned-guilty--Qn account of Adam's sin, but the full ran
som from that sin has been paid, and so though con demne<l
before the court of heaven, it is announced that all of our im
perfections traceable to that cause are freely and fully for
A l l sins
given.
But neither more nor less is p ardonable.
against light a n d ability are unpardonable, cannot be forgiven
at any time, and hence must be punished.
The world will
have many such sins to be punished in the age t o come, and
they receive in some instances much punishment in the present
life and age. In a word, all punishment indicates unpardoned
sin, for if it WPre pardoned it would not be punished as wel l .
Paul tells us of extreme cases of this sort o f unpardonable
sin. Men of the world who have a little light we have seen
can commit it, but when a man becomes a Christian and has
the eyes of understanding opened-when he is brought from tlw
condition of darkness and ignorance, into thP ltgh t of f he k n o 1 1 f.
edge of the Lord, to then "sin willfully" is terrible indeed.
Due and full allowance is made for all our weaknesses and im
perfections which come to us through our fallen n ature, and
which clog and hinder our doing as we should wish to do-
our Father's wil l : but no more.
If w e cease to desire to do
God's will, we cut loose from our Lord and begin to walk
according to our own will as natural and no l onger spiritual
beings. This is the thing pictured by the proverb :
"The dog
is returned to his vomit, and the sow that was washed to
her wallowing in the mire."-II Pet. ii, 22.
In Heb. vi, 4-6, Paul assures us that any Christian who ha<>
reached a full and mature development in the spiritual life,
having "been enlightened," "tasted of the heavenly gift,"
"been made partaker of the Holy Ghost," tasted of the good
word of God"-if such shall fall away, it is impossible to
renew them again unto repentance. Why ? Because this is an
But can they not be punished for this sin
unpardonable sin.
and thus be free from it in time ? No, with the above descrip
tion of the Apostle, we understand that these had enjoyerl all
the blessings due them on account of Christ's ransom : i. e.,
they were reckoned of God justified form all sin, as new crea
tures had been brought to a condition of enlightenment and
knowledge of the Lord's will, and then, had deliberately and
u;illfu lly acted contrary to it. We do not refer to a child of
God stumbling or being overcome of the old nature for a time,
but as expressed in Heb. x, 26-"if we sin willfully after that
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth
no more ( a ) sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking
for of j udgment and fiery indignation which shall devour ( de
stroy ) the adversaries."
In a word, we understand Paul to teach that the class here

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described have received all the benefits due them through

Christ's ransom, and that their willful sinning against knowl
edge, etc., places them in the same position as Adam occupied
when he sinned ; the penalty of all such willful sin is death.
In Adam's case it was the first death. In the case of these it
is the second death. They had been reckoned dead as Chris
tians, and then reckoned of God alive as new creatures, anu
now they die for their own willful sin-the second death.
There is neither forgiveness nor excuse for such sin ; they must
have the full penalty and die.
They have lightly esteemed
the ransom after they knew of it, and thus have "trodden
under foot the Son of God and counted the blood of the cove
nant wherewith they t ere sancttfied ( set apart as new crea
tures ) an unholy ( ordinary-common ) thing, and done despite
( di srespect ) unto thP spirit of ( favor ) grace."
These have no hope ; they could not be recovered from the
second death in any other way than as Adam and his children
were redeemed from the first death--i. e., by some one dying
for their sin as Jesus d 1 ed for Adam's sin.
Will Jesus die
again for them ? No, "Christ being risen dieth no more ; death
hath no more dominion over him." Nor could there be any
object in bringing such to life again ; having had full redemp
tion, and having come to know both Good and Evil, if they
love evil rather than good and wilfully do it, let them be
deprived of life.
All will say it is love on the part of our
Father to deprive thPm of l ife, which, if continued, would be
only of inj ury and evil both to themselves and others.
It will readily be seen then that this sin to this last men
tioned extent-punishable with the second death-could not

TO WER

possibly have been committed prior to the Gospel age. ince

not until Pentecost did the Holy Ghost come as a teacher to
guide the church into the truth.-John xvi, 1 3 . It had m pa'lt
time been active through holy men of old, as they-"spoke
and wrote as they moved by the Holy Ghost," but It rnovPrl
them to write but no t to understand. It came upon the proph
ets as servants to communi cate ; it comes to us as a 8Cal o f
sonship, and to enable us as sons to understand our Father'
will.-Rom. viii, 14. Consequently in previous ages nonp ever
"tasted of the good word of God," or "became partake1 8 o f
the Holy Ghost," etc., and consequently none who lived m pa"t
ages could sin away forever all hope of a future life.
The millions of past ages never have been recovered f1 om tl i P
first death ( Adamic ) i n any sense, and must b e s o recoverPc l
before it will be possible for them to commit the "sin unto
death."-Heb. vi, 4, G. That Israelites, Sodomites, Egyptiam.
and others have not fully lived up to the knowledge they po'>
sessed we doubt not, and they will doubtless, therefore, have
"stripes" in the corning age for sins not pardoned by Jeu<
ransom.
"There's a wideness in God's m<'rcy,
Like the wideness of the sea ;
There's a kindness in his justice
Which is more than l iberty."

\V e are glad to say that WE' be> !if'\ e very fe\\ !I a \f' ever com
m itted this "Sin unto death ;" that very few P\er possessPrl
the knowledge etc., specified by the apostle, \\ e feel sure, and
that i s the specified condition.

HOW WILL CHRIST COME ?

To ALL who " love his appearing" and have read with inter
rst the foregoing chapter, the manner in which our Lord will
come becomes a subject of great interest, and now invites your
attention.
At his first advent he came in a body of flesh prepared "for
the suffering of death : " at his second advent he comes in glory
( Mark xiii, 26 ) in his glorious body ( Phil. iii, 2 1 ) , a spir
itual body.-! Cor. xv, 44-49.
But what is a spiritual body ? What powers are theirs, and
by what laws are they governed ? We are here met by the ob
jections, ""e have no !'ight to pry into the hidden things of
God-and "Eye hath not seen, ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him." To both of these propositions we
assent, but believe we cannot find out by studying God's Word
what he has not revealed ; and our investigation will be con
fined to the Word. The above quotation o( Scripture ( I Cor.
ii, 9 ) refers to the natural or carnal man, and by reading it,
in connection with the three verses which follow, the objection
vanishes ; for says the apostle, "God hath revealed them unto
u. by his spirit," which was given to us believers-the church
-"that we might know the things that are freely given to us
of God." And in the last clause of vs. 13, he gives us the rule
by which we may know,-viz., "Comparing spiritual things
with spiritual."
We are very apt to change this rule, and
compare spiritual things with natural, and thus get darkness
instead of light. Let us now use the apostle's rule.
ThE're is a spiritual body as well as a natural body ; a
heavenly, as well as an earthly body ; a celestial as well as a
terrestrial ; a glory of the earthly, as well as of the heavenly.
The glory of the earthly, as we have seen, was lost by the
first Adam's sin, and is to be restored to the race by Jesus
and his bride during the Millennia! reign. The glory of the
heavenly is as yet unseen, except as revealed to the spiritual,
"new creatures"-to the eyes of faith, by the Spirit, through
the Word. They are distinct and separate.-! Cor. xv, 38-48.
We know what the natural, earthly, terrestial body is, for we
now have such ; it is flesh, blood, and bones ; for, "that which
is born of the flesh is flesh," and since there are two kinds
of bodies, we know that the spiritual is not composed of flesh,
blood, and bones, whatever it may be ; it i'l a heavenly, celes
tial, spiritual body,-"Th at which is born of the spirit is
spirit."
But of what m aterial a spiritual body may be we
know not, for "it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but
. . we shall be like him."-Jesus.

THE SECOND BIRTH

Jesus was raised from the detd a spiritual body ; this was
his second birth.
First born of the flesh a fleshy body-for,
"as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also
himself likewise took part of the same."-Heb. ii, 1 4. He was
"put to death in the flE'sh, hut qui ckened [mHlP alivl' l by thP
Ppirit." Ill' " as raiNl a spiritual body. He was the " first
born from the dea<l," "the first-born among many brethrE>n."

The church are those brethrE'u and will have a fiPcond birth o f
the same kind as his,--i. e., t o spiritual bodies b y the resur
rection, when we shall awake in his likeness-being madP
"Like unto Christ's glorious body."
But, this second birth
must be preceded by a begetting of the spirit-at conversion
just as surely as birth of the fiE'sh is precedE'd by a begetting
of the flesh. Begotten of the fl esh-born of the flesh-in the
likeness of the first Adam, the ea rthly ; begotten of the spirit
-in the resurrection born of the spirit, into the likeness of the
heavenly. "As we have borne the image of the earthly, trP
shall also bear the image of the heavenly."
'Ve may, then,
by examining facts recorded of Christ, after his resurrection.
and of angels, who are also spiritual bodies, gain general infor
mation with regard to spiritual bod1es, thus "comparing spir
itual things with spiritual."
First, then. angels can be, and frequently are, present, yet
invisible. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them
that are his, and dE'l ivereth them ; " and "Are they not all min
istering spirits, SE'nt forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation "-Heh. i , 14.
Are you begotten of t h E'
spirit, a n heir o f salvation ? Then doubtless they have mini'l
tered to you.
H .we thPy ministered visibly or invisibly ?
Undoubtedly the latter.
Elisha was surrounded by a host of
Assyrians ; his servant was fearful ; Elisha prayed to the Lord .
and the young man's eyes were opened, and he "saw the moun
tains round about Elisha full of chariot'! of fire and horsemen
of fire" ( or like fi re ) . Again, while to Balaam the angel was
invisible, the ass's eyes being opened saw him.
Second, angels can, and have appeared a s m<'n. The Lord
and two angels so appeared to Abraham, who had a supper
prepared for them, of which they ate. At first Abraham sup
poged them to be "three men." and it was not until tllPy WE'rE'
about to go that l1e di scoYered one of tlwm to he the Lord.
and the other two angel;;, who a fterward went do\\ n to odom
and delivered Lot.-Gen. xviii, 1. A n angel appE'arE'd to G i d
eon as a man, but afterward mafic himself known. An ang-el
appeared to Samson's mother and fathPr ; they thought him a
man until he ascended up to heaven in the flame of the altar.
-Judges xiii, 20.
Thirc1. spiritual bodies are glnriouc; in th eir normal conrli
tion, and are frequently spoken of a s glorious ann bright. The
countl'nanee of the ang<'l who rollE'd away thE' stone from the
sepulchre "was as the lightning." Daniel saw a glorious spir
itual body, whose eyes were as lamps of firr. his countenanct'
as the lightning, his arms a n d fel't like in color to polished
brass, his voice a s thE' voice of a nmltitude : hef!lrf' h i m Danil'!
fell a s a dead man. DaniE'l x, 9 . .Toh n . on the Tlr of Patmos.
saw Christ's glorious body ( RE'v. i . 1 4 \ . a n d c1crribP-. t h f'
appearance i n almost the same lang-ungl'-Hi!'l Yoice w a a s
the sound o f many wnters. hi p-e n g bmps o f firE'. h i s:
feet like fine hras as i t burns i n a furna<'<' ( l" O bright that
you can scarcely look at it ) . ,Tohn fall at his fPE't a!' nl'nd .
hu t. he s n id to h i n 1 , " Fear not ; . . . . 1 :1111 he that w a lk:\<l .

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behold I am a live fm evermore " Saul of Tarsus saw Christ's

glorious body. It shone a hove the brightness of the sun at
noonday. Saul lost his sight and fell to the ground.
We have thus far found spiritual bodies truly glorious ;
yet . exC'ept by the opening of our eyes to see them, or their
app>aring in the flesh as men, they are invisible. This conclu
sion is further confirmed when we examine the more minute
deta ils connected with these manifestations. The Lord was
gE'en of Saul a lone, "they that journeyed with him . . . . seeing
no m an."-Acts ix, 7 . The men that were with Daniel did not
!lee t h e glorious being he describes, but a great fear "fell on
them, and they ran and hid themselves." Again, this same
g-lorious being declares : ( Daniel x, 1 3 ) "The prince of Persia
withstood me one and twenty days." Daniel, the man greatly
belmed of the Lord, falls as dead before this one whom Persia's
prince withstands one and twenty days. How is this 1 Surely,
he did not appear in glory to the prince. No ; either he was
invisibly present with him, or else

HE APPEARED AS A MAN.
Jesus is a spiritual body since his resurrection. He was
"raised a spiritual body," consequently the same powers which
we find illustrated by angels-spiritual bodies, should be true
also of him, and such was the case. If Jesus had revealed
h imself to his disciples after his resurrection, as the angel did
to Daniel, the glory of the spiritual body would undoubtedly
have been more than they, as earthly beings, could bear. They
would probably have been so alarmed as to be unable to receive
imtructions.
[ \Ye understand that the glorifying spoken of
was accomplic;hed after he ascended to the right hand of the
:Ma,irsty on High ( Jno. vii, 39 ) , refers to the installation into
the majesty of power. When the Scriptures speak of a glorious
spiritual body, the glory, grandeur of the person is referred
to, and not the glory of power or office. ]
During the forty
dnys of hi'! presence before ascension, he appeared some seven
or eight times to his disciples ; where was he the remainder
of the time ? Present, but invisible. Notice, also, that in each
instance, he is said to have appeared, OI' he showed himself,
language never ued of him before his change from a natural
to a spiritual body ; no" as angels do, he appeared, etc.
Remember that the object of Jesus' apearing to them was
to convince them that "he who was dead i'l alive forevermore ; "
that they might g o forth as "tcitnesses." Being a spiritual
body, it was simply a question of expediency which way he
could best appear to them-i. e., in which way his object in
appearing be bec;t accomplished. He could appear as a "flame
of fire," as thr angel of the Lord had appeared to Moses "in
the burning bush." Thus Jesus might have appeared to and
talked with the disciples, or he might have appeared in glory
a<; the angel did to Daniel, or as he afterward did to John
and to Saul of Tarsu.,. If he had so appeared, they would
doubtless also have had "great fear and quaking," and would
have fallen to the g round bPforr him and "become as dead
men ; " or lH' could do a 'I a n g<'l s had done, and as he had done
with Abraham ( Gen. xvi i i ) " lum he appeared as a man. This
last he saw to be the b!'t " ay. and he did appear as a man.
nut notice, they did not see him after his resurrection as
before his death. First he appeared to Mary as the gardener ;
and she "saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus."
"After he appeared in A X OTIIER FORM unto two of them as they
went into the country" ( Luke xxiv. I ll ) . They knew not that
it was Jesus until he revealed himself in breaking of bread ;
then he vanished from their sight. Notice, it was in "another
form," and consequently, not the same one in which he ap
peared to Mary.
Again, some having given up all hope of being any longer
fic;hers of men, had gone again to their nets. They had toiled
all night and caught nothing. In the morning Jesus is on the
shore within speaking distance, but they "knew not that it was
It wao; anothm form. He works a miracle, giving
-Teo;u<;."
thPm a boat full of fish in a moment. John, the loving dis
dple, rcmrmhcr'l the feeding of the three thousand and five
t homand, the strange days i n which they were living, and
that .Jec;m hac] n ppcared to them already. He seems at once
to dicern who gayc the draught of fishes and said : "It i s
t h e Lord." H e recognized l1im not by the natural eye, but
h,v the eye of faith. and when they were come to shore "None
of them <lur<;t nsk him, Who art thou ? knowing ( feeling sure
from the miracle, for they saw not the print of the nails)
t h at it '' a<; the Lord" ( .John xxi, 12 ) . Thus did Jesus appear
to hie; fl Jc;ciplrc; at different time'!, to make them witnesses of
h i rP n rrection. He wa s pre'IPnt, but unseen, during most of
tho'>P f(Jrty das, appea ring, in al l , perhaps not more than seven
t imP<;.-.John xx, 26, nnd xxi, 14.
We prenmc that it wa<> to guard against the idea that he
w a <; a fleshly body that he appeared in various forms and in

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

miraculous ways, coming into their midst, the doors being

shut , and vanishing from their sight. He not only showed that
he had undergone a change since death, but he illustrated his
own teaching to Nicodemus, that every one born of the Spirit
( "That born of the Spirit is Spirit" ) can go and come like the
wind. "Thou canst not tell whence it cometh nor whither it
goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit" ( Jno. iii, 8 ) .
So did Jesus go and come. "But some doubted"-some wanted
to thrust their hands into his side, and put their fingers into
the print of the nails ; and Jesus thus appeared. Whether it
was the same body that had been crucified, or one like it, we
know not, nor does it make any difference ; in any case, it was
not his body, for he had been "quickened of the Spirit"-a spir
itual body-"sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body,"
and none of the various forms or bodtes in which he appeared
were his body. They were only vails of the flesh which hid
or covered the glorious spiritual body just as angels had often
used the human form to vail themselves when appearing to
mortals.
One point which seems to confuse is, that Jesus ate and
d1 ank with the disciples and said, "Handle me ; for a sp11 1t
hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have."
Jesus affirms just what we have claimed, that the body
they saw and handled, and which ate with them, was not his
spiritual body, for he says : "A spirit hath not flesh and bones."
Look back to the time when the Lord and two angels appeared
to Abraham ( Gen. xviii ) . Jesus had not then left "the form of
God," and taken the form of a servant. He was a spiritual
body then, and it had not flesh and bones, but then used the
human form as a vail. He ate and drank and talked and could
have said to Abraham : Handle me ; this body which you see is
"flesh and bones." No, the disciples did not see Christ's glori
ous spiritual body, but they saw the fleshly "forms" in which
he appeared.
St. Paul teaches us ( I Cor. xv. 44, 45 ) distinctly that Christ
was raised from the dead a life-giving Spirit [pneuma, the
same word used by our Lord ] . But where did he get the
various bodies in which he appeared, and where did they go
when their work was accomplished T They did not see corrup
tion ; neither did those bodies which the angels used see cor
ruption. Our only answer is, "Thou canst not tell whence it
cometh nor whither it goeth." But we all believe other things
which we cannot fully understand. We cannot understand ho w
a grain of wheat grows, yet we know it does grow ; we know
not how Jesus turned the water into wine, or healed the sick,
or raised the dead. Yet we believe that he d i d these things.
Can you tell where he got the clothes he wore after his resur
rection T "They parted his raiment among them, and for his
vesture they cast lots"-the old were gone, and the linen
clothes lay in the sepulchre. Is it more difficult for spiritual
beings with their powers to create a covering of flesh thnn a
covering of cloth ? No ; the same power can and did do both.
Thus we have found Jesus' spiritual body and those of
angels glorious, yet invisible to mortal s : with power to mani
fest the glory, or to appear as men, or in any form they may
choose. In the resurrection the overcomPrs-the Bride-shall
be "like unto Christ's glorious body." "We shall be like him,
for ( not until then ) we shall see him as he is" ( not as he wa<>,
for "though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now,
henceforth, know we him no more" [after the flesh] ( II Cor.
v. 1 6 ) . Such a spiritual being was Christ at the time of his
ascension ; and, with what we have learned of the powers of
that spiritual body, we are now, we hope, prepared to inquire :
HOW WILL HE COME AGAIN?
Briefly stated, we believe the Scriptures to teach our Lord
will never again appear as a man ; that at his second coming
he will be invisible to mankind ; that none will ever see him
except the Church : "Without holiness no man shall see the
Lord." that the Church will not see him until changed from
natural to spiritual bodies ; that then "we shall see him as he
is" [not as he was] . But, while none are to see him with their
natural eyes, all are to recognize his presence and his power
( "the eyes of their understanding being opened" ) . Hence we
read : "Every eye shall see ( optomai-recognize ) him."
There will be, we understand, various orders and times of
recognizing him by various classes of humanity. The first class
to recognize his presence, the Bible teaches, will be those Chris
tians who live in most intimate communication with him, and
who are the most separate from the world. These, by the eye
of faith, through the word of truth, will recognize him as pres
ent. These, called "a little flock," the "overcomers," the Bride,
etc., "ill be the first to be informed of his presence. We have
a "sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that you take
heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day
( of the Lord ) dawn." "If thou shalt not watch . . . . . thou
shalt not know what lwur I will come upon thee." This "little

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dock" will be changed-made like unto Christ's glorious body.

Then commences a time of trouble on the worldly-minded
Church, and on the world, in which the Lord makes known his
presence and power, by causing the overthrow of all systems
of error, in Church and world.
Though all this uprooting and overturning of governments ,
etc., will be a ccomp lished in a manner considered perfectly
natural, yet it will be so thorough, that ultimately all will
realize that "The Lord reigneth," for "he shall be revealed
( made known ) in flaming fire." ( Judgments. )
And in due
time, "all that are in their graves" shall also be brought to life
( during the Millennia! age ) , and recognize Christ ; for "Unto
him every knee shall bow. Thus every eye shall see him ; and
"they also which pierced him."
Now let us examine the subject more in detail.
The second advent, like the first, covers a period of time,
and is not the event of a moment. The ftrst lasted nearly
thirty-four years, and the events connected with it-his birth,
baptism, sorrow, death, resurrection, etc., as mention ed by the
prophets, all took place at the first advent. The second advent,
as we shall see, lasts much longer. It includes the Millennia}
reign, and prophecy covers all the prominent features of that
reign. He comes to reign-must reign until he has put down
all en emi es ; the last being death.-I Cor. xv. 25, 26.
In the application of prophecy to the events of the first
advPn t , we recognize order. Christ must be the "child born and
son given" before 'the man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief." He must die before he could rise from the dead, etc.
So also in studying prophecy, referring to the second advent,
we must recognize order ; we must judge of the order some
what by the character of the event. As the wife is the glory
of the husband , so the bride is the glory of Christ, for we are
to be "partakers of the glory that shall be revealed" ( 1 Pet. v .
I, 10 ) , and as the "glory shall be revealed in us" ( Rom. viii,
1 8 ) , we know that Christ could not come in the glory of his
kingdom [church] until he has first gathered it from the world.
In harmony with this thought we read-When he shall appear,
tee "also shall appear with him in glory."-Col . iii, 4.
The prophets foretold the sufferings of Christ [head and
body] and the glory that should follow.-1 Peter, i. 1 1 . If the
sufferings were of the whole body, so is the glory. We suffer
with him that we may be also "glorified toge t her."-Rom. viii,
17. "Enoch prophesied, saying--The Lord cometh with ten
thousands of his saints," [Gr. hagios, never translated angel )
Again ( Zech. xiv. 5 ) , we read-"The Lord my
( Jude 14 ) .
God shall come and all the saints with thee." Thus we learn
that when he appears in glory we are wtth him. and of cours'.
we must be caught to meet him before we could appear with
him.
We understand that this appearing of the saints in
gl01 y, as al ready expressed of the Lord, will be a manifestation
not in person but in power.
\Y e have evidence to offer, proving that he comes unknoWD
to the world ; but attempt to answer two supposed objection>
first,-viz. : "This same Jesus shall so come in like manner u
ye have seen him go into heaven," ( Acts i, 1 1 ) , and "The Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the vol.ce
of the Archangel and the trump of God ; and the dead in Christ
shall rise."-1 Thes. iv. 16. These texts are supposed to teach
that Christ will come in a manner visible to the natural eye,
while the air is rent with the blast of the Archangel's truro
pet, at which, mid reeling tombstones and opening graves the
dead will be resurrected. I t certainly has that appearance on
the surface, but look at it again : Would that be coming in
like manntw as they saw him go ? He did not go with the
sounding of a trumpet and outward demonstration. It does not
say, You shall see him coming, nor that any one would see hi m.
but-he shall come. When he arrives, it will be privately. He
comes to organize tl1e Church as his kingdom, to set it up. He
comes to be glorified in his saints in that day.- 1 1 Thea. i, 10.
The world saw him not after his resurrection ; they did not see
him ascend, as he said, "Yet a little while and the world seeth
me no more."
And "he shall so come in like manner"-unknown to the
world. Nor will they see ( recognize ) him in his second advent
until his Church is gathered, for when he shall appear "we also
shall appear with him." What, then, does the trumpet mean !
Let us see. \Ve are to be rewarded "at the resurrection."
As we will not be rewarded twice, nor resurrected twice, we
conclude that the "Trump of God" ( 1 Thess. iv, 1 6 ) and the
"Last Trump" ( I Cor. xv, 52 ) are the same, differently expressed.
The same events are mentioned as occurring at each-i. e.,
the resurrection and reward of saints. And for the same reason
we bel ieve the "Trump of God" and the "Last Trump" to be
the "Seventh Trump" of Rev. xi, 15. The "Seventh Trump" . i'
the "Last Trump," and is called "the Trump of God," possibly

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(64-68)

because introducing the special judgments of God connected

with the setting up of his kingdom.
These trumpets evidently are the same-but what t The
seventh angel sounded. A sound on the air ! No, not any more
than the six which preceded it. They are each said to sound,
and Sir Isaac Newton, Clarke, and all commentators of note,
agree that five or six of these trumpets are i n the past. They
have been fulfilled in events upon the earth, each covering a
period of time. They certainly must all sound before the resur
rection, for that is under the seventh. If
'l'HB SBVEN'l'H 'l'RUMPE'l'
were to make a sound on the air, it would be out of harmony
with the other six of the series. That it covers "the great day
of his wrath"-the time of judgments upon the kingdoms of the
world--the pouring out of the "seven vials" of his wrath-the
"time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation"
seem.a evident, for we are told, in the same sentence, of the
wrath of God coming on the nations-Rev. xi, 15, 18.
We see, then that the sounding of the trumpets, and so
coming in like manner, do not conflict, but rather, add force
to the fact that he comes "unawares," "as a thief," and steal&
away from the world "his treasure-his jewels." Remember,
too, that this is Christ the spiritual body, that could not be
11een without a miracle ; that was present, yet unseen, during
thirty-three days after his resurrection.
But will the world not see the saints when gathered or
gathering ? No ; they are changed ( in the twinkling of an eye )
from Natural to Spiritual bodies, like unto Christ's glorious
body, and in the instant of their change will be as invisible as
he and angels. But those who arise from their gra ves ! No ; tht>y
were sown ( buried ) natural bodies ; they are raised spiritual
bodies-invisible. Won't the world see the graves open and the
tombstones thrown down ? A spiritual body ( remember, we are
comparing spiritual things with spiritual, not natural ) coming
out of the grave will not make any more of a hole in the
ground than Christ's spiritual body made in the door when he
came and stood in their midst, "the doors being shut."-John
xx, 1 9, 26. But do not forget that only the Church are raised
spiritual bodies---11 l l others, natural fleshly bodies, as Laz'l
rus, etc.
PRESENCE OF CHRIST BEFORE 'l'HE BAP'l'URE OF
THE CHURCH
Christ's personal presence and ministry of three and a half
years at the first advent, as well as the three and a half years
which followed his mi n i s try , is termed "the Harvest." It was
the harvesting of the .Jewish or Law age. Christ was present
as the chief reaper-his disciples as under-reapers. Their
work was separating of wheat from chaff, and the gathering
of the wheat into the higher or Gospel dispensation. Th at
harvest was the end of that age. Jesus said to his disci p l e s ,
"Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are wlute
already to harvest." "I send you to reap that whereon ye
bestowed no labor ; other men ( the prophets ) have la bored and
ye are entered into their labors."-John iv, 38. That work was
not general, not for the world. He confined his labors to
Judea, and the work to them did not cease until five days be
fore his death, when he rode on the ass into the city, wept
over it, gave them up, an d s:tid : "Your house is left unto you
desolate." After his resurrection he sends the disciples to
"preach the Gospel to every creature, bPginning at Jerusalem."
Nor were they suffered to p reach to the world in l!eneral u n t i l
the seven years of harvest-work to that .Tl'wish pt'ople w;s ful ly
accomplished, as God had promised.-Daniel ix. 27.
"He
( Je&us, chief reaper ) shall con fi rm the t'Ovena n t with many
for one week ) " ( seven yea r-; ) . in the m idst of th e week mak in g
all sacrifice to cease-by offe r i ng lumself the true sacrifice.
But the harvest or reaping dont> in t h ' end of the Jewish age
was confined to them as a people. The oracles of God had been
committed to them as a peoplf' ; wheat w a s sought among them,
but as a nation th ey proved to he m a in l y chaff. The wheat
was garnered ( brough t i n to th e G osrw l church ) and the chaff
burned ( n ation dest royed ) , and thus their harvest en de d .
During the Gospf'l ag'', the church does not reap, bu t SO\\ S
the seed. Paul pl ant fl . A pollos waters, God gives inc rea se . etc.
But there is to be a h arvest in the end of this ag-e. ao; il/u.,.
trated in the pa1 able of the tares and whea t , nntl t11 ught in
the explanation of the same .-Matt. 13. Notice that hoth
wheat and tart's are in th<' k i n dom of heann-the church
and that this parable, as a lso tht> other six of the sPrie, J e!at
ing to "the kingdom of hea\en"-the c11 Ureh-refPrs not tn t lw
n on - p rofess ing world, but to two classes i11 the chu r ch .
The Son of Man pl a n tP d the church pure, good seed. During the da"' of the apostles there were special "gi ft s of the
Spirit," such as "disPerning of spirits," etc.. by which they
wete able to prevt>nt tares from getting in among the tc1tcM
hypocrites getting into the church,- ( instance. I Cor. v. 3.-

( 26 3 ]

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

S imon 1\Iagus''-''.-\ na nias and Sapphira," etc. ) ; but when

the apostles were deaJ, "while men slept," the enemy began to
sow tares among- the wheat. Paul says that the mystery of
iniquity had begun to work even in his day ; now they grow
side-by-side in all the churches. Shall we separate them, Lord ?
X o ; we might make some mistake, pull up wheat and leave
tares. "Let both grow together until the Harvest." "The har
w:st is the end of the world." r aion-age.] "In the time of har
Yest I will say unto the reapers-the reapers are the angels
g-.lther together first the tares and bind them in bundles to
burn them ; but gather the wheat into my barn."
Xotice, this Harve&t is the end of this age, yet, like the one
ending, the Jewish age, it is a period of time-"ln the time of
harvest." Secondly, there is order-"Gather first the tares."
The I e will come a time, then, in the end of this age, when the
reapers-angels-will be present doing some sort of separating
work in the Church, yet an invisible presence and work. If
the work of binding, gathering, etc., were a visible work by
' i sible agents. two would not be found in the field, mill and
bed when the hour for translation comes and the one is taken
and the other left.-l\fatt. xxiv, 4 1 .
.Again, before the living are gathered, the dead i n Christ
must have risen, whether it be but a moment before ; "the dead
in Christ r is e first-then we which are alive," etc.-1. Thess.
iv, l G. Th i s ha rvest is not of the living only, but also of "the
dead in Christ," "those that sleep in Jesus."
The ang.els
gather the living, but our Lord, who is the chief reaper here
( as he was in the Jewish harvest) , gathers or raises the dead.
"I will raise him u p ; " "I am the resurrection and the life ;"
and in harmony with this thought we find that in Rev. xiv, 15
-"One like unto the Son of 1\Ian, seated on a cloud," reaps the
Pa rth.
( Here, two harvPsts, or two parts of one harvest, are
hown ; the second bPing the casting of the "vine of the earth"
into the wine-press of his wrath-time of trouble. ) The special
point to which your attention is called, l10wever, is the fact
that thi harvest " ill go on without outward demonstration,
the chief and under-reapers being present but unseen.
Some may have confounded these remarks on the presence
of Christ in a spiritual body with the presence of the spirit of
Christ, but they are quite distinct. The latter never left the
church ; consequently, in that sense, he could not "come again."
Of his spiritual presence he said : "Lo. I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world"--ge. We refer to the personal
7J1'e&ence which did go away, and was to come again-a spirit
ual body.

The Greek word generally U'>ed in referring to the second

advent-parousia, frequently translated coming-invariably
'-oignifies personal presen ce, as having come, arrived, and never
signifies to be on the way, as we use the word coming. This
fact is recognized by many who are looking for the Lord ; but
the error under which the church in general is laboring, is that
of supposing- that presence implies sight-manifestation-ap
pearance. In the Greek, however, other words are used to
ex pres n,pln tion, appearing and manifestation, viz. : phaneroo
-rende1 ed shall nppe:tr in "When he shall appear, etc.," and
upokalupsi. -I endt>re<l shall be revealed in 2 Thes. i, 7. "When
the Lord cleus shall be revealed."
These and other texts teach us that our Lord will reveal or
m anifest himself to the world in such a manner that "Every
eye hall see- [optomai-recognize] him"-"Be revealed in
flaming fire," [ j udgments] . But what we now claim is, that
before he is thus revealed, he will be present unseen, ( by all
except the Bride, who will see-recognize him-because of the
eyes of her understanding being opened by the anointing of
truth-see Eph. i , 1 7 - 1 9 ) , doing a work and gathering his
Bride, or body, to himself.
We have Chrit's own word to prove that he will be pres
ent in the world, and the world for a time will know not of it.
In Matt. xxiv, 37, we read : "As the days of Noah were, so shall
alo the parousia ( presence ) of the Son of Man be." The pre
'-Pnee of Christ is not compared to the flood, but to the days of
Noa h , the days that were before the flood, as verse 38 shows ; as
then they ate, drank, married, etc., and knew not, so shall also
tlte pre:>enee of thl' Son of Man be. The resemblance here men
tioned is that of not kn owing-they will not know of the
pre.s ence of Christ. They may have been wicked then, and
rl oubtles'> we re . and may be similarly wicked in his presence j
but wickPdneHH is not the point of comparison ; as then they
a te , drank, marri ed-proper enough things to be doing, n ot
<-in , o <-!t al l i t be in Christ's presence. Now look at Luke
x v t i , 26, "A., it " as in the days of Noah, so shall it be also
t/l. the days of the Son of Man." Verse 27 tells us how it was in
the day o f Noah ; they were eating, drinking, marrying, etc.
"So hall it he in the days of the Son of Man." Surely the
days of the Son of Man are not before his days any more than
the days of Henry Clay could be days before he was born. No,

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

the more we examine the more we are convinced that the world
will go on as usual, and know not until the "harvest is past,
the summer ended," and they are not in the ark, not with the
little flock "accounted worthy to escape" the time of trouble
coming upon the world.-Luke xxi, 36. There will be no out
ward demonstration, until the church is gathered, whenever
that takes place-soon or in the distant future.
W e think we have good solid reasons, not imaginations, not
dreams, nor v isions, but Bible evidences that we are now "in
the days of the Son of Man ;" that "the day of the Lord" has
come, and Jesus, a spiritual body, is present, harvesting the
Gospel age ; yet, as he has said, the world seeth him no more ;
they eat, drink, etc., and "know not." This day of the Lord in
which "he will show who is that blessed and only potentate, the
Lord of Lords, and King of Kings," is already dawning, but the
majority of the church, as well as the world, are asleep ; and
to them-the day "so cometh as a thief in the night." ''But
ye, brethren, are not in darkn ess that that day should come
upon you as a thief." "We are not of the night, therefore let
us not sleep as do others." Not the worldly-wise, but those
humble ones, wise from heavenly instruction, are meant when
it is written, "the wise shall understand." But "if thou shalt
n o t watch thou shalt not know what hour it will come upon
thee." "Take heed lest your hearts be overcharged with . . . .
the cares of this life, and so that day comes upon YOU una
wares. "-Luke xxi, 34.
We have seen that in his days of presence it will be as it
was in Noah's days-the world will know not.-Matt. xxiv,
37 ; Luke xvii, 26. We are told that the day of the Lord is a
day of trouble, a day of clouds, and thick darkness-Zeph. i,
15 ; Joel ii, 2. We are told also that "as the lightning which
shineth," ( not as the shining, but as the invisible electric
fluid which causes the shining ) "so shall the Son of Man be w
his day."-Matt xxiv, 27 ; Luke xvii, 24. Now if he is to be as
lightning, and his day a day of clouds, as the above text,;
assert, are they not in harmony ? In the natural storm when
we see flashes from lightning and hear peals of thunder, it
gives evidence to us that atmospheric changes are taking place,
and that the vitiated and corrupt "air" is to be changed and
we rejoice that it will be pure after the storm.
We now find a harmony in the account of our gathering.
As we found "the voice of the archangel" and "the trump of
God" were symbols of the closing epoch of this age and its
troublous events, so now we find "the clouds" to symbolize the
gathering of the trouble epoch ; "the lightning" to symbolize
or illustrate our Lord's presence "in his day," and that "air"
is used as the symbol of the spiritual throne from which Satan
( "the prince of the power of the "air," ) is to be deposed, and
to which our Lord and his joint heirs are to come.
The great time of trouble, as a storm, has been, and con
tinues gathering over earth. The air, in which Satan, the
prince of this world ( age, ) rules, becomes more and more
vitiated until the storm breaks. The prince of darkness now
works in the hearts of children of disobedience to the accom
p lishment of his own will, viz., in oppressing and opposing
j ustice and truth to the affliction of mankind. The clouds are
gathering, and men's hearts are beginning to fail for fear of
the approaching storm-"for fear of those things that are
coming on the earth." Soon it will break in all its fury. But
though it fills all hearts with fear and dread, in its final re
sults it will prove a great blessing to the earth, ( mankind, )
displacing the present "powers of the air," ( "powers of dark
ness"-"spiritual wickedness in high ( controlling) places," )
-and giving place to earth's rightful ruler-Jesus and his
Bride, also spiritual beings ( powers of the air. )
So, after the storm, shall the "Sun of Righteousness arise
with healing in his wings," and the kingdom of darkness shall
give place to the kingdom of light, and mankind will rejoice in
the pure air and cloudless sunlight of that perfect day.
Notice, also, that all the flashes of l ightning come from
among the clouds, and become more and more vivid as the
storm increases. How the various Scriptures interpret each
other : "As the lightning, so shall the Son of Man be in his
day." "Behold he cometh with clouds." "The day of the
Lord is a day of trouble, of clouds and thick darkness." "He
maketh the clouds his chariot."
We conclude, then, that if "he cometh with clouds" of
trouble, etc., we shall be "caught away in clouds" [diaglott]
of the same sort, after he has thus come. If prepared, we shall
be caught to meet him during the gathering of the trouble, be
fore the storm bursts.
David [ anointed] was doubtless a type of the church in her
deliverance, as pictured in the song ( II Sam. xxii,) in which
he says ( vs. 1 0 ) : "He bowed the heavens also and came down
and darkness was under his feet . . . . He was seen upon the
wings of the wind, and he made darkness his pavilions round

[ 264]

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Z I O N'S

WA T C H

about him . . . . and thick clouds of the skies . . . . He sent

forth and took me ; . . . . He delivered me from the strong
enemy" [death] .-Luke xxi, 36. Yes, our Lord when he has
come and made trouble and darkness his pavilion, takes his
Bride-delivers her from the strong enemy of the fleshly
nature, death, into the perfection of the new divine nature--

TO WER

( 74-78)

like unto Christ's glorio11s body. Lo rd help us to be rearly fr

the change that we may be thus "caught away."
,

"Forever with the Lord,

Amen, so let it be ;
Life from the dead is in the word
'Tis immortality."

SPIRITUALISM
WHEREVER we find a counterfeit we may rest assured there
exists a genuine. If there were no genuine gold dollars, there
could be no base imitations or counterfeits. Then, too, the
base or spurious article must appear very much like the genuine, or it would not be a counterfeit.
This is what we claim relative to what is at the present
time called "Spiritualism"-that it is a counterfeit of the true,
a s taught i n the Bible.
Whoever has carefully searched the Scriptures cannot have
failed to see that, while God throughout all past ages has condemned evil and sin in their various forms, and warned his
children, both "Israel after the flesh" and also the spiritual
children ( the Gospel age Church ) , of the danger and bad
results of evil, yet he has nevertheless permitted evil and good
to stand side-by-side before the people for their choice. If we
tn ke heed t o his vV:ord we may discern which is evil, and,
by obedience to that Word, shun the evil and choose the good.
God is the head and fountain of goodness and truth, and the
Scriptures teach that Satan is the head and fountain of all
evil and error-"the father of lies" ( deceptions ) . Both of
these are spiritual beings. "God is a spirit," and Satan, as
we have heretofore shown, was once an angel of God-the chief
or prince of "those angels which kept not their first ( sinless )
E'state." ThE'se, though cast out from God's presence, are not
yet dE'stroyed ; they still possess their angelic nature, though
through sin they have become evil "angels,-'' consequently they
still are spiritual beings ( not human ) , and have the same
powers as they ever had, and as good angels have, except that
God has put them under certain limitations and restraints
which we shall more fully discuss farther along.
If we trace them through the Scriptures we shall find that
these fallen spiritual beings have continually made use of
their spiritual-supernatural-powE'rs to lead mankind astray
into di'>obedience to God and injury to themselves.
Spiritual beings, as we have heretofore shown, possess powers greater and higher than humanity. We have seen, from
the statements relative to good angels, that they can be present in our midst without our being conscious of their presence.
( The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear
him.-Ps. xxxiv, 7. Are they not all ministering spirits sent
forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation ?Reb. i, 14. )
These, we have seen, have power to appear as a flame of
fire ( the angel of the Lord so appeared to Moses in the bush.Exod. iii, 6 ) , and they can and have appeared as men.
Some other powers of angels can be discovered by examining the record ; for instance, the angels who delivered Lot and
his family from Sodom had power to smite the rioters of
Sodom with blindness.-Gen. xix, 1 1 . An angel "did wondrously before Manoah ;" another performed a miracle before
Gideon.-Judges vi, 2 1 , and xiii 1 9. The angel of the Lord delivered the apostles from prison, and yet left the prison-doors
unmolested ; again, an angel delivered Peter from prison, the
doors opening of their own accord.-Acts v. 19-23, and xii, 8.
On many occasions they made known to men things which
"ere about to come to pass, etc.
Now, the evil angels-"the devil and his angels"-have by
nature the very same powers, but are restrained. So much of
evil as can be overruled for good, and tend to the development
of experience and the education and discipline of the "heirs of
God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ"-is permitted, and the
remainder restrained. As God through his Spirit and influence
works in and through men who give themselves up to his control, so does Satan operate in and through those who "yield
themselves as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin." "His
servants ye are to whom you render service." As Jesus said to
some, "Ye are of your father the devil, for his works ye do."
As "God in times past spake unto the fathers through the
p rophets," who were his mouthpiecee, so Satan spake through
his agents and agencies. His first agent was the serpent-it
became his agent in beguiling Eve into disobedience. Satan
manifested his powers through the Magicians and Soothsayers
of Babylon, and remarkably in those of Egypt, where God's
powers were manifested through Moses and Aaron before PharD,oh, while Satan's powers, of a similar kind, were used to
oppose the truth for a. time. Here these two spiritual powers

were !ltrikingly manifested ; both d i d mirarles-thing \\ hich

men alone could not do, but which men pos.essed of !' V i l and
good powers did do.-Exod. vii, l l- 12, and viii, 7 - 1 8. "There
were false prophets also among the people," who evid!'ntlv
spoke by an inspimtion, or power in them almost like the refl'l
prophets of God ; these were the counterfeits. ( See II Peter
ii, 1 : Jer. xxiii, 2 1 . }
We are aware that to the worldly mind it seems o;; u per'-tl
t ious to believe that men and women may be so given over of
themselves to Satan, and so controlled by him as to be wizards
and witches ; but they are recognized as such in the Seripture",
and we believe it. Israel was commanded to pnt such to
death.-Exod. xxii, 1 8 ; Lev. xx, 27, etc. .1\-IannReh, king- of
.Judah, made Judah to err, etc. ; he "used enchantments and
used u;itchcraft, and dealt with a farniluw SJl l n f an(l wd h W I Z
ards."-II Chron. xxxiii, 6.
Take a concordance and see how much God says againc;t
wizards, "itches, and "they that have familiar spirits"mediums of the devil for communication with mankind. It
was the claim of these mediums of "familiar spirits" that they
held comunication with the dead and received their information
from them. In this claim they contradicted the plain state
ments of God's 'Word, which assure us that the dead co u ld 11 o t
furnish any information. ( See Job xiv, 10-2 1 ; Eccl. ix, 10. )
But this was merely another way in which Satan sought to
continue the lie imposed upon Eve in Eden. [ "He is a liar
from the beginning," said Jesus. ] God had said that if diso
bedient they should die. Satan contradicted this statement
claimed that man had naturally Immortality, and could not
die, and that God was a liar. Ever since, he seeks to uphold
the statement, "Ye shall not surely die." Full well does he
know that if people realized that it was the "spirits of demons"
who spoke to them through the mediums, they "ould shun
them ; hence the claim that it is dead people ( not dead, but
more alive than ever) who communicate the information.
An illustration of this sort is given in I Saml. 28. Saul .
king of Israel, had become wicked, and God would no lon"er
communicate with him throug-h the prophets. He was enga ed
in a war with the Philistines, and a great battle wa
about to be fought. He wanted counsel and desired to know
what would be the outcome. Since the Lord would not answer
him, he sought out OnP of the conrlenmP<l n iHl forhidd>n
class, a medium, a. woman who had a familiar spirit-thf'
witch at Endor.
AU are familiar with the story, ( I Sam I. xxviii, 3-20 ) , how
that the m.edium pretends ignorance as to her Yisitor, know"
what Saul desires, gives a description of Samuel. pt e. Then fol
lows an account of the coming defeat of Saul's army and the
death of himself and his sons. The fact that these thing;.
occurred just as foretold by the medium, has been thoug-ht b
some to be a proof that Samuel really furnished the informa
tion. But, Satan could foretell those things as well as Samuel
could were he alive. Not that Satan is a prophet, not that
God reveals commg thing-s to him, but he is a student of God'
Word and a believer of it. "Devils also belie,e and tremblP."
-Jas. ii, 19. The defeat of Saul and accession of David to the
throne had been foretold by the prophet and both Saul and
Satan knew it. and Satan has learnpd that eYery word of Go<l
is sure.
Besides we should not forget the wo1 ds of the apostle, that
he that hath the power of death is the devil.-Heb. ii, 1 4 .
Since he is executor of the death penalty, and must haYe the
permission to execute from God, ( Job. i . 1 2 ) , is it strange thrtt
he knew that he was to have powpr over the lhes of Saul, his
sons, and many others on the next day ? No, it is the reason
able inference. Certainly we should not for a moment suppose
that God ( or Samuel, if he co1tldl would recog-nize, or use
any means of communication which he had prohibited on pain
of death, and condemned as wicked. Read I Chron. x , 1 3.
Coming further down the stream of time, we learn that the
same wicked spirits continued to operate in the same manner.
The Lord, while still permitting them, warns the people against
Ruch, sayiJig'. "Thev shall .;ny unto you, 'Seek unto them tlu t
have familiar spirit!l ( spirit mediu m s ) and unto wizards thnt
peep and mutter.' ( Rut ) l'lhould not n people <'f'k u n t o t h r 1 r
God ? For [why should] the living [go ] to the dpn d ? To the

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law and to the testimony, [the Bible] , if they speak not ac

cording to this Word it is because there is no light in them."
-ba. viii, H I . G od warns people not to believe any one whose
t eachings are contrary to the Word, no matter what powers
they m a y e x e rci se.
Coming down to the days of Jesus and the apostles, we find
that Satan still operated in much the same manner, as well as
a variety of other ways. Among the more notable instances
[ not to mention the numerous cases of casting out of devils,
etc . . by both .Tesus and the disciples] we might remind you of
the experience of Philip and Peter with Simon the sorcerer.
Acts Yiii, i, 924.
"Unclean spirih crying with l oud voice
came out of m a ny that were posessed . . . . but there was a
certain man n n me d S im on which . . . . used sorcery and be";tched the people . . . . to whom they all gave heed . . . .
saying, this man is the great power ( medium ) of God." Thus
did Satan use his pon e1 to delude the people.
Paul and Barnabao. lwd an experience with another of these
m ediu ms of the deYil, named Elymas, who withstood them.
Pa u l addressing him said, "0 full of all subtilty and all mis
c h i f' f thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness,
wi lt thou n ot ceao;e to pervert the right teays of the Lord !"
A rt s xiii, 1 0 . And he was blinded immediately. Again, Paul
and Silas met a female medwu at Philippi. "A certain dam
;;el possessed w i t h a spirit of divination . . . . which brought
her masters much gain by soothsaying."
But Paul "turned
and s a i d to the spirit [ Sata n ] I command thee in the name
of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the
same hour."-Acts xvi . 1 6, 1 8 .
And !"O. ewr since, Satan ha<> kept u p his practices with the
Yarious changes of method to suit the circumstances ; some
t imes with chruacteristic rleYilishne'ls. at other time<> in the
gu i s e of religiOn. "for Satan him<>elf is transformed into an
angel of lirrht. thf'refore i t is no great thing if his ministers
[ m cdi!l m s (a h : o he> tran 'lformed as minister<> of righteousness."
-II Cor. xi. 1 4 . I n o u r day, when knowledge is so great, and
moralitv ( ca lled Ch!'i. tianity ) so popular, Satan must, if he
would on t i nue to oppose truth. take the religious cloak ; and
Today Spiritualism ranks itself among the relig
o he doe.
[ "The synaogue [ church] of Satan," truly.]
ion "f'cts.
Spirituali"m though refined and modernized, is yet the
same that it ever was. in ages paRt. It< object is not the inculca
tion o f truth. nor l ove for God the Father and our Lord Jesus
Chri't. They claim that .Jesus wa s a fine medium and taught
a n n U'led spiritualism in hi day as well as he understood it.
Thev do not outwardly profess to oppose the Bible and its
t f' ach i n gs . but they do so really. both teaching and practicing
the very things therein condemned, and still seeking to pr?ve
hv their enchantments that men are not dead, thus endeavormg
to u p ho ld Satan's first falsehood.-Gen. iii, 4.
Thev still posses<; supernatural powers, too, just as in the
rlan o f Saul, and Paul, and Moses. While we do not question
th t o;ome of the things claimed to be done are mere deceptions,
y('t we know of many things done by them, where no deception
wao; po'lible. Among those who believe " in this way" we
know of o;everal who once were medittms of the devil and did
"thoe thing whereof they are now ashamed."
These, when
coming to a knowledge of the truth, are thankful for their
escape from that "snare of the devil." Spiritualism hates the
l ig-ht . a n n their wonder are done under cover of their favorite
p ri nc i p le--darknes.. Their work o f proselyting, too, is dark,
Jesus gives us a word of wisdom on this
f'0Yf'red-c;ecret.
'ubject. "Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
f'ometh to the light lest hi<> deed" should be reproved."-Jno.
i i i , 20.
Though working stealthily, their numbers are large and
f'mbrace many of the influential of earth-judges, senators,
Pte. The queen of what is known a'l the greatest Christian
k i n gdom of earth, on whose possessions the light of day is said
n evP r to et, called the "Christian Queen," is known by many
t o he a "Spiritualic;t."
It is coming before people in a way
that command<; attention, and those who do not realize it to be
t he work of Satan, are almost sure to regard it as a power
nf God.
The Rev. Joo;eph Cook, ju<>tly celebrated for his able defense
of the Bible and its Author, against the attacks of atheists and
in fidel<> , <>uch as Huxley, Darwin, Arnold, et al., has lately had
his attention aroused to the recognition of the growing influ
ence of "Spiritualism," and having investigated the subject
tn 'orne extent, he recently delivered a lecture on the subject,
in which he expreo;sed hi<> belief that many of their tricks and
p(,rfnrmance'l are done> by no human power, and are actually
upernatural. He fine" not pretend to say how, or by what
power, but claim s that not nnly him'>elf, but some of the pro
frnmrle'lt scientific minds of Germany have reached the conclu-

T O WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

sion that Spiritualism cannot be condemned as false by any

scientific tests yet applied to i t.
Nor is this power of Spiritualism difficult to account for if
we take the Bible as our authority and recognize it as the
work of Satan, whom Jesus designates "the prince of this
world." Jno. xiv, 30. "The prince of the power of the air
( spiritual power) the spirit that now worketh in the children
of disobedience."-Eph. ii, 2. And the same book is our au
thority for saying that "Spiritualism" has not yet reached the
climax of its power ; its powers are to increase wonderfully.
Paul says, ( I Tim. iv, 1, ) "Now the spirit [ of God] speaketh
expressly that in the latter time some shall depart from tl1e
faith giving heed to seducing (deceiving] spirits and doctrines
of devils." Jesus says, "They are the spirits of devils working
miracles which go forth unto the kings of the whole world
to gather them to the battle of that great day of God AI
mighty."-Rev. xvi, 14.
Peter ( 2, ii, 4, ) and Jude ( vi , ) tell us, that when cast out of
God's presence as evil angels, they were bound by "chains of
darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Many Scriptures
have shown us that the closing part of the Gospel age
is to be upon the living a time of trial and trouble, pre
paring them for the coming Millennial reign of Christ, and is
called "the day of the Lord"-"the great day"-"the great
day of his wrath," etc. We understand, then, that Satan and
his angels have been limited ; might not appear except through
human beings who willingly gave themselves up to be "possessed
of devils" or became his "mediums." He has thus been confined
or chained. But we claim that this "day of the Lord"- day of
the "presence of the Son of man"-has already commenced,
that the Scriptures prove it to be so ; and if the chains of
darkness restrain Satan until "the great day," we should expect
that very soon those chains will be loosed and no longer re
strain.
( Any who expect soon the loosing of those powers
should, to be consistent, recognize both "the day of the Lord"
and the trial as commenced. )
The facts correspond t o this exactly. "Spiritualists''
claim that they are having more power to show t h e t r
wonders, daily ; and they claim now ( one case very recently )
that the spirits can materialt:::e in broad dayltgkt : and they
promise wonderful revelations and manifestations very soon.
Now, materialization of a spiritual being, just as they claim,
has been possible all along to the angels of God, of which
we have many records-angels on many occasions appear
ing as men. Jesus, as we have seen, when born of the Spiri t
at his resurrection, a spiritual body, ( "that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit," ) was, as all other spiritual beings,
( good and evil ) invisible to human sight, and in making
known his resurrection to his disciples he appeared in various
fleshly "forms" materiaUzed.-Mark xvi, 12. These are the
powers which Satan has desired, but could not heretofore
use, because bound or limited, but which he will have when
the judgment ( trial ) of "the day of the Lord" begins. ( Which
we believe is now. )
The trial of this "day" causes not only a "time of trouble"
and distress among nations, but it includes a trouble or fire
upon the living phase of the church. This church trouble
comes first, and we believe began in the spring of 1878, and
is to result in the purifying of faith ; and will bring those
who continue to bear the name of Christian to the firm founda
tions of the teachings of the Word of God. For all the errors
of human traditions shall be consumed as dross, wood, hay,
stubble, in the fire ( trial ) of this day. The apostle says,
"Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which shall
try you ( the church ) a& though some strange [unforetold]
thing happened unto you."-1 Pet. iv. 12. For the fire of that
day shall try every man's work of what sort it is : "He that
hath built (his faith] with gold, silver, and precious stones
[the truths of God's Word] the same shall remain.
( His
faith will not be destroyed. ) But if any man build with wood,
hay, stubble, ( the teachings and creeds of man, ) the same
shall suffer loss," etc.-1 Cor. iii. 12- 1 5 .
This trial i s "the trial of your faith," a n d in this "day
of the Lord" not only does the light of truth shine strongly
and beautifully, showing us the great prize of our high
calling as we never saw it before ; revealing to us the pres
ent King, who causes us to sup with him and feeds us with
his truth which is "meat in due season," giving strength
needed in tk8 day ; but it is also a day for the increase of
the powers of evil, that the separation between the wheat
and tares ( the children of the kingdom and the children
of the wicked one, Matt. xiii, 38, ) may be complete.
Because of this struggle between truth and error, the real
and the false, Spiritualism, etc., Paul says, ''My brethren, be
strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Put on the
whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against

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WA T C H

the wtles o f the devil. Por w e wrestle not against ftesh

and blood [not against human beings, but against evil spirit
ual beings] but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, ( Satan-the prince
of this world ) -Jno. xiv, 30., against spiritual wickedness
m high
( controlling ) places. Wherefore, [on this account]
take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able
to withstand [the spiritual wickedness-the devil's wiles i n
the evil day [this day of the Lord's presence-day o f trial]
Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with
tnlth and having on the breastplate of righteousness, etc."
-Eph. vi, 1 1 -14.
This same day of trial i s referred to i n Psalm xci, where
only those who have made God's truth their shield and
buckler [support] are able to withstand the snares of the
devil, the 'arrows' of infidelity, and the moral 'pestilence' of
piritunlism, while thousands shall fall at their side.
"In God I have found a retreat,
\'I/ here I can securely abide ;
No refuge, nor rest so complete,
And here I intend to reside.
"The pestilence walking about,
When darkness has settled abroad,
Can never compel me to doubt
The presence and power of our Lord.
"A thousand may fall at my side,
Ten thousand at my right hand,
Above me his wings are spread wide,
Beneath them in safety I stand.
"His truth is my buckler and shield,
His love he hath set upon me ;
His name on my heart he hath sealed,
E'en now his salvation I see."

Songs of the Brtde.

There are portions of Scripture which seem to teach that

during this "Day of the Lord" there will be manifestations
of the saints as men in fleshly bodies-those who have been
changed to spiritual bodies like unto Christ's glorious body
-and that they will appear as he "appeared" after his res
urrection, and do a work of teaching as he taught the dis
ciples, opening men's understandings that they might under
stand the Scriptures.
\\"e have seen that the coming of Moses, the first and
second timeb, to deliver Israel from Egypt, was a type of
the two comings of the Lord. The second time he came
wtth power, and "Aaron, the saint," was his mouthpiece be
fore Pharaoh-during the signs, etc. So we expect, that
the living representatives of the church, will sometime be
used as the mouthpiece of their Lord before the world
[ Egypt in type] . As there in type Jannes and Jambres,
and the other magicians under Satanic power, opposed and

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183 )

hindend for a time the effect of th e wonderful powt:r:.

wrought through Aaron, so we anticipate that in the anti
type, when the living church is used as the Lord',, mouth
piece, they will be withstood and their teachings contro
verted by the same spiritual w ickedness-"spiritualism"
which wtll seek to do the same things and partly be able.
Paul seems to refer directly to this in II Tim. ui, 1 8,
when, after saying, "In the last days [of the age] penlous
times shall come," etc., he adds : "Now, as Jannes and Jam
bres withstood Moses, s o do these also resist the truth
. . . but they shall proceed no further ; for thetr folly
shall be manifest unto al l men as theirs also was."
We suggest again, then, that eYery counterfeit is a proof
of a genunej second, that none but valuable things are coun
terfeited ; and third, that a counterfeit must resemble the
genuine very closely, or it would not deceive. Already, Sp1rtt
uahsts are talking much as we do, of the good t1me com
ing," the "glorious day," and even declare that Jesus is
present, etc. This is an old practice with our opponent.
At the first advent the devils knew Jesus, and, crying out,
said : "Thou art Christ, the Son o f God ; " and he, rebuking
them, suffered them not to speak, "for they knew that h e
was Christ."-Luke iv, 41.
( See also Paul's experience, Acts
xvi, 17. ) Yes, "the devils also believe and tremble."-J arne
ii, 19. And no doubt they would fain call some of us Spirit
ualists, both for the purpose of bringing to their credit our
knowledge of God's Word and plan, and to seek to offset
the value and effect of our Bible teaching, by claiming u
as one with themselves.
But, beloved, "believe not every spirit, but try the spirit
whether they be of God" or of Satan. "By their fruits ye
shall know them." That system, by whasoever name it call-s
itself, whose time and talent is spent in doing useless and
foolish things, and making use of supernatural power to ob
tain money ; which appeals merely to the human credu lity,
and neither seeks nor develops an increase of faith and love
toward Uod and men ; ignores Jesus and the plan of salva
tion ; repudiates the Bible ; whose tendency is toward things
earthly, sensual, devilish-"Free-loveism," etc.,-is 11ot of
God, but bears unmistakable signs of Satan being its author.
On the contrary, a system based not on forbidden and
pretended communications with the dead, but upon the \Vord
of God only ; whose teachings tend to the glory of both the
Father and his Son, our Lord ; which seeks to unfold to those
who have "ears to hear" and "eyes to see" the glorious
beauty and grandeur of God's plan of salvation, of which
Jesus is the recognized foundation ; which tends not to the
ignoring of any part of the Word, but to a searching of
the Scriptures daily ; which tends toward a n d teaches that
the prize of our high calling is obtainable on ly by pat1ent
perseverance in well-doing--the death of the old nature and
newness of life as a new creatu1e m Chnst Jesus, bears
unmistakably the stamp of Uod, and is of Ood-for it ,.pea k
according t o his Word.

THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

VERY confused notions are held by many as to the work
of j udgment in the future age. The popular idea on the
subject being something like this :
The Father, robed as a judge, with stern aspect, is seated
on a great white throne. By his side stands the Saviour
with loving eyes and pleading face. The world of mankind
is marshaled before him. They come up in close ranks, and
with downcast faces toward the Judge. The very large ma
J Ority are commanded to depart toward the left. Trembling
with despair they hurry away, and are at once seized by
a guard of demons, and swiftly dragged, shrieking with ter
ror, down-down-down. In the advancing throng, there
comes now and then one, who is at once recognized by the
Saviour as a true Christian, and introduced to the Father
as such, who welcomes him to the right hand, where he is
Immediately crowned, and seated with the angels to view
the remainder of the solemn scene. This separating work
is to continue until all who have ever lived have passed
the tribunal ; the whole period of time occupied being some
thing less than twenty-four hours, thus constituting "the
day of j udgment." The greater number of these, it is gen
erally thought, have already been once j udged ( at death )
and allotted to their final destiny in heaven or hell, but for
some inconceivable reason they are brought again before the
JUdgment seat, and are again remanded to their former con
dttion.
\\'hile some features of this picture are drawn from sym
bolic Bible imagery, the conception as a whole is very far

from being a scriptural one. Ad to the gathering of the

world before the Judge in a kind of military review, and
the immediate separation of the classes, wlu lP it is the J ,ke
ness in the figure, it is of necessity as far from the real
as a type is from its antitype.
THREE GREAT PERIODS OF SEPARATION
are, we think, clearly revealed in God\; Word The stp:tra
tion of the rhaff h om t h e wlll'.t t." M u t t . '- l l i 1 0 1 2
n t h t
tares from the wheat," Matt. xiii, 37, 4 3 ; and "the sheep
from the goats," Matt. xxv. 3 1 .
The first separation 1 s i n the past, occurring i n the "lut r
1est," o r end of the Jew i s h ( awn ) age. Jesus h i m ,;e! f. w h i l e
o n earth, thoroughly purged the floor o f t he Jew1:<h hou,.
gathered the wheat into th e Go,; pe l church, aiHI east the t'll.ttT
i n to a fire, which culm i n a t i n g- a t the de"truction o f ,h! ua
l e m, burns even yet against the Jew.
So f a r from m n l ha l
mg that nation i n rank and fi l e btfore h i m, they \W I ,. n o t
even aware of the test then made. a n d Wt'fl' eondemned bt>
cause they knew not the time of their n s i t a t i o n . - Luke
XIX,

44.

The second great separ a t i o n was dm to take p l a cE' at t he

end of this awn [ age l , i. e . . closing- period of t he Gospt'l d 1
pensation. This work ha" uctually bt'Pll g o i n g on 1 1 1 o u r
midst, and the world a n d worldly church know n o t l u n o i
i t.
S o i n th e last great h n r n s t i n t lw n g t> o f J Udgmnt
God's truth. the two-edged wo1 d. w i l l l)ll i d l y . but surt'ly.
do the dtvidmg work ; and that \Von! n ot ,;pnken but w n t
ten, will plainly manife,;t t h e !'http ami t he goa t s

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WA T C H

THE TERM " DAY"

Ihble t une. as now, was frequently used to cover a long
but dchllltc pc1 10d ; as,, for instance, "The day" in which
"Jt>IIOH lh God made the earth and the heavens." Gen. ii, 4.
"The day of the temptation in the wilderness." Heb. iii, 8.
[ 40 years.] "The day of salvation." II Cor. vi, 2. [Gospel
di::;pcnsa twn . ]
A s t o the period comprised i n "the day o f judgment," i f
the student w i l l but faithfully use a reference Bible o r a con
L'Onlance, and find the amount and kind of work to be accom
p l i shed 'm that day,'' he will soon be glad to accept of
Pettr';; explanatiOn of 1t, that "one day is with the Lord as
a
thousand years ; " and believing the Revelation of Jesus
Clu i 5 t, rejoice Ill the promise there given, to "reign with
h i m a thousand years." As to
m

THE KIND OF JUDGING

wlueh 1;; to be carried on, we must consult the Word if we
would get the truth. Turn to the book of "Judges," and we
find that after the death of Joshua, the Israelites forsook
JehoYah, and worshipped Baal. To bring them to their
senses, their enemies were allowed to triumph over them.
When they repented, "Jehovah rai:: ;ed up judges, who deliv
ered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them." For
i nstance, "When the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah,
Jehovah raised up a delire1er Othniel. And the spirit of
Jehovah came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out
to war, anti prevailed. and the l a n d had rest for forty years,"
until Othniel died. Thus it continued through the period
of the j udges until Samuel, who "judged Israel all the days
of his life." \Vhen Samuel had grown old, the Elders of
Israel asked him for "a King to judge us like all the na
tions. "-! Sam. viii, 5, 20.
A judge then, in those days, was a person eagerly sought
after ; a 1'1tler to be desired ; who would deliver his people
h om oppresbion, administer justice to the wronged, and
bring peace and joy to those over whom he exercised author
ity.
The world, and even the Church, at the present day, led
astray by an unscriptural theology. puts far away the idea
of Christ's presence to judge [rule] the world as something
to be dreaded by all. Not go the heaven inspired prophets
of old. To them it was one grand and glorious epoch, for
which, as Paul said, "creation groaneth."
Listen to Dadd and the sweet singers of Israel, in the
first psalm sung by the first divinely-appointed choir, at the
home-bringing of the ark :
"Let the heavens be glad,
And let the earth rejoice :
And Jet nwn say among the nation'!, Jehovah reigneth,
Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereo f :
Let the fields rejoice, and a l l that a r e therein.
'fhen shall the trees of the wood sing aloud,
At the PUF:SENCE of JEHOVAH,
BECA t; E 1m CO!\U:TH
1'0 JVIlGE THE EARTH.
0 gi,e thanks unto Jehovah, for he is good,
!<'OR H I S MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER."

We might multiply quotations like the above, but they

ought to be fami liar to the faithful student of the Word.
WHY
did "all the holy prophets since the world began" long for
"that day" when the Anointed should be present to rule, to
reign, to judge ?
WuY does all Christendom of this age shrink at the bare
mention of that day ? Because they do not comprehend the
nature of the work of that day, nor the grandeur of its re
sults, while the prophets spoke as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit of God, who knew what he h imself had planned
and purposed.
IN THE "DAY OF THE LORD,"
a ., Ill the dayo;; o f creation, there is an evening and morn
Jnif.
So the ,Jew kt>pt their time : beginning their day with
IV<'n t n lf. It 1 ' God's ord-r-first the crosA, then the crown.
The night was forty yearo;; long to the children of Israel. To
the Go pel l'l l l l l dt 1t ha'l been man.v centuries. So the na
t t (Jll 'l Ill thP f'nm i n g age muqt first run the race before they
rer( l \ e tl t r p r t ze for which they run.
And during their trial,
a t n our, tiHre m u b t be "weeping for a nigh t ; but joy
rornf!th

In

ti1P morn i n if."

Many who have faded to "searr:h th .. Rcriptures," as com

rna n d,.. , l. h a ve 'lel'n only tid:; n i g h t of da rkness ; and it has
h u n g h e f,> r e thNn likP a funl.'ral pall, eu tting off the light
or g l ory

beyond.

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

A D.ABX NIGHT
is indeed closing over a sleeping church and a blind world,
during which many woes will be poured out upon them.
But when they have well learned the lesson of obedience
through suffering, as all past overcomers have, they reap a
blessed reward.
The day of j udgment, then, divides itself into two parts.
First, a "time of trouble," during which the nations will
be subdued, and humbled, and taught the lesson of Nebuch
adnezzar their type, "that the Most High ruleth in the kmg
dom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will." Sec
ond, a morning, in which the Sun of Righteousness will ri "P
with healing in his wings, driving away the mists of ignorance
and superstition ; destroying the miasma of sin, and l:>ruw
ing light and life and love to the downtrodden sons of me .
During the first-named period, such scriptures as the follow
ing have a fulfillment :
"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with
wrath and fi rce anger, to lay the land desolate ; and ltf' <;h a l \
destroy the smners thereof out of it. For the stars of heavl'n
and the constellations thereof shall not give their l ight ; the
sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall
not cause her light to shine. [ Symbolical of a spiritual
night.] And I will punish the world for their evil and the
wicked for their iniquity ; and I will cause the arrogancy
of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of
the terrible."-Isa. xiii, 9, 1 1. "Ask of me, and I shall give
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utermost
parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them
with a rod of iron ; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a
potter's vessel."-Psa. ii, 8, 9.
_D nqu stionably the kingd_oms of this world are loyal to
their prmce. They are mamly
controlled by evil, selfish,
corrupt men, the agents and representatives of the "Prince
of darkness," who do his will.
When the new Prince takes control, the dominion is to
be given into new hands, and the Lord proclaims : "I wi I I
overthrow the throne o f kingdoms and I will destroy the
kingdoms of the Gentiles."-Hag. ii, 22.
Thus by "breaking in pieces"-throwing down-"the k in"
doms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and hls
Christ," who shall reign forever.-Rev. xi, 15. Under the
new rule there will be new rulers, and we read, "The saints
of the most High shall take the kingdom, ( dominion ) and
pos ess the kingdom forever."-Daniel vii, 1 8. Again, "All
natiOns, tongues, peoples, etc., shall serve and obey him."
At present they do not, and they must be brought, by chas
tisement, to submission ; and this is accomplished in "The
Day of the Lord." The overthrow of nations and society
will necessarily involve individual trouble. But, "When the
j udgments of the Lord are in the earth the inhabitants of
the world will learn righteousness."-Isa. xxvi, 9.
"That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and dis
tress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness
and gloominess. I will bring distress upon men, and they
shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against
the Lord. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able
to deliver them, in the day of the Lord's wrath."-Zeph. i, 1 5.
"Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the daJJ
that I rise up to the prey ; for my determination is to gather
the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon
them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger : for all the
earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For
then I will turn to the people a pure language, that they
may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one
consent."-Zeph. iii, 8. So extreme is the trouble here de
scribed, that the world is said to be burned up by the Lord's
anger-yet it has a good effect, for after all the indignation
against and destruction of governments, the people remain.
(The destruction is one of governments, ] and having experi
enced the misrule of the "Prince of this world" they are
prepared to have the Lord take "his great power and rule,"
and to "serve the Lord with one consent."
Rev. vi, 1 5, figuratively describes that time of falling of
kingdoms when every mountain ( kingdom ) and island shall
be moved. The kings and chief ones, as well as bondmen,
will recognize in this trouble that "the great day of his
wrath is come." and will seek to make alliances and to hide
themselves from the sure coming storm. They will seek to
he covered and protected by the great mountains (kingdoms )
of earth and to be hid in the great rocks of thi,q world's
societies, ( Masonic, Odd-Fellows, etc. ; ) but they shall not be
able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's anger, for
"all the kingdoms of the world shall be thrown down," and
instead of these mountains (kingdoms ) "the kingdom of the

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Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

Lord becomes a great mountam, and fills the whole earth."

-Daniel ii, 35, 45. Malachi iv, 1, describes the coming day
of trouble and sees the anger of the Lord there displayed
-"the fire of God's j ealousy ; " "Behold the day cometh, that
shall burn as an oven ; and all the proud, and all that do
wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn
them up." Here the wicked are symbolized by stubble, God's
wrath by fire, and the righteous by "calves of the stall."
Vs. 2.
"The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved : he uttered
his voice, the earth melted ; * * Come, behold the works
of Jehovah, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He
maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth : he break
eth the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder ; he burneth
the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God :
I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in
the earth."-Psa. xlvi, 6, 1 0. How does he make wars to
cease ? Evidently by the "desolations" above mentioned. The
nations will be so satiated with bloodshed ; and by bitter ex
perience, will so realize the misery of injustice and oppres
sion, and sin, that they will loathe themselves and their ways,
and will willingly turn and seek for purity and peace. But
to produce this effect, the command will first go forth : "Pro
claim ye this among the Gentiles : Prepare war, wake up the
mighty men, let all the men of war draw near ; let them
come forth :
BEAT YOUR PLOWSHARES INTO SWORDS,

and your pruning hooks into spears j let the weak say, I am
strong."-Joel iii, 9, 10. The dreadful lesson of the exceed
mg sinfulness of sin, will be learned in time, and well learned,
for "thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power."
-.Psa. ex, 3. Then after they have been brought to a condi
tion of willingness to let "this man ( the Christ of God )
rPign over them," we find as a result of this judgeship, tlwy
shall
" BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES,

and their spears into pruning hooks : nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more."-Isa. ii, 4.
The preceding verses tell us when this blessed time will
come, and also other events in this glorious day of Christ's
presence, as judge over all the earth. "It shall come to pass
in the last days, that the mountain [government or kingdom]
of the Lord's house, [ 'whose house are we'-Heb. iii, 6.] shall
be in the top of the mountains, [place of power] , and shall
be exalted above the hills, [kingdoms of earth ] , and all
nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and
say, come ye, and let us go up to the MouNTAIN of Jehovah,
to the HousE of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths : for out of Zion
[the new Jerusalem-heavenly government] shall go forth
the law and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem" [ restored
earthly Jerusalem and her priesthood.]-Isa. ii, 3.
At this time ( end of "time of trouble," ) the nations will
have been subdued, and gladly they will submit to the right
eous control of the new heavenly kingdom ; and here is the
introduction of the Millennia! reign. Notice, they say : "Come,
let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord,"-or, let us sub
mit to the new kingdom of God,-"and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths." After the terrible
experience of the time of trouble, they will be glad to for
sake their own ways. How gladly will they then learn
that his "ways are ways of pleasantness, and all ( his) paths
are peace." Here will be the silver lining of that dark
storm-cloud of the "day of wrath"-"When the judgments of
the Lord are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will
learn righteousness."-Isa. xxvi, 9.
"Behind a frowning Providence
He hides a smiling face."
During the one thousand years thus introduced, Satan is
bound, evil restrained, that the people may be deceived no
more, and the Lord and his Bride ( the saints ) , as kings
and priests, shall rule and teach them. None need then say
to his neighbor : Know thou the Lord ? for all shall know him,
from the least to the greatest. The way of life will then be so
plain that the wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err
therein. Yes, God's Word will then be an open book to all
the world, and all its present seeming contradictions will
then shine forth as beautifully harmonious as they now do
to us who have come to understand the glorious plan of the
ages.
A thousand years of such ruling and teaching ! How it
will lift from the redeemed world the curse-ignorance, mis
ery and death ; restoring perfection, harmony, peace and
beauty, This thousand years is tlw tim!' during which all

T O WER

1 3 -9 7 )

the natiOns are gathered before the JUdgment beat of C h n .t

It is their judgment day-one thou&anJ. years.
During all that time, God's truth, as a two-ed<red sword'
will be quietly, but surely as now, doing a separat in[)' work
dividing the sheep from the goats.-Matt. xxv, 3 1-46. Th
great mass of mankind will learn God's ways and delirht
to alk therein. These he calls his sheep-fllowers, ;'nd
durmg the age they are gradually gathered to his right hand
-place of favor-and in the end of the age the Lord thus
addresses them : "Come ye blessed * * inhent the king
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
The earthly kingdom or dominion was intended and pre
_ human ( earthly) beings. It was given originally to
pared for
the earthly Adam. [ "Let him have dominion over the beasts of
the field, the fowl of heaven, and the fish of the sea."] He
was to be the Lord of Earth, governing it in harmony' with
the heavenly government. The dominion h e lost through dib
obedience and sin, and it passed under the control of "him
that ath the r.ower of death, tat is, the devil"-the prmce
of this world, who now ru leth m the hearts of the children
of disobedience." This dominion, purchased or redeemed for
mankind by Jesus ( and his body, ) is to be restored to them,
when they have been restored to the perfect condition, where
they shall again be in harmony with God's government, and
be able to wisely exercise the governing power. To these the
Lord will say, "Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you."
[Let no one confound this earthly dominion with the spirit
ua -heavenly kingdom inherited by Jesus and shared by his
Bnde--the overcomers of the Gospel Age. "To him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne."]
Why, say they, are we considered worthy of such honor ?
Because, replies the King, you have done good unto some of
these--God's children-"my brethren"-your neighbors and
brethren also-and thus have showed your ready obedience to
the one great law of the heavenly kingdom, which includes
all others-Love. But there wil be some, even in that glori
ous time of favor and blessing, who will not have this man
( Christ ) to rule over them, and who show their indisposition
to o God's will by neglecting others and selfishly gratifying
_
_
their own desires.
But one will
( the will of God ) is to
regulate and continually control the universe, and that will or
law is expressed in one word-LOVE-for "God is Love " and
'
"Love is the fulfilling of the Law."
During the Millennia! reign Christ "puts all enemies un
der his feet"-puts down all rule, authority and power op
posed to God, ultimately destroying "the goats." "These
shall go forth into aionion cutting off ; " [death] ( Matt. xxv,
46, Diaglott ) , i. e., these shall be forever cut off from that
life which they had a second time forfeited. They had been
redeemed from the Adamic death by the precious blood. of
Christ, ut aving despised the privileges thf'rPaftPr offend
under his kmgdom, "there remaineth henceforth no more
sacrifice for sins." The destruction of Satan is due at the
same time.-Rev. xx, 1 0 and 1 5.
Thus, with all things subjected to the will of God, the
Son shall deliver up earth's dominion to God, even the
Father, ( I Cor. xv, 28 ) , whose will then will be "in all," and
done in earth as in heaven.
Then the first dominion, lost by Adam, will have been
restored in the Second Adam, ( the spiritual ) , and the re
stored race will be so in harmony with God as to rule their
dominion in accordance with his law-I,OVE.
A better illustration of man's dominion over earth vet
>ubservient to the laws of God's kingdom, cannot be de
than that which is afforded in the government of this cou n
try. Each State is permitted to govern itself-make its own
laws, etc., so long as it is in harmony with the govcrnment
of the United States. Just so the dominion of Earth, whith
has been preparing for mankind since the foundation of the
world, will be restored to him, whPn hP i,; prPp.n P<l tn 1 1 1 l ,
it in harmony with the heavenly kingdom-which kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom, enduring throughout all "Pnrrations.-Psa. cxlv, 1 3.
They shall have everla sting life. as Adam had i t . v i. r . o
long as they remain obedient to God's will, whi<'h w t l l be
ever, since they will have learned the evil effect;; of a n v othl'r
way than his.
With these thoughts of the "Day of Jud1--'1nt>nt" a n d i t g
beneficial results to mankind, we are prepared to read i n
telligently Psalm xcvii, which we quote : -

[ 2 6 !l ]

' 'JEHOVAH REIGNETH ;

Let the earth rc j oicP ; lPt tlu multi tude of isles bP glad.
Clouds and darkn1s arP round ahout him :
Righteousness and j udgment [justit'l' I the t a ] , J t h m,nt
of his thronP.

Z I 0 N 'S

TV A T C H

A Iii e goeth bLfore hun,

A11tl burncth up Ius L'nenues round about,

His lightning [truth] enlighteneth the world :

The earth [natwn s ] saw and trembled.

The lul l s [ earthly governments] melted like wax at the
p1 esc11ce of Jehovah.
At the presence of the LORD of the whole earth.
The Heanns [ immortalized saints i n heavenly places] de
clare his righteousness, and all the people see his
glory.
Zion heard and was glad :
And the daughters of Judah rejoiced,
Because of thy JuDGMENTS, 0 Jehovah."
WOULD THERE BE ROOM FOR THEM ON THE EARTH IF
THE BILLIONS OF DEAD WERE RESURRECTED?

Tins 1s an important point. What if we should find that

whil e the Bible asserts a resurrection for all men, by actual
measurement they could not find a footing on the earth
what then ? It is frequently asserted, by people who should
know better, that the earth is one vast cemetery. Now let
us see : figure it out for yourself and you will find this an
error : you will find that there is room enough for the
"restttutwn of all t hngs, which God hath spoken by the
mouth of his holy prophets."-Acts iii, 2 1 .
Let us, i n this calculation, assume that i t i s six thousand
years since the creation of man, and that there are one bil
i ion tour hundred m illion people now living on the earth
- ( the la rgest estimate. ) Our race began with one pair, but
that none !->hould think us illiberal, let us calculate that there
\Vl're as many people then, as now- ( one billion four hundred
m l l l wns. ) and further, that there never was less than that
number at any time.
( Actually the flood reduced the popu-

T0 WER

P ITTSBURGH, PA.

lation to eight persons. ) Again we will be liberal and esti

mate three generations to a century, or thirty-three years
to a generation, while, according to Gen. v, there were but
eleven generations from Adam to the flood, a period of one
thousand six hundred and fifty-six years, or about one hun
dred and fifty years to the generation.
Now let us see : six thousand years are sixty centuries ;
three generations to each would give us one hundred and
One billion four hun
eighty g enerations ( since Adam. )
dred m illion to a generation would give two hundred and
fifty-two billion as the total number of our race from crea
tion w1til now, according to our liberal estimate, which is
probably about twice the actual number.
Where shall we find room enough for this great multi
tude ! Let us measure the land. The State of Texas ( United
States ) contains two hundred and thirty-seven thousand square
miles. There are twenty-seven million eight hundred and
seventy-eight thousand four hundred square feet in a mile,
and, therefore, six trillion six hundred and seven billion one
hundred and eighty million eight hundred thousand square
feet in Texas. Allowing ten square feet as the surface cov
ered by each dead body, we find that Texas, as a cemetery,
would at this rate hold six hundred and sixty billion seven
hundred and eighteen million eighty thousand bodies, or nearly
three times as many as we calculated had lived on the earth.
A person, standing, occupies about one and two-third
square feet of space. At this rate the present population of
the earth ( one billion four hundred million ) could stand on
an area of eighty-six square miles ; an area much less than
that of the city of London, England, or the city of Philadel
phia, United States. And the island of Ireland ( area thirty
two thousand square miles ) would furnish standing-room for
more than twice the number of people who have ever lived
on the earth, even at our ) J bernl calculation.

"THE CHRIST OF GOD"

THE word Christ or Kristos is a Greek word, introduced

mto our English language, but not translated into it. Its
trans Ia tion is, ANOINTED.
" Unto us a child is born," etc., and "they shall call his
name J esus." The name Jesus means Deliverer or Saviour,
and the child was named in view of the work he was to
do ; tor we are told, "he shall save his people from their
sms." Jesus was always his name, but from the time of
his baptism, when the Holy G host descended upon him and
a nomted him as the High Priest, preparatory to his mak
mg "the sin offering" on the cross, and thus accomplish
in)( what i indicated by his name, his title has been "The
Anointed,"-Jesus "the Christ ( anointed ) of God."-Luke ix,
20.
L Compare Acts x, 37, 38.]
,J csus was frequen tly called by this title instead of by his
name ; as English people oftenest speak of their sovereign
as "the Queen," instead of calling her by her name--Victoria.
But, as Jesus was in God's plan as the anointed one, be
fore the foundation of the world, so too THE CHURCH of Christ,
was recognized in the same plan ; that is, God purposed to
take out of the world a "little flock," whom he purposed
ra ismg above the condition of the perfect human nature, to
make them "partakers of the Divine nature." The relation
'-lu p of Jesus toward these, is that of "Head over all, God
blesed forever ; " "for he hath given him to be head over
the church ( of the first-born ) which is his body." As Jesus
wa-, foreordained to be the anointed one, so we, also, were
rlw-,en to the same anointing of the Spirit, as members i n
! 1 1 bodv a n d under h i m as our head. A n d s o w e read
( Eph. ( 3 : ) "God hath blessed us with all spiritual bless
l llg' in Chnst according as he hath chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
w1 thout blame before him in love ; having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved!'
Again, ( Rom. viii, 29, ) "Whom he
( See a I o vs. 20-23. )
rl ! d foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
1mage of Ju s Son, that he ( head and body ) might be the
{i ls t l,om ( hei r ) among many brethren."
G od'-. plan of saving the world by a "restitution of all
t h mgb," wa1ts until first, this bride of Jesus-these mem
ber of the Spirit-anointed body, shall be gathered out from
the world accordmg to his purpose. God's intention being to
d ! '-play to the world hi wonderful and mighty "love where
W i t h he loved us," as we read ( Eph. ii, 7, ) "He hath raised
in Christ Jesus, that in the ages
m
up together
t() r orne he might show the exceeding riches of his grace
t favor 1 i n hi!l kindnes!l toward us in Christ Jesus ; " for we
arc "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father

through sanctification ( setting apart ) of the Spirit unto obe

dience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.'.'-! Pet.
i, 2. This shows us that the E>lection is not an arbitrary
one. God elected, first, that .Jesus should taste death for
us, thus releasing us from death ; second, that the knowl
edge of this redemption should be declared ; third, that those
who believe the proclamation should be invited or called to
become "partakers of the Divine nature," "heirs of God joint
heirs with Jesus Christ their Lord, if so be that they suffer
( death ) with him that they might be also glorified together,"
( Rom. viii, 17 ) -his purpose being, that when this "prom
ised seed" is developed, that in, through, or by it, "all the
families of the earth shall be blessed."-Gal. iii, 29. This
seed is to crush the serpent's head, ( Rom. xvi, 20, ) thus
destroying evil, and bringing about "the restitution of all
things.''
To be thus a part of "The Seed," "The Christ," we must
see to it that we comply with the conditions, [ suffer death
with him if we would be found in him,] thus making our
calling and election sure. We make sure of our being part
of the elect company by obedience to the call : for, "They
that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.''
Rev. xvii, 14. Being faithft'l to the call insures our posi
tion among the chosen. "They that follow the Lamb whither
soever he goeth," in the future, are the same that bend
every power and lay aside every weight to "walk in his foot
steps" here.
A beautiful illustration of our oneness with Jesus, as
members of his body, is shown in the anointing of Aaron as
high priest. All of the anointing oil [ type of the Holy Spirit]
was poured upon the head j the under priests stood by, their
heads covered with bonnets, ( Lev. viii, 1 3 . ) indicating thereby
that they were not the head. Aaron, who stood with uncov
ered head, was the head of their priesthood. They took part
in the ceremony, and were anointed symbolically in him as
members of his body, for the oil poured on the head ran
down over the members of the body, as we read, ( Ps. cxxxiii,
2, ) "It ran down the beard, even Aaron's beard : that went
down to the skirts of the garments.'' So we, who claim not
to be the head, but members in Christ's body, receive full
anointing by the same spirit. "For as the body is one, and
hath many members, and all the members of that body, being
many, are one body ; so also is Ghrist, for by one spirit are
we all baptized into one bod;v.''-1 Cor. xii, 1 3 . "As many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death.''-Rom. vi, 3.
Our oneness with Jesus, as members of the Christ
anointed body-may be clearly illustrated by the figure of
the pyramid :

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Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

T h e topstone is a perfect pyramid o f itself ; other stones

may be builded under it, and if built in exact harmony with
all the characteristic lines of the topstone, the whole mass
will be a perfect pyramid. How beautifully this illustrates
our position as members of "The Seed"-"The Christ ; " joined
to, and perfectly in harmony with our head, we are perfect ;
separated from him, we are nothing.
Jesus, the perfect on<>, has been highly exalted, and now
\Ve present ourselves to him, that we may be formed and

T O WE R

( 1 03 - 1 1) 7 )

shaped according to his example, and that we may be built

up as a building of God. I n an ordinary building there is
no "chief corner-stone ; " but in our building there is one chief
corner-stone, the "topstone," as it is written. "Behold, I lay
in Zion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious"-"to whom com
mg as unto a living stone . . . ye also as lively ( living )
stones are built up a spiritual lwuse, an holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
I Pet. ii, 4-6. And, very soon, we trust, the umon between
Jesus and the body will be complete, us expressed by the
Prophet : "He shall bring forth the headstone, thereof, with
shoutings, Grace, grace unto it."
And, dearly beloved, many blows and must polishin.., mn5t

we have--much transforming we must undergo, and much

conforming unto his example, under the direction of the great
Master-builder ; and in order to have the ahi hty and ideality
of the builder displayed in us, we will need to see that we
have no cross-gramed will of ours to oppoe or thwart h i
will being done in us ; w e must b e nry child l i ke a n d hum
ble--"Be clothed with humility, for God re.,isteth the proud.
but giveth grace to the humhl<>. Humble yourselves, there
fore, under the mighty hand of God, that he mav e xal t y o u
in due time."-I Pet. v, 6.

THE PLAN OF THE AGES

EXPLANATION OF THE CHART
KEY-K, the plane of Glory ; L, the plane of Perfect Spir
ttual Being / J/, the plane of those Begotten of the Spirit/

N, the plane of Human Perfection_- P, the plane of Typical

Perfectton ; R, the plane of Depravity and Sin. a, Adam ; b,
the World ; c, Abraham ; d, the World ; e, Israel ; f, a Time
of Trouble ; g, Jesus ; h, i, k, l, Christ Jesus ; n, the "Little
Flock ; " m, the "Great Company ; " p, Justified Persons ; q,
Hypocrites ; r, Christ ; s, the "Little Flock ; " t, the "Great
Company ; " t, u, v, "Babylon" Falling ; S, the "Day of the
Lord" Trouble ; w, a:, Christ and Bride Enthroned ; y, the

"Great Company" before the Throne ; z, Israel Restored ; W,

the World ; T, the "Gate ; " U, the "Brazen Altar ; " V, the
"L:twr ; " X, the "Golden ( Incense ) Altar."
IN this diagram, or chart, ( see over, ) we have sought to
aid the mind through the eye, to understand something of
the progressive character of God's plan ; also, the progressive
steps which must be taken by all who ever attain to the
divine nature.
First, we have an outline of the various dispensations,
A, IJ, C. The first ( .4. ) lasting from man's creation to the
flood ; the second ( B ) from the flood to the commencement
of the .Millennia! reign at the second advent ; and the third,
or "Dispensation of the fullness of times," ( C ) lasting from
the beginning of Christ's reign for untold ages-"ages to
come."-Eph. ii, 7.
These three great dispensations are frequently referred to
in Scripture : A being called "the world that then was ; " B
is called by Jesus "this world ; " by Paul "the present evil
world ; " by Peter "the world that now is." 0 is called "the
world to come, wherein dwelleth righteousness," thus con
trasting it with the present evil time. Now evil rules and the
righteous suffer, while in the world to come the rule is to
be reversed ; righteousness will rule and evil-doers will suffer,
and finally all evil be destroyed, so that every knee shall bow
and every tongue confess to the glory of God.
Secondly, we find that the two last of these dispensations
( B and C) are composed of various ages-each of which as a
successive step leads upward and onward in God's plan.
Age D was the one during which God's plan was represented
and typified by such patriarchs as Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, etc.
Age E is the Jewish Age, or the period from the death of
Jacob, during which all of his posterity are treated of God,
as his especial charge-his favored people. To these he
showed special favors and declared-"You only have I known
( recognized with favor ) of all the families of the earth."
Amos iii, 2. These as a nation were typical of the Gospel
Church-the "holy nation-the peculiar people." The prom
ises, etc., made to them were typical of "better promises"
made to us. Their journey through the wilderness to the
land of promise ( Canaan ) was typical of our journey through
the wilderness of sin to the heavenly Canaan. Their sac
rifices justified them typically and not really, "for the blood
of bulls and goats . . . can never take away sin." But
in the Gospel age (F) we have the "bet ter sacrifices," which
do make atonement for the sins of the whole world. We have
the "royal priesthood," of which Jesus is the chief, or "head,"
composed of all those who offer themselves to God "living

sacrifices," holy and acceptable, through Jesus Christ. In

the Gospel Age we find all the realities of which the Jewish
age and its services and ordinances were but a sha dow
the Law being "a shadow of good things to come."-Heb.
x, I. Theirs was all typica l, ours is all real.
The Gospel age (F) is the period during which the body
of Christ is called out of the world, is shown the crown of l ife
and the exceeding great and precious promises whereby ( by
obedience to the promises and high calling ) they may become
partakers of the divine nature.-II Pet. i, 4. Evil is sti l l
permitted t o reign over o r rule the world, i n order that by
contact with it, these may be tried to see whether they be
willing to give up the human-a living sacrifice-being made
conformable to Jesus' death, that they may be also in h is
likeness in the ( First) resurrection. G is the Millennia! age
( one thousand years, ) during which Christ Jesus shal l rei!lll
and rule and thereby bless all the families of the earth, :c
complishing the "restitution of all things spoken by the mouth
of all the holy prophets."-Acts iii, 1 9-2 ! . With this a(l'e
sin and misery and death shal l be forever blotted out, f r
"he must reign until he hath put all enemies under his feet
. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
-the Adamic death. During this reign and associated in it
with Jesus, will be the church called the Bride-his body
"1'o him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne even as I overcame and am set down ( durin"' the
Gospel age ) with my Father in his throne." Blessed rivi
lege to be thus intimately associated with our Lord in the
great work of blessing all men-as "kings and priests unto
God." H shows "ages to come ; " ages of perfectiOn, blessed
ness and happiness for all, but regarding the work of which
Scripture is silent.
The "HARVEST" at the end of the Jewish age was a period
of forty years, lasting from the beginning o f Jesus' min
istry when he was anointed of God by t h e Spirit ( Act" x . :l:;, l
and began his ministry ( A. D. 30, ) until the destruction of
Jerusalem ( A. D. 70. )
In this harvest the Jewish age mded
and the Gospel age began. There was a l a ppi n g of the a ge s.
as you will note, by careful examination of the d1a gr a m
The Jewish age ended in a measure when, a t the end of
Jesus' three and one-half years' ministry, he gave them up.
saying : "Your house is left unto you deso l a te. "-Ma tt. xxiii.
38. Yet, there was favor shown them for three and one-half
years after this by the confining to them of the Gospel ca ll,
in harmony with the prophet's declaration ( Dan. tx:, 24-27, )
regarding seventy weeks ( of years ) of faYor toward them ;
and "in the midst of the ( seventieth l week," 1\Iesldah l:'hould
be cut off ( die ) , but not for h i mself ( "Christ died for o u r
sins : " ) and thus did h e cause the sacrifice and oblation to
cease in the midst of the week-three and one-half vears
before the expiration of the seventy covenant weeks. W hen
the true sacrifice had beez: made, of course, the typical one
would no longer be recogmzed by Jehovah.
There was then a more complete sense in which that ,Jew
ish age ended with the end of the seventieth week or three
and one-hal f years after the cross- ( u fter whi<'h the G o ;;pt'l
was preached to t he GrntilcR a l;;o-beginning with Cornelius.)
-See Acts x, 45. This ended t h e i r age so far as t h e Jt>wrsh

[ 27 1 ]

"
0
"'

"WRITE DOWN THE VISION AND MAKE IT PLAIN UPON TABLES, THAT EVERY ONE MAY READ IT FLUENTLY."
HABAKKUK 2 2.

EPH. I 10.

THE

TA B E RNAC LE
O F T H E WILDERNESS
THE HARMONY OF ITS TEACHINGS

JEWISH ACE
FROM

Jactb'a Death to the End of

tbt "70 Weeks

......

V;
K

"'-3
\)

, -r"'-+1-11-P-

THE

--=======

to an administration of the fulness of the

things in heaven and

times, to reunite all things under one Head, even

things on earth-under Him."-Eph. 1 : l G-Dwg/ott.

appointed
the

TABERN.\CLE.

tl'l
::tt

Its teachmgs are in harmony

with the Chart of the Ages,
showing the same STEPS as
necessary in coming from sin
to glo ry.
The entire ground of the
Ta bernacle e"closure was called
"Holy." OutS<de the court all
was tmholy, and is the equiva
lent of the unJUShfied plane in
Chart of Ages. THE CO URT

ILLUSTRATING THE PLAN OF GOD FOR BRINGING MANY SONS TO GWRY, AND HIS PURPOSEregard

HUMAN PERfECTION AND LifE.

CHART OF THE AGES.

"In

"'-3
0

THE WORLD orHAKIUIID

LifTED UP ro

under the Anomted One ; the

enclosure Parallels the JUstified

or PERFECT H UMAN plane.
The
"Holy" rep rese nts t h e
c o n d1t1o n of consecrated Chns
tians,
BEGOTTEN
of the
Spirit. Th e Most Ho ly , beyond
the snon d vet/, represents the
PERFECT SPIRITUAL con.

t'ltwn when "we shall be like

H IM. "
The glo ry plane is
sttll fu rt h er along the grand
cltmax of hope-"Glory, Honor
and Immortality."

:31
:t
=

SI!PTICMBU, 1881

Z I O N'S

WA T C H

church was concerned ; but their national exi!;tence terminated

in the great time of trouble which soon followed, resulting in

the destruction of their city and nation.
In that "luJ,rvest" the Gospel age had its beginning also :
this age is designed for the development and trial of "tle
Christ of God"-head ( Jesus ) and body ( the church) . It 1s
the Spirit dispensation, hence, it is proper to say that the
Gospel age began with the anointing of Jesus ( our head) "by
the Holy Ghost, with power." ( Acts x, 38 ; Luke iii, 22 ; iv,
1, 1 8, ) at the time of hit baptism ; while in another sense we
might say that it commenced at Pentecost, three and one
half years later, when the Spirit came upon his body, which
is the church.
A "HARVEST" will constitute the closing period of the
Gospel age, during which there will again be a lapping of
ages-the Gospel age ending and the Restitution or illn
nial age beginning. This age closes by stages, as d1d 1ts
pattern or "shadow"-the Jewish age. As there, the first
seven years of the harvest were devoted in an especial sense
to a work in and for the Jewish church and were years of
favor ; so here we find a similar seven years marked as hav
ing the same meaning and bearing upon the Gospel church,
to be followed by a period of trouble ( judgmetJ.ts-seven last
plagues, etc., called "fire," ) upon the nations of the world
as a punishment for wickedness, and as a preparation for the
reign of righteousness ; of which more again.

THE PATH TO GLORY

K. L,

M, N, P, R, each represent different planes.

N is
the plane of perfect human nature ( sinless, undefiled. ) Adam
was on this plane before he sinned ; from the moment of
disobedience be fell to the depraved or sinful plane, R. The
world has been on that same plane since-fallen far below
perfection of manhood. P represents the plane of typical
JUstification, reckoned as effected by sacrifices of the "Law ; "
but it was not actual perfection, for "the Law made nothing
perfect."
N is not only the plane of human perfection, as repre

sented by the perfect man, Adam, but it is the plane occup ied
by all justified persons. "Christ died for our sins accor d ing
to the Scripture," and in consequence every believer in Christ
-all who accept of his perfect and finished work as their
justifier, are, because of their faith, reckoned of God, justified
or perfect men-as though they had never been sinners. In
God's sight then, all believers in Christ's sacrifice are on the
N plane, viz., human perfection. This is the only standpo int
_
from which man may approach God, or have any commumon
with him. All on this plane ( N ) God calls sons ( human
sons-Adam before sin was thus a son, Luke iii, 38. )
During this Gospel age God has made au offer to the
justified human beings, telling them that on certain condi
tions they may cease to be earthly, human beings and become
heavenly spiritual beings-like unto the angels-like unto
Christ's glorious body. Some believers-justified persons
are satisfied with what joy and peace they have, through
believing in the forgiveness of their sins, and heed not the
voice which calls them to come up higher ; others moved by
the love of God, as shown in their ransom from sin, say,
"Lord what wilt thou have me to do !" To such the Lord
answers through Paul : -"I beseech you brethren, py the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice ;
holy, acceptable to God, your reasonable service."-Rom. xii,
L Paul, what do you mean by our giving ourselves living
sacrifices r I mean that you shall consecrate and give every
power, which you possess, to God's service, that henceforth
you shall live not for self, nor for friends, nor family, nor
for the world, nor for anything, but for and in the service of
him, who bought you with his own precious blood.
But Paul, surely God would not accept of blemished or
imperfect sacrifices, and since we all became sinners through
Adam, we cannot surely be sacrifices, can we ! Yes, beloved,
it is because you are holy that you are acceptable sacrifices,
and you are holy and free from sin, because God has justi
fied you from all sin freely through Christ's death.
As many as obey the call of Paul, rejoicing to be accounted
worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Christ-those who
look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that
are not seen-at the "crown of life," at "the glory that shall
be revealed in us," at "the prize of our high calling-in
Christ Jesus"-these consecrate themselves wholly to God
and are from that moment no longer reckoned men; but, as
having been begotten of the Holy Ghost through the word of
truth-no longer human, but henceforth spiritual children ;
they are now one step nearer the prize than when they first
believed. But their spiritual being is yet imperfect; they
are begotten, but not yPt horn of the spirit. They are em1-1 8

TO WER

(1 08-1 12)

bryo spiritual children on plane M-the plane of spiritual

begetting. Because begotten of the spirit, therefore they are
no longer reckoned human, but spiritual ; for the human
nature once theirs-once justified, they have now given up,
or reckoned dead-- a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable and
accepted of God. They are now new creatures in Chrict
Jesus, old things ( human hopes, and will and all ) are pased
away and all things are become new, for "ye are not in the
flesh but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell tn
you."-Rom. viii, 9. If you have been begotten of it, "ye
are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God."
Plane L represents perfect spiritual being ; but before
plane L is reached, the conditions of your covenant must be
carried out. It is one thing to covenant with God that you
will be dead to all human things, and a further thing to
perform that covenant throughout your earthly career.
keep your body under ( dead ) ; keep your own will out of
sight, and perform only the Lord's will. The entrance upon
plane L is called birth, or a full entrance into life as a
spiritual being-l ike unto Christ's glorious body, and like
unto the angels. We cannot enter on that plane until the
entire church is gathered in from the world-when "the
dead in Christ shall rise first," ( this corruption must put
on incorruption-immortality. )
Then we, which are alive
and remain, ( not having entered the tomb ) shall be changed
in a moment-made perfect spiritual beings like unto Christ's
glorious body ( for "this mortal must put on immortality." )
Then, that which is perfect being come, that which is in part
( the begotten condition with the various hindrances of th(
flesh, to which we are now subject) shall be done away.
But there is still a further step to be taken beyond a per
fection of spiritual being-viz., to "the glory that shall fol
low"-plane K. We do not refer to a glory of person, but
to a glory of power or office. The reaching of plane L brings
us to full personal glory, i. e., to be glorious beings like unto
Christ's glorious body. But after we are thus perfected, and
made entirely like our Lord and head, we are to be asso
ciated with him in the glory of power and office-to sit with
him in his throne, even as he after his being perfected at
his resurrection to a glorious being, was exalted to the right
hand of the majesty ( glory) on high ; so we shall enter in
everlasting glory-plane 1(.
Now notice carefully the chart, while we look at illustra
tions on the path to glory.
( A pyramid is a perfect figure
or shape, hence we use it to represent perfect beings, in the
chart. )
( a ) re present Adam ; he was a perfect being and hence a
pyramid. Notice that he is on plane N, which shows that
Adam was a perfect man ( before he sinned ) .
Below him ( b ) is an imperfect or topless pyramid, it
represents the world of mankind, which sin had degraded ;
notice the plane on which it stands-R, the "Depraved Plane."
( c ) represents Abraham ( whom we use a an i l l n.;; t ration
of several other persons . )
Abraham was a member o f the
depraved human family, and should be on plane R, but Paul
tells us that Abraham was justified by faith, that is, he was
reckoned of God a ( sinless ) perfect man, becausp of his faith.
This, in God's estimation, lifted him up above the world of
depraved sinful men to plane N : and though actually still
imperfect, he was received into the favor that Adam had lost.
viz., communion with God as a "friend."-James ii. 23. All
on the perfect ( sinless ) plane ( N ) are friends of God, and
he a friend of theirs ; but sinners ( plane R) are at enmity
against God-"enemies through wicked works."
( d ) represents the world o f mankind after the flood still
on plane R-still at enmity, where they continue until the
Gospel church is selected and the l\Iillennial age begins.
( e ) represents "Israel after the flesh" during the Jewish
age, when the typical sacrifices of bulls and goats cleansed
them, not really, but typically ; "for the Law made nothing
perfect."-Heb. vii. 19. Because they were typically j ustified.
but not actually so, we put them on plane P. The plane of
typical justification, which lasted from Mount Sinai until
Jesus made an end of the Law, nailing it to his cross. There
ended the typical justification by the institution of the "better
sacrifices" than the Jewish types, which actually "take away
the sin of the world," and "make the comers thereunto perfect."
( f ) represents the ( fire) through which fleshly Israel
went when Jesus was present, sifting them and taking out of
their nominal church the wheat or "Israelites indeed, in whom
was no guile," and especially after the separation of the
wheat when he "burned up the chaff ( refuse part of that
church and nation ) with unquenchable fire," ( a time o f trouble.
etc., which they were powerless to avert. ) -See Luke i i i . I i :
also, xxi. 22 ; and 1 Thess. ii. 16.
( g ) represents Jesus ( at tl1irty ymrs of age l a JlCI (eel

[ 27 3 ]

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

m a n , he hanng left the glory of the spiritual condition and

hecome a man in order that he ( by the grace of God ) should
taste dt>ath for ctery ma n . God's law requires an eye for an
ee. a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life ; it was necesary
that a man should die for mankind or the penalty ( man's
death ) would not be paid : hence the death of an angel would
no more pay the penalty and release man, than the death of
"bulls and goats, which can never take away sin." Therefore,
the first -begotten of God became a man, that he might give
that winch would redeem mankind. He must have been a
perfect or sin less man, else he could do no more than any
mc>mber of the fallen race to pay the price. He was ''holy,
harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." He took the
;;ame form or likeness which the sinners had-"the likeness
of i n ful flesh''-the human.
Being found in fashiOn as a ( perfect ) man, he humbled
lumself and became obedient unto death. He presented him
elf to God at baptism-"Lo, I come ( in the volume of the
book it is written of me ) to do thy will, 0 God." When he
thus presented himself-consecrated his ( human ) being, his
offering was holy ( pure ) and acceptable with God, who showed
h i s acceptance by filling him with his spirit and power-when
the Holy Ghost came upon him, thus anointing him, thus he
became the "Chrtst." [ The word Christ meaning anointed.]
This filling with the spirit was the begetting to a higher
form of being, which he should receive when he had fully
a rcomplished the offering-sacrifice of the human nature. This
was a step up from human conditions, and is shown by pyramid
h, on the spirit-begotten plane, M. On this plane ( M ) Jesus
spent three and a-half years of his life--u ntil it ended on
the cro- Then, after being three days dead, he was raised
to life-quickened of the spirit to the perfection of spiritual
bemg, ( i plane L ) for now he waR born of the spirit-"The first
born from the dead." "That which is born of the spirit, is
sp t ri t j'' Jesus, therefore, at and after his resurrection, was
a spirit-a spiritual being, and no longer a human being in
any sense.
True, after his resurrection he had power to, and did
appear, as a man, in order that he might teach his disciples,
and prove to them that he was no longer dead ; but he was
11ot a man, and no longer was controlled by human conditions,
hnt could go and come as the wind ( even when the doors
were shut ) and none could tell whence he came nor whither
he went.-"so is every one that is born of the spirit."-John
Iii. 8.
From the moment of consecration ( baptism ) the human
had been reckoned dead-and there the new nature began
( begotten plane, M, ) which was completed at the resurrection,
when he reached the perfect spiritual plane, L-raised a
spiritual body.
Forty days after his resurrection Jesus ascended to the
majesty on h igh-the glory plane, ](, ( see pyramid k. ) Dur
ing the Gospel age he has been in glory, l, "set down with
the Father on his throne," and during this time he has been
the head over his church on earth,-her director and guide.
During all this Gospel age the church is in process of development, discipline and trial to the intent, that in the end, or
harvest of the Gospel age, she may become his bride and
joint-heir. Hence she has fellowship in his sufferings, that
she may be also glorified together with him, ( plane K, ) when
the proper time shall come.
The steps of the church to glory are the same as those of
her leader and Lord, Jesus ( he hath set us an example that
we hould walk in his footsteps, ) except that she starts for
glory from a lower plane. .Jesus, we have seen, came to the
plane of hum an perfectwn, N, while all of the Adamic race
arc on a lower plane, R,-the plane of sin and enmity against
God. T h e firt thing-. tl1en, fo r m t o d o i <; t o b e j1stified, o r
ct upon plane N. How is this accomplished-is it by good
No, sinners can do no good works ; we could not
work<; ?
commPnd ourselves to God, so God commended "his love
toward us ( sinners, on the depraved plane, R, ) in that while
Then the condition
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
upon whieh we come to the ju-;tified or perfect human plane,
l b that Christ died for our sins, redeemed us and l ifted us
u p to the perfect plane. But, have w e nothing to d o with
the matter ? Nothing whatever, except to believe it. "We are
justi fied ( li fted to plane N ) by faith." And "being justified
by faith, we have peace with God," ( Rom. v. 1, ) and are no
longer enemies, but justified human sons, on the same plane
as Adam and Jesus, except that they were actually perfect,
wh i l e we are reckoner! so of God, a nd l.;now it berause God's
word tells us so ; "ye are justified freely from all things." We
o;tanrl in God's <; i g"h t nh-;olutclv spotles'i, becnuse .Jesus' robe
<J f rig"hteomne<;<; coYenl n ll our imperfections.
But remembPr th n t wh i l e> ju stification is a blessed thing, it

TO WER

does not change your nature--you are still a huma.n being,

and unless you proceed you will never be a spiritual being
never be anything but a human being. You are saved from
the wretched state of sin and alienation from God, and, in
stead of being a human sinner, you are a human son, and
now because you are a son, God speakes to you as such, saying,
"My son, give me thy heart : " that is, give yourself, all your
earthly powers, will, talents-your all to me ( as Jesus hath
set us an example ) and I will make you a son on a higher
plane than the human j I will make you a spiritual being ( i. e.
a being with a sptritual body ) like the risen Jesus-"the
express image of the Father's person." If you will give up
ali of the earthly and consecrate it entirely to me and use it up
in my service, I will give you a higher nature than the rest
ot your race--1 will make you "partakers of the divine
nature"-make you "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ ;
if so be that you suffer with him, that you may be also
glortfied together."-Rom. viii. 17.
Do you value this prize set before us in the Gospel ? Then
lay aside every weight and run with patience the race, that
you may win it. Works were not called for in lifting you out
of sin. No, Jesus did all the works that could be done to that
end, and lifted you by faith to plane N. But now, if you
would go further, you cannot go without works : true, you
must not lose your faith, else you will lose your justification ;
but being JUStified you are able ( through the grace given unto
you by your begetting of the Spirit ) to have works, to brin
forth frutt j and God demands it. He demands that you shall
show your appreciation of the grand prize by giving all that
you have and are for it, not to men, but to God-a sacrifice
holy and acceptable to him-your reasonable service. When
you present all these things, say : Lord, how would you have
me deliter these things to you ? Examine the Word for God's
answer and you will probably hear his voice instructing you
to deliver your all to him as Jesus and as Paul did, VIz., by
"doing good unto all men as you have opportumty, especially
to the household of faith." Serving them with spiritual or
natural food, clothing them i n Christ's righteousness or with
earthly raiment, as you may have tbility or they have nec
essity. Having consecrated all, you are begotten of the spirit
-you have reached plane M, and now, through the power
given u:nto you, if you will use it, you will be able to do
all of your Covenant and to come off conquerors, and more
than conquerors through ( the power or spirit of ) him who
loved us and bought us with his own precious blood. Thus
walking in the footsteps of Jesus"Ne'er think the victory won,
Nor once at ease sit down ;
Thine arduous work will not be done.
Till thou hast gained thy crown."
The crown will be won when you, like Paul, "have fought
a good fight and finished the course." You may not get the
prize as soon as the race is finished and won, but may wait
perhaps, as Paul did, until tl1e entire body of Christ is com
plete, as he said : There is laid up for me a crown of right
eousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me
at that day : ( the day of the Lord- ) and not to me only,
but unto all those also who love his appearing.-2 Tim. iv.
8. [ We hope and believe that we shall not be obliged to wait
in death as did Paul, but that we are living in the days of
the completion of the church, which is the body of Christ,
and shall be among those who shall not sleep in death, but
be changed in a moment as Paul says : "Behold, I show you
a mystery-we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed."
-1 Cor. xv. 5 1 . ]
Those of this class who sleep ( a little flock ) accounted
worthy of THE resurrection (firs t ) shall be raised spiritual
bodies ( vs. 44 ) -plane L. And we ( of the same class-over
comers ) who are alive and remain-shall be changed--to the
same plane of being [ L ] viz., spiritual : like unto Christ's
glorious body. No longer weak, earthly, mortal, corruptible
beings, we shall then be fully born of the spirit ; heavenly,
spiritual, incorruptible, immortal beings. "That which i s
born of the spirit is spirit."-"! shall be satisfied when I
awake in thy l ikeness."
We know not how long it will be after our perfecting as
spiritual beings ( plane L) before we shall be glorified ( plane
K) with him : united with him in power. This uniting we
understand to be the "marriage of the Lamb" to his Bride,
when she shall thus-enter into the joys of her Lord.
Look again at the chart--n , m, p, q, represent the nominal
church as a whole, all claiming to be the body of Christ. n
and m are both on the spiritual begotten plane-M. Both of
these companies have existed throughout the Gospel age ; both

[274]

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1881

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

have covenanted with God to become l i ving sacrifices ; both

have been "accepted in the beloved" and begotten of the
spirit as new creatw es j but the dift'erencc 1:> th is : n represents
the company who are fulfilling their covenant and are del!'d
with 0/u-ist to earthly will, and aims, and all. They Will
be the overcomers-the Bride--the Body who will sit with
Jesus i n his throne, i n glory-plane K, when the Gospel age
is ended. These are a "little flock" to whom it is the Father's
good pleasure to give the kingdom .-Luke xii. 32.
m rep
resents the larger company of the spirit-begotten children ;
they have covenanted, but, alas ! they shrink back from the
pertormance of it-they shrink from the dcMh of the human
will, etc. ; but God still loves them and therefore will bring
them by the way of trouble and adversity- ( ultimately resulting
in the destruction of the human will-to plane L-the perfect
spiritual plane. But they have lost the right to plane K
the throne of glory-because they were not overcomers. Notice
that in the case of both of these companies, the earthly
nature must be destroyed ; but in the case of the "great
company," m, it is taken from them, while in the case of
the "httle flock" it is, as it was, with Jesus, the example
a willing sacrifice. Oh, if we prize our Father's approval, i f
w e desire our Lord's smile, i f w e desire t o be members of h i s
body-his Bride--a nd t o s i t on his throne, w e must fulfill our
eovcnant of sacrifice ! I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your oodies a living sacrifice--holy,
al'eeptable unto G od, your reasonable service.
p represents the maJority of the nominal church.
You
will notice that they are not on plane M, but on plane N j
they are justtficd, but not sanctified ( not entirely consecrated
to God, ) not begotten, therefore, as spiritual beings at all.
They are higher than the world, because they accept of Jesus
as their ransom from sin, but they have not come high enough
to be a part of the real ch urch-the spiritual family, and
unles'l they p1 0gress and sacrifice the human, they will never
be anything but human , and in the resurrection they will be
in the likeness of the earthly man, Adam, whereas those who
sacrifice the human, will be in the likeness of the Lord
like unto Chnst's glorious body.
q represents a class con
nected with the nominal church who never did believe in
Jesus as the f'acrifice for their sins and who consequently
arc not just fi.ed-not on plane N.
They are "wolves i n
sheep's clothing"-they are in no sense a part of the church
-they i.Jelong to plane R, are part of the world and are out
of place In, and a great injury to, the church.
Thus, in a mixed condition. the church has existed through
out the Gospel age : as our Lord had foretold-the kingdom
ot heaven ( church ) i s like unto wheat and tares in a field
( the world ) -"Let IJoih grow together until the harvest.
In
the time of ha rvest J w i l l say unto the reapers ( the angels, )
gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn
( destroy ) t h e m , but gather the wheat into my barn."-Matt.
xiii. 38, 4 1, 40.

These words of our Lord show us that while he purposed

that both should grow together during the age, he also pur
posed that there should come a time of separating between
This division comes in the end of
these different elements.
the age, for "the harvest is the end of the age."-Vs. 39.
During the Gospel age the seed has been growing and tares
( counterfeits ) also-"the good seed is the children of the king
dom"-the spiri tual children-classes n and m-while "the
tares are the children of the wicked one"-all of class q, and
many ( if not all ) o f class p-for no man can serve two
masters-and "his servants you are to whom you render
service." As class p does not consecrate its service to the
Lord, doubtless it gives much of its time and talent really
in opposition to God, and hence in the service of the enemy.
Now notice on the chart the "ha1vest," or end of the Gospel
age ; notice the two parts into which it is divided- seven years
and thirty-three years, the exact parallel of the Jewish age
and harvest.
This "harvest," like the ,Jewish one, is to be
a time of trial and sifting, first upon the church, and after
ward a time of wrath or pouring out of the "seven last
plagues" upon the world, and such of the church as are not
separated as wheat during the first seven years. The Jewish
harvest is the "shadow" or pattern on the fleshly plane, of
all that the Gospel church enjoys on the spiritual plane.
( The two cherubim which were types, also teach this equality
and likeness of the two ages. They were "of equal size and
of equal measure." )
The thing which tried ( fleshly ) Israel was the "stone
of stumbling and rock of offense"-Jesus was present as the
Lord of their harvest ( the disciples being reapers under h i s
d1 reetion ) .
The ti uth as t o his presence was t h e sickle, and
it separated the "Israelites indeed in whom thtre was no
guile" from the nominal Jewish church ( and the true wheat

TO WER

(113

] ii

there were !.Jut a fragment compared to the profc!>!>Or!> ) _

So,
also, is the harvest of this age ; Jesus come!. a ;, econd t1me,
not again a fleshly being ( not again to sacrifice ) , but a
s.piritual body, to "take to himself h i s great power and
reign"-blessmg thereby all the families of the earth. ( A
already shown, spiritual bodies are invblble to humanity
unless a miracle be performed. )

The sreond advent of Jcsu, leavi ng the plane of gl o r.\ . J<

and commg to the unglorifietl spiritual plane, L, is shown
by figure 1'.
As has been stated heretofore, we belicYe that
the prophets, etc., teach that we are now in the "harnt"
of the age ; that our Lord has come, and the work of hanet.
or separating wheat from tares, has been p 1 ogre!>ing b ince
A. D. 1 874.
The first work of the Lord in thi s han est will
be to separate the true from the false, and the truly co n
secrated chi ldren from the unconsecrated one- .
Thib work
we believe is now going on.
The nominal church, because of her mi:\,ed condition,
Lord calls confusion, or "Babylon" ; and during this harnt
he purposes ripening, separating, and perfect i11g the lliffer<>nt
classes in the church-wheat wil l be separated from ta re. anti
ripe wheat from um ipe, etc.
Clas n are a " t1 n,t- fruit." of
the wheat, and, after being separated in the spirit of their
minds, will in his due time become his Bnde an1l be eaui!ht
away to be forever with her Lord-and like him. T he be p n rat
ing of the little flock from Babylon is shown by figure s. She
will utimately become o n e with Jeus and bear h i b name a n l
share h i s glory. The glorified Christ, head a n d ho,l,\ '. is <;ho"' 1 1
b y figure 10.
Figures t, u, a n d v represent t h e " Babylon"
nominal church falling going to pieces duri ng 'the time of
trouble," or "day of the Lord." Tiwugh this may seem to bP
a dreadful thing, yet it may be shown to he of great adva u
tage t o all t h e true u;hcat.
Babylon falls because s h e i <> not
what she claims t o be. "Babylon i s fallen, is fallen, a n d b e
come the habitation of devils, and the hold of c\ery foul spirit
and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."-Rev. :n i i i , 2.
The clmrch nominal contains many, many hypocrite;;, who have
associated themselves with her because of her honorable stand
ing in the eyes of the world, who, by their conduct, etc . . a re
gradually making B abylon a stench in the nostril-; of the
world.
The Lord always knPw of them, but let them alone
until the harvest, and now will "g-ather out of his king,Jom
( church ) all things that offend and them which do i n iqu ity.
and cast them into a fmnace of fi 1 e ( trouble ) . . . . Then s h a l J
the righteous shine forth a the u n in the kingdom of tlwir
Father." :Matt. xiii, 4 1 . Tiw t rou bl t- coming upon th<> church
will, we believe, be occa'lioned by the overspreading of Infidel
ity an d S p i r i tualism, both of which will be trials, bt-c:tuse t he
church holds so many doctrines contrary to God's Word. And
every one who has built hi faith upon Christ with a nything
else than the truths of the 'Word-g-old, siher, preciou stone.
will find himself sorely bes<>t during this time of wrath ( tire ) _
for all errors of men-wood, hay, stuhhle-- w ill be conuuw,J s,
represents those who built with truth-gold, etc. , and con
quently were separated from Babylon. t, represents t h e ''!lrcct t
com pany," o n the plane M-bcg-otten o f the spi rit- I.Vhca t not
fully ripened at the time of the g-athering of the jilst-{ru it.q
( s. ) Thev
built upon the rock, Christ Jesus, but with woo! .
etc., of hu m a n creeds and isms. Such shall suffer lo""s ( i n
fi re , ) but himself shall be sa\'<'!l ( so :1'1 by fire. ) -1 Cor. i i i .
10-15. Tlwy lose t h e pn::c o f the throne ; b u t . n :> a lr<>atly
shown, themselves shall be saved and reach the full b i r t h of
the spirit, be<>ome spiritual hdngs--pl:me L. [ S t>Yer:ll Set i p t
ures seem to teach that t h i s <>nmpanr wil l not reaeh perfpction
on the spiritual plane J,, until the "ha rvest"-and its t rouble
are over ; while the l i ttle f11wk. S, a re evidently chn ngcd
before the "seven last plag-u<>" are pout t-!l out, as the h:tH'
some work to do in connPct i o n with tlwi r execut i o n . ]
T,,
return to th e "great company." t : thf'y wrre thP Lon! ':>. hut
they were so overcharge,) wi th thr affa i t s of t h i :> l i fe . t h e
world and a worldly chureh. t h a t . while thP Bride w,t;; bein!!
sepa rat<>ll from Bab.vlo n , t lJPir f':t rs '.\ f'l'e d u l l of lw:ni u g :
!'<llll f' nnt out \l hPn t l c ct y w a -.. m.Hit> Tlw h< I V<'t i ,.,,m e -
" Ba l!ylun is fallen . . . . co m e o u t o f h a rn ,11 flCOJll.- t h a t .w l,
1 1 0t partak1TS of her .ins. and rccf'irr 11ot of l!c1 pla q u es ''
Rev. xvi i i , 2-4 ; ( vs. 21 )
A nrl she sha l l be east a " a g t a t m i l l
stone into the ea- ( the \\ Orld on plane R. )
A Y i !'w of t h i
companv ( t ) during the troul.Jit>, a fter tlw Hri1I P Pomp.tny ( .< )

has bPPn taken and the "marri.g-c of the Lamb i " l'tJille, '' i
furnished us i n R t>v. x i x . 2, fi - 7 .
T t i -; aftrr ' ' R a h y l o n " h c;
fallen t o p i c cP R , a n d t h ey a r P l illl'rntPJ from ht>r eha i n s a n ri
influences. and com!' t.> I'P:l l i rc t h a t ta 1 cs .1 1 1 11 eart h l y
ne\cr
W <' l P
God's
d1 11rch :
hut,
that
h
organization
a l wnys h n J in v i l ' w t h P t U P. nwmh,rs nf . l c> U>: ' bc,dy-" 11 h o ;,
nHm<: ! U C wri ttPn i n hPaVell "
( V<: fi ) . "A V O i l't' l'll llle llU t Pi
th e thro11c ( w ) saying : Pra ise our God all yc h i erv.l n t " a nd

f2751

the

tid:>

th,,

Z I O N 'S

1 22- 1 26)

WA T C H

Jt! t h .t t f<:>ar h im . both small and great ; " then the answer of
t h e "great

company," t ( after Babylon, the harlot church

. . lnn l'h .I nti " oi l,! u n it ed, an improper union called harlotry
h .\ been j wl g cd. sec Ys. 2 ) , saying, ''Alleluia, for the Lord God
,,m n i potent r ei g n c t h ( they recognize the reign as commenced
by the ovPrthi O\\ of ' Babylon the great' ) let us us be glad and
I'I',J niec' antl g n c honor to h un , f or the marriage of the Lamb
is come. ( (nck pa t tense-is accomplished ) and his wife
h.l t h m .t d c herelt re a dy . " T h ey will no doubt be greatly dis
m.tyed t o realize t h a t the Bride has been completed and united
to t h e Lord, and that they, because blinded and overcharged,
h .t v, Jot t h at g1 eat p 1 1ze : but eemingly the beauty of God's
p l a n . \\'hich they now begin to discern as one of love, both for
them and for all the world of mankind, quite overcomes their
gri e f , and they shout, Alleluia ! -the glorious reign of right
l1 (.Hln. s is beg-Uli
Then, too, JJOte the abundant provision of the Lord : the
I I H' a !.! l' Is Pnt t o t l aIn-Though you are not of the Bride, y ou
may be present at the great celebration-"Blessed is he that is
called to the m a rnage supper of the Lamb." ( vs. 9. )
This
company i'i called t o nuke use of the Lord's chastisements and
to rome fully i n to ha1 mony with him and his plan, and they
shall utimately reach the position next to the Bride--on the
p i n t u a 1 plane L.
The time of trouble, as i t w i l l effect the
world. will succeed the fall of Babylon and will be an over
tuming and disintegration of all human governments and of
so cie ty , preparing the world for righteous and equitable gov
ernment. Du r ing the time of trouble, fleshly Israel, which was
cast off until the fullness of the Gentiles should be come in,
w i l l be restored to God's favor, because the Gospel church, or
spiritual Israel, w i l l me completed. These, during the Millen
n i a ! age, shall be the chief nation of earth-at the head of all
un the earthly plane of being - "a praise in the whole
ea rth."
Their restoration, as well as that of the world in general,
will be a gradual one, requiring all of the Millennia! age to
fully accomplish it .
During that thousand years' reign of
Chnst de::1th will be gra dual ly swallowed up or destroyed. Its
various stage-siekness, pain and weakness, as well as the
tomb, will gradually give place before the Great Restorer's
po wer , until at the end of that age the great pyramid of our
ch a r t will be complete. x. The Christ-the head of angels
and men. next to the Father, y. The great company, spiritual
being' l i ke unto the angel . ::: . l<>rael after the flesh at the head
of earth! creatures, and 1l', the world of men restored to per
fection of being like the head of the human race, Adam ( before
in ) . The world, as we have already seen, are to be resur
rected, or again brought into existence, the penalty for their
sin being paid for them in Christ's death. Their bringing
again int o being will be a restoring, and will be due during
the fillennial age-the times ( years ) of restitution.-Acts

T O WER

PITTSBURGH, P..

iii, 2 1 . It requires all of the Millennia! age to accomplish

the work of restoring to the perfection of manhood. They will
then be like .Adam, except that they will have enjoyed a greater
range of knowledge than he possessed, both of Good and Evil.
They will be mentally in the image of God ; for this is a part
of God's plan, that under the new covenant he will take
away the stony heart out of their flesh ( not take away their
flesh and make them spiritual beings ) , and give them a heart
of flesh-again as Adam's, an image of God. "This is the
covenant I will make with them after those days, saith the
Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds
will I write them."-See Heb. x, 1 6 ; Jer. xxxi, 29 ; Ezek.
xxxvi, 26-32. Sin is now written on the hearts of all human
ity. This must first be blotted out and the former image-
the law-of God reinstated before men will be perfect men.
This work is called restitution, and this God has promised to
men. When restored they will be in no danger of falling, be
cause no longer liable to mistake evil for good-knowing both.
In Rev. xx, 9, we learn that some will be destroyed in the end
of the Millennia! reign, ltecause when presented full opportun
ity to become perfect men, and in harmony with God and his
law of love, they chose evil. Such die the second death, from
which there is no resurrection, nor restitution. When we look at
our Father's great plan for the exaltation of the church, and the
blessing through her, of Israel, and all the familes of the
earth, by a restitution of all things, it reminds us of the song
of the angels : "Glory to God in the highest ; on earth peace,
good will toward nwn ! " That will be the consummation o f
God's plan-"the gathering together o f all thing i n ( under )
Christ." 0 the height and depth, the length and hrPadth. of
the love of God which passeth all understanding !
Who will
say that God's plan has been a failure then ? Who will say
that he has not overruled evil for good and made both the
wrath of man and of devils to praise him ?

THB TABBBNACLE OF THB WILDERNESS

teaches the same general lesson as the chart of the ages, and
we place it alongside, that the different planes or steps to the
Holy of Holies may be duly noted and appreciated. Outside
the court of the tabernacle lies the whole world in sin-on the
depraved plane. Entering through the "gate" into the court
we become believers or justified persons. Those who go for
ward in consecration, press to the door of the tabernacle, and,
entering in, become priests-are strengthened by the ''shew
bread," enlightened by the candlestick, and enabled to offer
acceptable sacrifices to God, by Jesus Christ, at the "Golden
Altar."
( Notice the corresponding planes, M and N, on the
chart. Finally, when sacrifices arP a II over, in the 1 <''>IIITec
tion, they enter the perfect spirtiual, or most holy place ( plane
L ) , and then are associated with Jesus in the glory of the
kingdom. "Praise ye the Lord ! "

THE RESURRECTION
THE

d e.t t h

all(] rf , u n e c t i on of a h u m n n body as a thing

d btinct and sepa1 ate from the intelligent being, is never men
tioned in the Scripture. \Vp never read that Abraham's body
d a d not t h a t , J .,,n' bud.11 d i l '<l . nor that anv one's body died.
Remg sign i fi es <'Xistence, and there can be no being or ex
trnce w i thout life aud body both. Withdraw life, and the
/iPlllfJ or exi'>tence cene, for life is but a power or principle,
t ! 1 1 a m P i n tlw lowPr animnls as in man-the difi'Prence in
' ! u alit i es betwePn m an and the brute consisting not in a dif
ferent k i n d o f life, b ut in a different kind of body.
Any bPing i< properly called a soul or person. This is the
c r i pt ura l en - e an<! usage of the word soul, so little under
stoo<l ; viz., Rcinq ( life and body combined ) . Thus we read
of the creation of Adam-"And the Lord God formed man of
the dmt of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the
bnat l 1 of h f" ( runr-ltthe same breath said to be given to
bl'a<;t<> b i rch a n d fihes ) and man became a living soul,"
I b ;ing. ) -Gen . 2-7.
We cite a fPW i l lutrations out of a multitude show;ng the
Bible U'ng-e of the o nl 80ttl, showing that it signifies being.
Le v . " 2. " I f a oul ( be z n g-person ) touch any unclean thing
he '- I J U I I he nnelean." Vs. 4, "If a soul ( being ) swear." Vs.
1 ii. ' If a '"nl ( bein q ) commit a trespass." Lev. xxii, 1 1 , "If
t h e p n e - t b u y any , ou 1 ( [, e w g ) with hi monev." Prov. vi , 30,
"If he r,bal to sati , fy hi soul ( being ) when he is hun
gry." .Jesu" -:1 1.! "!\1y "oul ( bein g ) i<> exceeding sorrowful even
unto <leath " \fa t t. ' w i . :JR. "Thou shalt love the Lord . . . with
a l l t h v >,r, n l ' ( li n n r1 1 M a t t n i i . :n . " T h e rich man s a i d , "Soul
( bein g, "'lf 1 , thou h :1 t m uch goo ds laid up for many years ;
t n ke thin" t>a,<' , Pat. rl r ink and be merry.
But God said
T J , u u f,,, J , t ll l , 1 1 J g h t t h y nnl ( be? n g , Pxistenee ) will ( ePae ) he

required of thee."-Luke xii 19. "For what is a man profited

if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul ( exit
ence, being, ) or, What shall a man give in exchange for his
soul !" ( being, e:uistence. ) -Matt. xvi, 26. How many illustra
tions of this Scripture are furinshed us in every-day life :
Men labor for wealth, to gain as much as po'lsihlP of the whole
world, only to find when they are rich that wealth has come at
the expense of health. How many of those who spend their
life in laying up earthly treasure, find that their very being
ean.tence-has been sacrificed in gaining the wealth. Then
what would they not give to get back again health, etc. ? They
lavish their wealth upon physicians, traveling, etc., but it is
of little use. They made a poor exchange. when they gave
their being for money. Some "purified their souls ( beings
lived more purely) in obeying the truth."-1 Pet. i, 22. "The
Ia w of the Lord is perfect converting ( changing ) the soul"
( Being ) .-Psa. xix, 7. Other souls ( beings ) were subverted,
turned from the truth by error. Acts xv, 24, Other, unstable
souls ( beings, persons ) were beguiled.-1 1 Pet. ii, 14.
With this view of the meaning of the word soul, viz., that it
includes all being or existence ( a combination of life and body ) ,
let us inquire--What dies, the principle of li fP or the body ?
We answer, Neither ; the life principle is one which pervades all
creation, just as does electricity. This p ri n c i p l e of life per
vades and i s an essential element of all being, in tree, in fish,
in fowl, in beast, in man, in angels, and in the fullest degree
in God, who is its source or fountain. This principle cannot be
said to die ; though, if it be withdrawn from any creature to
whom God has given it, that creature will d ie--cease to have
being. Thus the breath of life is taken from beasts, birds, fish,
and man.

[ 216]

SI!PTI:MBR, 1881

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

Nmther can it be properly said that the body dies, since,

separate from the principle of life, the body never had life, and
consequently could not die. The body, without the spirit ( of
life ) , is dead, and that which is dead cannot die.
WHAT THEN IS DEATH-WHAT DIES?
We answer, the being dies-ceases to have being or exist
ence. Death is the dissolution, or separation of the things
which, combined, constitute being,-namely, life and body. Thus
when the spirit of life returns to God, who gave it ( all nature
is his reservoir of life ) , then the being is dead, and soon the
body will return to the dust, "from whence it was taken." We
see clearly, then, that not the body, but the being-called in
Scripture soul--dies. Let us notice some instances in which
this is stated in so many words : Job xxxi, 39, ( marginal
reading, ) "Cause the soul of owners thereof to expire"--: ( dis
solve, die. ) "Their soul dieth in youth, etc." Job xxxvt, 14,
margin, "To deliver their soul ( being ) from death and to kee p
_
them alive in famine."-Psa. xxxiii, 19. "He spared not theu

soul ( being ) from death" ( dissolution. ) -Psa. lxxviii, 50.

"He keepeth back his soul ( being ) from t h e pit" ( death. )
Job xxxiii, 18. "He shall deliver his soul ( being ) from the
grave."-Psa. lxxxtx, 48. "A l l -,oub ( bengs ) are mine . . . .
the soul ( being ) that sinneth it shall die."-Ezek. xviii, 4. It
was the soul ( being ) of Jesus which was given for our ran
som. "Thou shalt make his soul ( being ) an offering for sin"
. . . . "He shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied."
''He hath poured out his soul ( being ) unto death."-Isa. liii,
10- 12. But, ( Acts ii, 3 1 , ) "His soul ( being ) was not left in
hell," ( hades-the condition of death . ) He was raised to being
again, but a being of a higher order-having a grander than
human form or body-"Put to death in the flesh, but quickened
by the spirit." And now we come to the point-What will be
raised up, in the resurrection 1
'l'he body, says some one. Not
so ; I answer, it is the BEING that God promises to ra4se up.
It once existed, and lost e.).. istence, and is to be raised up to
existence or be1ng again. Men can resurrect a body from the
tomb ( that is, bring a body out of a tomb to the surface ) ;
but only God'b power can resurrect or bring to eroistence again
a bemg who has died.
We see then that resurrection means
the 1 estonng of being. Now, ''\\'ith what body do they ( these
beings ) come" ( into being again ) ? is a question asked by
Paul.-1 Cor. xv, 35. [ We have seen that being is made up
of two Plements-body, and spirit of life ; hence, if restored to
being, they must have some sort of bodies provided them.]
Paul proceeds to tell us, that, while each must h ave a body, yet
in the resurrection all beings will not have the same kind of
bodies. He says that there are two general sorts or kinds
of bodies-the earthly or natural bodies, and the spiritual
heavenly bodies. There are perfect illustrations of these two
kmus of bodies : Adam was the head of the earthly, human
family, and a pattern of the perfect human being. Christ Jesus,
at his resurrection, was the first born from the dead to the
perfect new nature, the spiritual, and he, "thus born of the
spirit, is spin t."-John iii, 6. His is a sample or illustration
of a perfect spiritual bet11g.
All humanity belongs to one of two classes : either they are
natuml men-the ADAMIC S EED , or they have been begotten of
the spirit through the word of truth and have given themselves
up to Christ, that the will of God might be done in them ; this
is the newly begotten man ; he belongs to the SPIRITUAL SEED.
Now, says Paul, "God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him
and to every seed his own body." That is, those who have,
during the present life, become partakers of the divine nature,
must needs have a divine form-a "spiritual body," "like unto
Christ's glorious body," while those who have not thus changed
nature would have no change of body. When again brought
into being, they will have natural, human . bodies.
The resurrection, which some will have, to spiritual condi
tions of being-with spiritual bodies-is in Scripture desig
nated as special, by calling it "the first resurrection," first in
importance--chief.
It is also frequently designated by the
article THE ( very noticeable in the Greek text ; but less so in
our English translation s ) ; for illustration-notice the foll ow
ing instances, ( Luke xx, 35, ) "They that shall be accounted
worthy to obtain that world and THE resurrection neither
marrv
nor are given in marriage." Again, Paul always taught
that there would be "a resurrection, both of the just and the
unjust," yet he says : If by any means I might attain unto
THE resurrection.-PhiL iii, 1 1 , ( the first-to spiritual condi
tion and being. )
Again he designates this resurrection to
spiritual being as "his resurrection," because Jesus was the
first one so raised to spiritual being. "That I might know
h im , and the powet of n rs t P'- l l t H'<'hon" ( i . P that l 1 1 1 i !ht ht
raised as he was raised ) . Then follows an account of how

T O WER

( 1 2(, - I J ') )

he might attain to that glorious resurrection to bpiritual be

ing, viz., "knowing the fellowship of his suffenng'> and bewg
made conformable unto his death."-Phil. iii, 10.
None will attain to this chief resurrection, except they con
secrate themselves entirely to God's service. "We beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you pre,cnt
your bodies ( and all their powers, talents, reputations-all ) a
living sacrtfice, holy, acceptable unto God, your reasonable serv
ice."
So shall you be among those who shall be in THE fin t
resurrection, for "blessed and holy are all they that have part
m THE Flll ST resurrection ; on such the second death hath IHJ
power ; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, :md
reign with him a thousand years."-Rev. xx, 6. \Ye can know
little about the perfection, and grandeur, and po\\ er'l o f tho;,e
who shall become spiritual beings, except that they will be "like
unto Christ's glorious body."-PhiL iii, 21. As the apostle
says : "It doth not yet appt>nr what W P hall J.P. hut w k n o w
that when he shall appear we shall be like him."-1 John iii, 2
What an answer is this to those who claim that nothing 1:>
teal, but a flesh-and-bone body ! Who would insist that Jesus,
after his resurrection, was the very same flesh and bones he
was before he died ? Was that a glorious body ? No, that w a
the body he took for the suffering of death-but being put to
tleath in thP flesh, he wa s fJ U ickPne<l by the spirit, "a l ife-gidng
spirit."-1 Cor, xv, 45. Now he is the express image of the
Father's person. Is the Father and Creator of all thing!!
imply a great man ! Nay, verily, "God is a spirit." "It doth
not yet appear, what
but we shall be like him." Away
with that grossness of materialism, which can realize nothing
higher than the natural, human plane ! Let us take Paul's
account. There are human natural bodies and there are
spiritual bodies. Both will be gloriott., but the glory of the
human, earthly, ( terrestrial, ) is one thing, and the glory of
the spiritual, heavenly, celestial, is quite another and fJUite a
different thing.-See 1 Cor. xv, 40. The restored world o f
mankind shall be indeed glorious men, like the perfect head of
the human race, but that glory will not compare " i th ' ' t h e
glory that shall be revealed in us," who have givPn up the
human n ature and become partakers of the divine nature, into
the perfection of which we hope soon to be ushered. Like
the earthly one ( Adam ) such will they be also that are earthly
( human ) .-Like the heavenly one, ( Christ, when "born from t hP
dead," ) such will they be also that are heavenly ( now begotten
to the heavenly nature by the word of God through the spirit,
then to be born into the perfection of that being ) , vs. 48.
Paul gives us a slight account of the great change from
natural to spiritual . which awaits those who have part in T H E
first resurrection : Vs. 42 informs us, "Thus is T H E resurrec
tion of THE dead : It is sown in corruption, it is raised in in
corruption ; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in gl01 y , it is
sown in weakness, it is raised in power ; it is sown an a n i m a l
body, i t is raised a spiritual body." [ Diaglott.]
.

ORDER IN RESURRECTION
All of God's works and plans are full of order : It has well
been said-Order is heaven's first law. While there shall be
n. resurrection both of the just and unjust, and all shall be
made alive, and while some shall be made alive as perfect
spiritual beings, and others in the likeness of the earthly one,
A dam , yet there are times an<l St'il' <on n 11<l m <IP t for .1 1 1 t h t <,
a s Paul says : "But every man i n his o wn order, Chri"St tht>
first fruits- ( Jesus the head and we the "members of his both-"
-yet "all ONE body "-The head raised one thousand eight
hundred years ago, the body very soon, we trust, ) after" ard
they that are Christ's at his ( parousia ) presence-the "great
company."
These are the first orders and include all of those who are
of the spiritual family, but there are others-eL'ery man in hi"
own order-and when n I I of these orders are co m p let e ( Pa 1 1 I
mentions only those in which the church's interest centered ) .
when all have been brought to l1(e and perfection <'ither on thP
human or spiritual planP ( rxcPpt those who diP tlw ' seco u d
<leath" ) , "thPn ( at the end o f the one thous a n d y e a r re i gn of
Christ and the saint ) cometh the end." ''whpn he shall have
put down all I nl r n n<l all n n tho r i t v and power " '' Fot lw m u s t
re i g-n until h <' hnth p u t a l l r ii PillH: n l l < l tr h i -> f<'et -Tht l . t - t
< ' ll em 'y that Rhnll h P <lt-,tJ n\'td ( <i 1 l l lll!! that o u t! t hn u n d t'.t l :.
reign ) is death" ( Adamic ) . in all its fonn" : sickness. and p a i n .
_ have come-the 1'1ul
as well as the tomb,-''Then the end" will
of sin on earth. the end of the great work of ran"ominu- m.l t l
k i nd and bringing them i nto full harmon with t h l'i r C'r<'.d <>l
Then-the Ron shn n dPlinr up thr kingdom-dominit>n of
rarth to G od <'Ven the Father : that God mav be all-ant! ln
1\ ill done in all -See vs. 23-28.

r 21 1 1

REVELATION XX :5
fi l E til el.t llt'e o f thi ' erse, viz.-''tlw 1 < " t o f t h e <!Pad
h\ t'cl not ag-.uu. until the thousand years were finished,"-has
bt'<'ll t h e e.nbe of much confusion and error among Christians.
lt J" o11t o f I J a i i illln y with the teachings of both the Old and
Ne11 T,, , t a m e n t s . i n a s m uch as it places and fixes the resurrec
t io n of a II e\.eept those " ho ha 1 e part in the "first" ( or resur
l t'c'hon to spi ritual bemg ) beyond and after the Millennia]
\ one t h ou s an d years ) rei'1l of Christ and his Bride, while all
<'t h c r !' c ri p tn r e s assert that a ll the families of the earth are
t ,, ht' ble""''cl du 1 i11g that reign ; that it is for this purpose of
h l t> - l llg all mankind, Jesus takes his great power and reigns ; "
1 l i n t t h e period o f the reign i s the "Times ( years ) o f Restitu
t ' " '' " po ke n Ly the mouth of all the holy prophets," which are
d ne to commence not at the end of the one thousand years, but
, , t it beginn ing-at the second coming of Christ-Acts iii,
l !1- l .
The Scriphu e we have just been considering ( 1 Cor. xv, 23 S ) a s e1 ts most poitively that it is during and not after his

( one thousand years ) that Christ will put down all

<'IH m i r '> and dest roy the last enemy, death ( Adamic ) . I f death
i::, <h.;; t ro,\'ed dming the reign, how would it be possible for any
to be hel<l Ly it until after the thousand years were finished1

rt>tg n

Xow. thank G od, we can see clearly the cause of this in

kt r mon- ( probably because now is the due time--the book

"i n ,., <' l .l t i o n h a not lJC>en until recently understood ) . 'Vhile

PYl'l " or.l of Go(l is good, not so every word of man, and we
n"w find that the abo1e word'! of Rev. xx, 5-"The rest of the
dt.lll l i w<l not ag-ain until the thousand years were finished"
a l l' IIW H's \l o r d s and not God's.
During t l 1 e "<brk ages" of Papacy's reign came the "great
fal li ng a ll ' a y" ( 1 1 Thes. i i , . ) f1 om about the year 300 to 1 600
\. n .
During that C'arnival of heresy several portions of the
B1 hie 11 PH' so a l t e1 e<l a'l to appear to give support to Papacy's
t n C' h i ngs- ( thi-; w n in the early part of l1er reign, for after
wa 1 d she e n de a 1 ored to destroy the Scri-ptures under the pre
t PnC'e that she-the church-through her ministers was a
l l igher authority. )

The finding in recent years of two very ancient MSS. reveals

to U'i several i n te1 polations of words and verses which we earn
estly hope the new 1:crsion ( soon to be published) will omit,
they being not God's words, but man's.
The'le interpolations ( n ot 1;ery numerous ) are of a more or
le'ls serion'l character, the following being probably the most
i111portant. viz .. the portion of Rev. xx, fi, now under con
o;ider:-tiOJ1 ; a nd John xxi. 25 ; and the words "For thine is the
k in!!rlom. the power and the glory forever. Amen"-in Matt.
1 i . l : a l R o the \l ords "in heaven the Father, the Word and the
Holy Chost ; and these three agree in one ; and there are three
t h .t t l w a r \\ i bH>"" in e n r t h "-pa l t 'l of 1 .Tohn v, 7, 8.
Jt may not be generally known that Papacy had succeeded
i 11 de'>troyin!! nen ! ly n ll GrePk C'opies of the New Testament.
_\ ft pr "The Rdormntion" had made the words of Jesus and the
a p o - t l eo;; to be once more reverenced and esteemed among be
l i evPr, as of greater authority than "the voice of the church,"
o u r prp<.;cnt "authoriu!l version" ( attthorized by King James
nf E n Q"I n nd, ) " as published in the English language A. D. 1 6 1 1 .
i\ t 1 1 H time n f it;;; h a n <, l a t i on from the Latin "Vulgate" but.
fp\\' G rP ek :\IRS. were kno11 n to exist, and only eight were used

by w.1y of reference and comparison, and none of those were

older than the tenth century. Since then some six hundred
and sixty MSS. have come to light, among them two very
ancient ones written between the third and fourth centurieo;
the "Vatican MS. No. 1209," and the "Sinaitic MS." ( the
latter-the very oldest-was found complete A. D. 1859 ) . These
1 8. a 1 e 1'8pecially valuable because written before such gross
cl fors had crept into the church and the "falling away" had
reached its climax.
It i s by the l ight shed by these ancient MSS. that we are
enabled to separate between the Word of God and that of men,
and to learn that. the texts referred to ( and some others ) are
interpol<t tions and not a part of the divinely inspired Scrip
tures.
As to the motives and errors which may have led to these
unwarranted interpolations of the text, we may be able to offer
a suggestion, viz., the last mentioned ( 1 John v, 7, 8 ) was
probably intended to give authority and sanction to the doc
trine of the "Trinity." As to the interpolation in Matt. vi, 13,
and Rev. xx, 5, we may each be able to offer a reason, when it
is remembered that Papacy claims that it i s now the reigning
kingdom of God-that the Millennia} ( one thousand years )
reign of Christ and his saints over earth has been fulfilled by
Papacy's reign as-Mistress of the world. As we understand
it, their claim is that since 1798 A. D. is the "little season" in
which the devil i s loosed ( Protestantism being his agency for
deceiving ) , a fulfillment, they clatm, of Rev. xx, 7 .
Holding this error, is it surprising that they wanted some
thing added to the prayer-"Thy kingdom come"- so as to
make it appear to j ustify the thought that it had already
come ? This is the thought conveyed in the words added---" For
thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. Amen.''
With this teaching, that the Papal dominion constituted the
reign of Christ over the nations, yet possessing no power to
resurrect the dead, is it strange that they desired t o have som<'
Scripture say that "The rest of the dead lived not again until
the one thousand years were finished" ! ( The first resurrection
they spiritualized. )
From our standpoint we recognize the Papal system as be
ing the counterfeit of the true church which in due time shall
be exalted to "power over the nations," not to bind men with
chains of ignorance and superstition, but to bless all the
families of the earth. When the true King shall-"take to
himself his great power and reign" then we can truly say,

"Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever."

The words, "The rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished"--a.re not found in any MSS.
written previous to the fifth century, and if we notice the con
nections in which they are found, we will see that they are as
much out of harmony there as we have j ust s Pen them to h< i n
congruous with the general teachings o f other parts of the
Bible. The succeeding clause of the same verse is by this inter
polation forced to say that "this ( after the one thousand
years ) is the first resurrection." Now read verses 4-6, omitting
the interpolated clause, and we have h armony and sense
"They l ived and reigned with Christ a thousand years : This is
the first resurrection ; on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall
reign with him a thousand years."

THE NARROW WAY TO LIFE

"EntPr ye in at the strait gate, because strait is the gate
r wl n anow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be
t i ! H t find i t : for 1dde is the gate and broad i s the way that
l eadeth to de;.,truction, and many there be which go in thereat."
-l\Ia tt. vii, 1 4.
ALL l i fe i the same. It all issues from the same fountain.
Go<l i t h a t fountain. In him, and in him only, is life unlimited,
'\hH lhtles. ever-continuouo; and uncontrolled by any circum
ta ncP. The n rme, which describes this perfection of life, is
1111 111 0 1 t a l l fy. Tt sign i fi Ps death-proof, consPquently disease and
prlitl-proof. M an , who have not closely noted the scriptural
uf of the word immortal . have used it with reference to man
and to a n ge l , but f'cripture ascribes it to God, the Father,
onl11. a we will pro1'e fohortly.
Tlw un i the grPat fountain of l ight to earth, illuminating
ll l l things, Y't it C'RH<;P'! many varieties of color and shades of
light, according to tlw nature of the object upon which it.
-,hine. The <.,arne '> l m l igiJt ;., h i n ing upon a diamond, a brick,
a n rl upon vario11s kind-. of glas, produces strikingly different
dfPd". 'J'hP light i " the srme. but the obj ects upon which it
- h i l l ('" rl iffer in thPir f'apacity to rcceiw an<l trammit it.
So,
tr,o. " i th l i fe. It all flow<> from thP one inexhaustible fountain,
anrl i a ll of the s a me ki nrl .
The oyster ha life, but its
( 1 3fJ 1 3 5 )

organism is such that it cannot make use of much life, j ust n s

the brick cannot reflect much o f the light o f the sun. S o with
each of the hi!!'her grades of life in beast, fish and fowl. Like
the various kinds of glass under sunlight, so these variou
creatures show forth differently the various qualities and pow
ers they possess, when life comes in and animates their bodily
powers. And as the diamond is so perfect in its nature, and so
adapted that it can receive fully and reflect, so as to look as
though it possessed within itself the l ight, and were itself a
miniature sun, so with mankind, one of the master-pieces of
God's creation, m ade only "a little lower than the angels.''
This perfect creature was made so complete in his organism
( before sin marred i t ) as to be able to receive and retain life.
and never grow dim. Adam was formed grandly and perfectly,
and filled with life. He was more grand than any other earthly
C'feature, because of the grander organism, mental and physical.
Yet let us remember, that, as the diamond could reflect no
light, except when shone upon by the sun, so man could posses;;
and enjoy the life given him only so long as he was supplied
from the fountain-God. Man is no more a fount of life than
a diamond is a fount of light, and one of the very strongest
reasons for knowing that we have no exhaustless supply of life
in ourselve i. that sinee sin entered, our race has lost life.

[278]

SEPTIUlBD,

1881

Z I O N'S

WA T C H

Millions have gone and are going down into death. God had
arranged that man should have access to life-giving trees, and
that, by continually partaking of their fruit, he should continually live,-"eat, and live forever."--Gen. iii, 22.
Sin entering, our race lost its right to life, and was shut
away from the trees of life ( plural ) . And the glory and beauty
of humanity is dependent on the supply of life, j ust as the
beauty of the diamond is dependent on the supply of sunlight.
When sin deprived humanity of the right to life and its supply
was withheld, immediately the jewel began to lose its perfection of brilliancy and beauty, and finally it is deprived of its
last vestige in the tomb. "His beauty consumes away like a
moth."-Psa. xxxix, 1 1 . And so "In Adam all die." But God
has provided Christ a ransom for sin, and soon in [by] Christ
shall all be made alive--be brought back to the origtnal perfection of the race. As the diamond loses its beauty and brilliancy when the light is withdrawn, but is lighted up again
with the sunrise, so mankind loses life when God withdraws
life from him.
"Yea, man giveth up the ghost [ life ] , and
where is he T"-Job. xiv, 10. "His sons come to honor, and he
knoweth it not, and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it
not of them."-Vs. 2 1 . "For there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest."Eccl. ix, 10. But the jewel is to have its beauty restored, and
is again to reflect perfectly the Creator's image, "when the sun
of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings." Because of the sin-offering and sacrifice of Christ, all shall go
forth from this condition of death.
"All that are in their
graves shall come forth." There shall be a restitution of all
things, a restoring to the condition ( as at first) when man
can receive back again, and richly enjoy life as it is provided
for him in full measure from the fountain-God.
But we asserted that we would prove scripturally that
divinity is the only fountain of life, and that all other forms of
life--angels, men, fish birds, beasts, etc.,-are only vessels
which hold each its full, all differing in capacity and quality,
according to the will of the Maker. First, then, we read that
God "only hath immortality." [ The fulness of life which could
not cease under any circumstances.]-1 Tim. vi, 1 6 ; and i, 17.
"\\110 only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no
man can approach unto ; whom no man hath seen, nor can see."
"Unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God,
be honor and glory for ever and ever."
Secondly, we learn that the Father, who alone possessed this
quality originally, has bestowed it upon our Lord Jesus Christ
-his son-"the first-born of every creature ; " ''the only begotten ; " "the express image of his Father's person ; " he who
was "made so much better than the angels ; " "for unto which
of the angels said he [the Father] : Thou art my son ; this day
have I begotten thee."-Heb. i, 4, 5. This one, we are told,
partakes of the Father's nature, and consequently of the same
principle of immortal life. So we read-"As the Father hath
life in himself, [God's life is in himself, and not drawn from
other sources, or dependent upon other things, ] so hath he
given to the Son to have life in himself."-John v, 26.
Thus we see that immortality is possessed only by Father
and Son. But amazing news ! -God purposes to call out of th
human race a few, a "little flock," who by obedience to certain
conditions, shall become "sons of God," and these, instead of
continuing to be of the human nature--men-shall become
"new creatures ;" "partakers of the divine nature." These.
when born from the dead in the resurrection ( as Jesus was)
will have the divine form ( body ) , being made "like unto
Christ's glorious body ; " ( and he is "the express image of the
Father," as above quoted ) not a natural body, but a spiritual
body for "it is raised a spiritual body," and "that which is
born of the spirit is spirit." We shall be changed, but ''it doth
not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he
shall appear, we shall be like him" who is "the express image
of the Father's person," and share in the "glory to be revealed." Nay, more, not only will these be in the divine form
and nature, but being of that nature, they will possess the
same perfection of life-Immortality. Hence we read : "And
this is the record, that God hath given unto us eternal life, and
this life is in his Son"-"He that hath the Son hath life; l1P
that hath not the Son hath not life" ( immortal) .-1 Jno. v. 1 1 .
Again it is written : "Thou hast given him ( Jesus ) power
over all flesh, that he should give eterna.l life to as many as
thou ( the Father ) hast given him."-Jno. xvii, 2. "And this
is the promise which he hath promised us, even eternal life."1 Jno. ii, 25. And though it is promised as a gift, yet it is
only to a certain class that he ever agreed to give it, viz., to
those believers in Jesus who by patient continuance in welldoing SEEK for glory, honor and I:MMORTALITY."-Rom. ii, 7 .
To those who flee from iniquity and "follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness"-who "fight the good

TO WER

( 1 35-1 39)

fight of faith ( and thus ) , lay hold on eternal life, whereunto

thou art also called."-! Tim. vi, 12.
But the way is a difficult one, hard to walk in. Just how
difficult the way is, may be judged from Jesus' words : "Strait
is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and
few there be that find it" ( life ) , It is not only to beheve on
him, but to follow him, and obey his voice-"My sheep hear
( obey ) my voice and I know them and they follow me, ( "take
up their cross and follow me," ) and I give unto them eternal
life." Jno. x, 28. Yes, dearly beloved, if we would be of those
who receive immortality, let us seek it earnestly. Let us have
our "fruit unto holiness ( entire consecration ) and the end
thereof ( will be ) everlasting life."-Rom. vi, 22.
The new, divine nature begins with us here, when, after be
lief on Jesus as the ransom from sin, we covenant with God
that we will "die with him that we may also live with him."
From that moment we are recognized as God's children, and
"he sends forth his spirit into our hearts," "whereby ( we ) are
sealed ( marked off as separate from the world ) unto the day
of redemption." This is our new life begun. By this new life
we are to crucify the old will--our will as natural men-and
while in the world "to live according to God in the spirit." The
spirit in us is the germ of immortality. Thus we even now are
partakers of the divine nature, but the fullness is to be reached
when we enter into life. We are now begotten of the spirit by
the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits, but
we do not reach birth until we are raised ( from the dead )
spiritual bodies. Our new nature lives in these mortal bodies
as in a house--"But we know that if our earthly house of this
( building ) were dissolved, we have a building of God," etc.
our spiritual, immortal condition.
But, beloved, the new life would be easily choked, and Paul
assures us that when thus begotten of the spirit through the
truth, "if we live after the flesh we shall die ( lose our l ife
principle ) , but if we through the spirit do mortify ( put to
death ) the deeds of the body ( human nature ) we ( as new crea
tures ) shall live ; " for the sons of God are all those led by
the spirit of God.-Rom. viii, 1 3 , 14. The work of crucifying
must take hold upon all our actions-"For he ( begotten of the
spirit) that soweth to the flesh ( lives in wilful sin ) shall of
the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the spirit
shall 6f the spirit reap life everlasting."--Gal. vi, 8. It is a
rugged, steep, narrow way that leads to life, and were it not
that strength is furnished us for each successive step of the
journey, we never could reach the goal ; but our Captain's word
encourages us-"Be of good cheer, I have overcome," "my
grace is sufficient for thee." The whole race was in the broad
road and going down to destruction-death-until Jesus opened
the narrow way, bringing life and immortality to light through
the Gospel ; i. e., he made it possible for us to reach it, by pay
ing our ransom on the cross and making us free from sin, and
becoming also our example and leader into the divine life.
Thus he opened up for us a new and living way through the
vail, that is to say, his flesh.-Heb. x, 20. As we have seen,
we were created on the perfect natural plane ( represented in
Adam ) and no higher hope than that of being natural men was
ever held out, until Jesus paid our ransom price--that is to
say, his flesh, and opened up this new way ( though a narrow,
difficult one ) by which believers could go beyond the vail
beyond the natural condition into the spiritual. ["For the
things that are seen are temporal-natural-but the things
that are not seen are eternal."- 1 1 Cor. iv, 1 8 . ]
We can hardly impress too strongly the fact that a l l o f the
promises ever held out to the Jews, during previous ages, were
only such as pertain to the natural man--i. e., natural life
prosperity and blessing. The first offer of anything spiritual
was made by Jesus to those who believe on him during this
Gospel age. These are promised, that in the resurrection they
shall be spiritual bodies-"That wl1ich is born of the spirit is
spirit." But notice that though this promise of spiritual in
stead of human existence is to all believers, yet there is a still
higher promise made to some of the believers, viz., Immorta lity.
There is a vast difference between everlasting life and im
mortal life ; the first signifies an ever-continued existence,
which may be dependent on circumstance'!, as for instance,
angels and men. Adam, i f h e had kept his first estate of sinless perfection, would have "l ived forever ;" and angels, though
of a higher nature than human, have life continued to them on
the same conditions of obedience; and some of them, "those
angels who kept not their first estate" of purity and sinlessness
( "the devil and his angels" ) are to be destroyed-have life
taken from them.
' It will be seen then, that everlasting life may he enjoyed by
creatures of G o d on either t h e natural o r the spiritual plane.
and that the condition upon which it may hE' en i oyed is et-er
la8ting obedience to the author and fountain of life--G od.

[ 279]

l 1.19-142)

Z I O N }S

WA T C H

This everlasting life is guaranteed to all creatures who use

their life in harmony with God's will. It was on this account
t h> worlct 1weded both a Redeemer to pay for them the price of
sm--dl'ath. and a Restorer to bring them again to the condition
of perfection enjoyed by Adam, in which it was possible to
render perfect obedience to God's will ; which ability to obey
was lost through sin.
Now let us notice the difference between everlasting life and
immortal life. Immortal life is everlasting, but it is more ; it is
a life which cannot cease under any conditions ; a life power
inherent in the being possessing it, not supplied by food or
other conditions, as is all other life, both of angels and men.
' "}fan did eat angel's food.''-Psa. lxxviii, 25.-"0f every tree
of the garden thou mayest freely eat."-Gen. ii, 1 6 . )
In a
" ord, as already scripturally expressed, it is to have "life in
himself," to be a fountain of life-a means of supplying life to
others.
\Yith this, which we believe to be a scriptural definition of
immortalitv, who for a moment would wonder that it was orig
.
i na l ly poss essed only by God the Father-"the King eternal,
invisible, the only wise God," "who only hath immortality ?"
( 1 Tim. i, 17. and vi, 1 6 , ) or that in due time it was bestowed
upon our Lord Jesus, as we read-"As the Father hath life in
h i m sel f, ( immortal, ) so hath he given unto the Son, that he
should have l ife in hi m self.'' Jesus, before he "took the form
( nature and life ) of a servant," and "was found in fashion as
a man," was, we understand the Scriptures to teach, a spiritual
being-i. e., a spi ritual, and not a hum n ody. He was he
chiefest of all God's ereatures-"the begmmng of the creation
of God.''-Rev. iii, 1 4. Yet, to our understanding, he did not,
at that time, p<Jsess immortality; though, like angels and all
intell igent beings liYing in obed ience to the Creator, he was
guaranteed everlasting life as long as obedient.
This life, which, according to God's plan, he had a right to
possess, he desired to give as a ransom for ours. But how
should he do it ? If he died, a spiritual being, it would have
<lone us human b cmgs no good whatever. It was a human, and
not a spiritual being, which was condemned to death, and God's
law of "an eye for eye" and a "life for a life," demanded a
human sacrifice for human sinners. Nay ; had ten thousand
spiritual beings died, that could never h ave redeemed mankind,
any more than could ten thousand "bulls and goats, which can
never take away sin."-Heb. x, 4. Neither a higher nor a lower
order of beinO's could redeem ; it required a man to redeem
mankind. Threfore, this spiritual being changed his condition
of existence from the spiritual to the human, and on earth was
known as Jesus. It was not a death of the spiritual being, but
a tmnsferrence of life from a higher to a lower plane of exis
tence-the perfect human plane which Adam forfeited by sin.*
The penalty of Adam's sin was deah ( everlasting, ) and
when Jesus took his place he became subJect to that penalty
eternal death. Jesus, as a man, then, in order to redeem man
must give up forever hi human eistence. This giing p was
at the time of hi-; baptism, and his death was typified m that
act. But after giving up, or consecrating his life as a ransom,
he was three and a half years in actually giving it up--spend
ing it in the service of others and finally ending it on the cross.
When he consecrated himself unto death ( at baptism) , he re
reived his begetting of the spirit to the new life--the divine,
immortal life ; and at his resurrection he was born to that new
nature and life, a spiritual body, and never again took the hu
man ' which he had given as "a ransom for many." In all of
this he is the pattern, or leader of all the "little flock," who
ronsecrate and sacrifice the human, and "become partakers of

the divine nature."

Thus "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures"
-"A body hast thou prepared me for the suffering of deat ,''
etr. "And being found in fashion a'l a man. he humbled him
self unto death even the death of the cross." Thus he died as

a man for ma kind

' or as Paul expresses it : "Since by man
came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead."2
1 . He died the j ust [man] for the unjust [men]
1 Cor. xv
that he m'ight bring us to God.;-1 Pet. iii, 18. We next n.otice,
that the thin!J given for the hfe of the world, was the I tfe f
.Jesus ( the man ) : "For the Son of Man came . . . . to gtve hts
life a ransom for many" [ lives] .-Mark x, 45. Notice again
that the life Jesus gave was all the life he possessed-it was
hi. life. In the parable of the treasure hid in the field, (Matt.
xiii ' 44 ) "the Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a treasure
hid in a field [ 'the field is the world' of mankind-the bride of
* Such a transferrence or change of life, from one condition to an
other will occur when ".;.e, "'ho are alive and remain, shall be caught
up tc{ meet the Lord," "changed in a mo'!l ent" from. human to spirtual
conditions without tasting death. In Jesus case the ltfe was transferred
from a h i gh er to a tower plane of. being; in our case, it w.'ll be frm the
tower to the higher. Our life will be swallowed up of tmmortahty, or
perfection of life,

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

Christ, the hidden treasure,] which, when a man [Jesus] hath

found, h e goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that
field." Jesus gave his all and so must those who would be
joint-heirs with him, walk in his steps and sacrifice earthly life.
Now, as an immortal being cannot die, it seems clear that
Jesus did not have immortality when he died. It would be im
possible for an immortal being to suffer pain or to die. But
Jesus assures us that "the Father hath given unto the Son that
he should have life in himself." When was it given unto him T
Paul tells us it was after he died,-at his resurrection. Hear
him : "Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God [a spiritual
being] thought it not robbery to be equal with God ; [to speak
of himself as being a member of God's family-the Son of God"
-John x, 35, 36] but made himself of no reputation, and took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross '\VHEREFORE, [because of this obedience-death on the
cross, etc. ] God also hath highly e(J)alted him, and given him a
name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, both of things in heaven and things in
earth, and things under the earth, [ 'they that are in their
g-raves'-the dead ] , and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."-Phil. ii,
6 - 1 1 . "That all men might honor the Son, even a s they honor
the Father."-Jno. v, 23.
From this and other Scriptures it seems evident, that, while
Jesus had held a very high position in the spirit world before
taking the human nature and form, yet the position occupied
by him since he ascended up on high, is a much higher one
"Him hath God highly exalted," etc.,-and the word wherefore,
( on this account ) used by Paul, clearly shows that the high
exaltation came as a reward for the self-sacrifice and obedience
even unto death.t This high exaltation consisted in part of
the glory of power, which will be fully displayed and exercised
during the Millennia! age. nut who can doubt that one of the
chief elements of that high exaltation was immortality, here
tofore possessed (lnly by "the King of kings and Lord of lords,
the only wise God ?"
This mighty one--J ehovah-received our Lord, the perfect
one, whose life and death were one grand expression of love to
God and to men, into oneness of life, as well as of glory and
power with himself, which would imply his becoming the son of
God, with power, ( in a higher sense than before ) and a par
taker of the divine nature. How fitting, too, that hP, whoP
work it is to restore the human race again to perfection of
earthly being, should be a fountain of life !
Every action should have a motive ; and when Jesus came
into the world and died for our sins, it was the result of one or
more motives. And so we find Paul, in exhorting the church to
a life of self-sacrifice, p<Jinting to the prize of our high calling
as a motive or incentive to energy and perseverance ; and he
refers to Jesus as our example, saying : "Consider him that en
dured- . . . . looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of
our faith ; who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God."-Heb. xii, 2, 3.

The joy set before our Lord was threefold : first, to ransom
a race of beings from sin and death, and restore them to the
perfection of their being ; second, as a reward for his faith in
God's promise, and obedience to his will, he would be exalted
to the right hand ( chief place) of p<Jwer, and have inherent life
( "life in himself,'' ) the divine degree--immortality ; third, he
might bring some of the human race to the higher plane of be
ing-the spiritual. To these he would be both redeemer from
death and leader-to as many as believed on him, "to them
gave he po wer to become the sons of God.''-John i, 12. These
could also become partakers of the divine nature ( 1 1 Pet. i, 4 ) ,
be associated with him as his Bride-become heirs of God, and
Joint-heirs with himself.-Rom. viii, 1 7 . But how should these
ever be counted worthy of exaltation to such a position of
glory and honor, side-by-side with him who is the express image
of the Father's person 1 By following in his footsteps ; he be
came the leader of a "little flock" of believers, who, after being
redeemed by his sacrifice, should, by following his example-
giving up the human life, will, ambition, etc., and walking after
the law of the spirit, be counted worthy to become his Bride.
These suffer with him, that they also may be glorified together
( with him. ) -Rom. viii, 1 7 . Yes, this was a part of his mission,
and therefore a part of his joy-to bring up some of the human
family to the divine nature. So we read : "It became him ( God )
t Jesus, after he had consecrated himself and had been bee-otten o f
the new, divine nature, spoke o f the new life which was promtsed him,
and which he received fully at the resurrection as though h e had already
received it; just as it is said of us--"He that believeth " " * hath
everlasti ng life.''

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Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

TO WER

( 1 4 3 -- 1 4 1\ )

for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bring
the highest position in the gift of God. Nor should we be sur
ing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salva
prised that the way that leads to life is narrow, when we rea
tion ( Jesus ) perfect through suffering."-Heb. ii, 10. Jesus
lize the grandeur of the life to which it leads. The mases of
the church, as we have seen, walk not in the nan-ow tay and
must go through the most severe trials to prove his obedience
to the Father's will before being entrusted with the high honor
consequently do not receive the prize of our high calling.
Though begotten of the spirit, they try to walk upon a middle
of glory and immortality. And he came off victor-proved his
perfection by obedience even unto death. He was tried and not
1 oad ; they try to keep both the favor of God and the favor of
found wanting ; "tried in all points, like as we are, yet without
the world, forgetting that "the friendship of the world
enmity against God," and that the instructions t o those run
sin,-'' he won the "prize of his high calling-the joy set before
him."
ning the race for the prize are "Love not the world," "Seek
not honor one of another, but that which cometh of God only."
At the resurrection of Jesus we reach a point of time where
These, who, as we have seen, "love the present world,'' re
two beings possess the principle of immortality-the Father
ceive a scourging and purifying by fire of trouble, and are
and the Son. Now we learn that this principle of immortality
finally received into the heavenly-spiritual condition. They
is promised also to the Bride of Christ. Who then will con
will have everlasting life as angels have it, but will lose the
stitute the Bride ! Jesus tells us, "many are called and few
prize of Immortality. These shall serve God in his temple, and
are chosen." Paul estimates that many run, though few so run
stand before the throne, having palms in their hands ( Rev. vii,
as to obtain the prize of the high calling ; yet Jesus assures the
9-1 7 ) ; but though that will be glorious, it will not be so
little flock who do so run that "it is the Father's good pleasure
glorious as the position of the "little flock" who shall be king
to give [them] the kingdom." Not all believers then, nor even
and priests unto God, seated with Jesus in his throne as hi
the majority, but a "little flock" who overcome the world, will
bride and j oint heir, and with him crowned with im m or t a l ,
constitute the Bride--the Lamb's wife-"To him that over
divine life.
cometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne."-Rev. iii, 2 1 .
The balance of our race now thronging the broad road to
We have already seen that the Gospel church, when fully
death are to be restored because their guilt and sin are atoned
developed, will be composed of two classes. These two classes
for and will be remitted. As through the disobediPnce of one
will embrace all who have believed in Jesus as the sin-bearer,
man all were placed upon the broad road and swallowed up of
and have consecrated themselves to his service--a ll who, during
death, so, through the obedience of one ( Christ ) , all will be for
the Gospel age, have been begotten to a newness of life by the
given and brought back to life. But when brought back to
spirit through the Word, except a very few mentioned by Jesus,
''their former estate"-the perfection of the original-they will
John and Paul as those who sin against the Holy Ghost, which
not have life in the same sense that the Divine family will have
sin hath never forgiveness. Paul, in Heb. vi, 4-6, describes
it. Theirs will not be life in themselves, but supplied life. The
those committing this sin as having been once enlightened and
restored race will, no doubt, live eternally. God will supply
having tasted of the heavenly gift and of the good word of God,
the means of continuing their life as long as they are obedient,
and the powers of the world to come, and being made partakers
and that, we are told, will be forever. Doubtless their present
of the Holy Ghost, (i. e., begotten by the holy spirit ) ; neverthe
experiences with sin will prove a blessing throughout eternity.
less they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put
The words Incorruptible, Incorruption, Immortal, and Im
him to an open shame . . . . ( Heb. x, 29 ) counting the blood
mortality are translations of the Greek words athanasia,
of the covenant, wherewith they were sanctified an unholy
aphtharsia, and aphthartos.
( These words have the same
thing, and doing despite unto the spirit of grace. In a word,
significance, viz., "Incapable of corruption-decay-death."
these arc open, toilful apostates ( not weak, backsliding Chris
"Having unlimited existence."-Webster. ) These occur in all
tians, whose love is chilled for a time by contact with the cold
only eighteen times, in Scripture and are always used in con
world. ) These apostates will die the second death, but all
nection with God or the saints, and are never associated in
others of the church being begotten of the spirit, will in due
any way with angels, mankind, or lower orders of creation.
time, at tlw resurrection be born of the spi rit to spiritual con
With a glimpse of this "crown of life which fadeth not
ditions-spiritual bodies. But many, though believers, have not
away" and the h onor and glory associated with it, who will
continued to grow up into Christ, but have remained children,
say that our all-wise Father has made the pathway too dif
consequently were too weak to overcome the world. They are
ficult ? Its difficulties will act as a separating principle to
bound by the world's customs, business, money-making,
separate and refine a "peculiar people," "a little flock," to be
pleasures of this life, honor of this world, etc., and do not
"heirs of the kingdom," "heirs of glory," heirs of God and
follow the "Captain of their salvation" in the "narrow way,"
joint heirs with Jesus Christ our IA>rd-if so be that we suffer
and such must have much scourging and discipline before the
( death ) with him.
fleshly nature is subdued ; such must go through a time of
As we toil upward on the narrow way, angels look on
trouble-be "delivered over to Satan [evil] for the destruction
amazed at the grandeur of the plan which is able not only to
of the fle!>h, that the spirit [ new nature] may be saved in the
rescue a fallen race from death, but to display "the ea:ceedtng
day of the Lord Jesus."
riches of God's grace and loving-kindness towards us who are
This class constitute the majority of all the Christian
in Christ Jesus."-Eph. ii, 7. And it will yet be more clearly
church-the "great company who come up [to the spiritual con
seen in the ages to come. Yes, when the plan was first fore
dition ] out of [through] great tribulation and wash their robes
told through the prophets, angels desired to look into it and
and make them white in the blood of the Lamb."-Rev. vii, 14.
to know concerning the time, and manner of time of its fulfill
The few, the "little flock" will win the prize for which all are
ment ( see 1 Peter i, 1 2 ) , and an "innumerable company of
called to run. The prize of our high calling is, to become
angels" still watch our progress and gladly become "minister
"heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ our IA>rd," or as
ing spirits. sent forth to minister for those who shall be
again expressed : we "seek for glory, honor and immortality."
heirs of salvation" ( Heb. i, 1 4 ) , and soon be their rulers : for,
-Rom. ii, 7. If you would realize its grandeur, think for a
"know ye not that ye shall j udge ( govern ) angels ?"-1 Cor.
moment that this is the same prize for which Jesus ran ; the
vi, 3. The Father, too, who has called us with so high a call
same joy that was set before him-Glory, Honor and Im
ing, looks upon us with loving sympathy, and desires that we
m or ta li ty . He has been exalted, and now of the many called
make our calling and election sure by complying with the con
to share with him, in the honor and glory of his exalted posi
ditions. And there is another who watches us with intense in
tion, the few who will be chosen, are making their calling
terest : it is he who redeemed us from death by his own
and election sure by walking in "the narrow way"-"the way
precious blood and invited us to become his Bride and joint
their leader trod." And we repeat, only the few win that prize
heir. If he loved us with such love while we were yet sinners,
for which all seek-glory, honor and immortality. "If we be
j udge of his love now that we are his betrothed. He knows all
dead with him [to the fleshly nature] we shall also live with
about the narrow way-was tempted in a II points as we arP.
him."-Rom. vi, 8. As Jesus :aid : "To him that overcometh
without yielding, and now he stnnds ready to succor and
will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also over
strengthen us as we need and ask his help.
came and am set down with my Father in his throne."-Rev.
In view of all these things, let us, brethrPn and sisters.
iii, 2 1 .
"come boldly unto the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain
These overcomers who worship not the symbolic beast o r
mercy and find grace to hPlp in every time of need," while we
image ( Rev. xx, 4 ) constitute the first resurrection, o f which
fight the good fight of faith ( warfarE' of the new against till'
Jesus was the first-fruits : "Blessed and holy is he that hath
old nature ) and lay hold on eternal life.
part in the first resurrection ; on such the second death hath no
power [because they are immortal] , and they shall be priests
of God and of Christ and shall reign witl1 him a thousand
THE block of granite which was an obstacle in the path
years."-Rev. xx, 6.
way of the weak, becomes a stepping-stone in tlw pathway e> f
Here, then, are thP conditions upon which we may attain to
the strong.-Carlyle.

[28 1 ]

THE BROAD ROAD TO DESTRUCTION

TuE road is so steep that when once we are fully started
upon it, it seems almost impossible to avoid running headlong
to its end. Six thousand years ago, Adam, ( and we in him as
a race of human beings, ) was driven from the garden of Eden,
because of sin. and sentenced to destruction; God's law being
that any c1 enture who will not live in harmony with his law
shall n o t lire at all. "The soul ( being ) that sinneth, it shall
d ! c . "-F.7Pk. xviii, 4. Thus God drove us out from the life
g-h i ng trePs of Eden, saying : "Dying thou shalt die." And as
a sinner condemned to destruction, our father Adam started
forth upon the b mad road" which leads to it. Slowly he
" alked in that way ; he hasted not to its end for nine hundred
.md tlnrty years.
As years rolled on, and the path became
mPI P a n d more smoothly worn, the race sped more rapidly to
dt>truction. The way becomes daily more glazed and slimed
a nd s l i ppery with sin, and the various appliances for hastening
men to death, in use by "him that has the power of death, that
'

is, the devil."-Heb. ii, 14. And not only is the way more
slippery, but mankind daily loses the power of resistance, so
that now the average length of human life is about thirty
years. We get to the end of this broad road nine hundred
years quicker than did the perfect man. In fact, so weak and
degraded has our race become, that its condition is painfully
described as "prone to sin as the sparks to fly upward." So,
then, as we look about us, we can pity, as well as abhor, the
murderer, the licentiate, the thief, the liar, and the drunkard.
We abhor the sins, but we pity the poor fellow-being so de
graded as to be under their control, and God loves and pities
them too, and hence he has made provision ( as other Scriptures
have shown us ) whereby Christ died for and redeemed all on
this broad road, and in due time will restore them to their first
( Adarnic) estate. But let us, if we see the "narrow way,"
walk in it, and thus be prepared and permitted to share in the
work of restoring all things.

THE THREE GREAT COVENANTS

A CovEANT is an agreement. God, who knows the end

from the beginning, never made a covenant which he could not
and will not fulfill. Covenants may be conditional or uncondi
tional : where a conditional covenant was made, i. e., where
each party to it was bound to do certain things, it was cus
toiik'lry to appoint a m edtator-a person who stands between
and whose business it is to see that both parties keep their
connant. God has made several covenants, but three in par
ticular, which we wish now to consider briefly. These are,
first, the "covenant with Abraham ; " second, the covenant of
"the Law ; " third, the "New covenant."
The first one reads : "In thee and in thy seed shall all the
families of the earth be blessed." This covenant we understand
to cover tu:o classes-Abraham and his seed through Isaac, and
he whom Abraham typified-Jehovah and his seed through
Jesus. The blessing comes first through the God-seed--Christ
and his brethren, the church, reaching, blessing and restoring
the fleshly seed first, and through them extending to and bless
ing all the families of the earth. Thus we see how the blessing
will "be sure unto all the seed."-Rom. iv, 16. Now, we inquire,
are there any conditions to this first covenant ? If there are-it
is possible that Abraham and his seed might fail to keep their
part and so the conditions and covenant being broken, God
m ay neve1 fulfill that covenant. But, we answer, there were no
r o nditions. God did not say. Abraham, If you and your seed
after you will obey me, I will do thus and so, but he simply
tells Abraham what he intends doing. That covenant then can
not pass away, nor be altered, nor added to,- ( Gal. iii, 15,
1 7 , ) -it must be fulfilled just as it reads. The seed must
come and the seed shall bless all the families of the earth.
How much this is in harmony with the teaching of a "restitu
tion of all things ! "-Acts iii, 2 1 . If further evidence that this
first covenant was unconditional be desired, it is found in the
fact that no mediator was appointed ; none was needed since
there was only one party ( God ) who covenanted anything
Gal. iii, 20. That covenant was confirmed by an oath.-Heb.
vi. 1 3- 18. The s!'cond covenant we wish to consider is "the
La\\." It was delivered to Israel at Mount Sinai. Unlike the
first, it had conditions-if Israel would obey the Law, they
hould be "a peculiar. treasure abOV't! all people : " for, says God,
"all the earth is mine. and ye shall be a kingdom of priests
and an holv nation."-F.xod. xix, 5. Then follows the words of
thPir c o ven a nt .-E xod. 20 to 23. Moses declares, ( in harmony
"'ith Gal. iii, 1 7 , ) "The Lord m ade not this covenant with our
fathers [ Abraham. etc.] but with us, even us who are all here
a l ive t h i s day.
The Lord talked with you face to face in the
mount out of the mirll't of the fire, and I stood between the
Lord and yon at that time."-Deut. v, 2-5.
The whole world were sinners but knew not to what extent ;
they knrw not that they were so depraved that they could not
keep (;ad's law perfertly. And it was God's object in making
the La\\' Connant. to prove to Israel their own imperfection
Therefore he said
and i n a b i l i tv to live in harrnonv with God.
tn t lwm . aft'Pr making the condition of the covenant and when
th f' p e o pl e l 1 a rl a cr !'p ted it. "Ye <;hall therefore keep my statutes
a n d rn v j lH l l-rtnent'i n htch 1{ a m a n do he shall Zive."-Lev.
xv i i i . !) : see al'>o Rom. x, 5, and vii, 7, 12, 1 3 , 16.
Thf>rpfor!'. " hf'n God m a de this second covenant, he knew
t h at Jqaf'l \\' n l l l d never realize the promise therein given, be
f'H li'>P t h ev \\ Olllcl n ot b!' ahle to keep it-all being sinners-for
"by the cJpr-rJ , of th!' Law shall no flesh be jutified." "That no
mrm i'i j u <,t i fiPrl b y the Law i evident."-Gal. iii. 1 1 . But the
Law " a ' n f nnJC ervice to them, in that it furnished a check
u pon irlol atry a n d immorality, and thus as a schoolmaster, it
r,rf'>pared thtm for Christ and the new covenant.-Gal. iii, 24,
.

a nd

iv,

( 1 47-1 5 0 )

1.

The Law Covenant was ordained in the hands of a medi

ator-Moses ; and that covenant and its mediator were a
shadow, or type of the future "New covenant" and its mediator
-Christ. Moses typically bought all Israel with the blood of
the bullock and goat, which typically represented his own
blood-life. He typically bought them and left them the con
ditions of the Law as a legacy. For a covenant is of force
after men ( the ratifiers or mediators ) are dead . . . . "When
Mosses had spoken every precept to all the people, according
to the Law, he took the blood of bulls and of goats, with water
and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book
( the Law ) -and all the people, saying : This is the bloo<l of
the covenant which God hath enjoined unto you."-Heb. ix,
1 6-20. When Jesus came he was bom into the world-"under
the Law," and by perfect obedience to it he became the heir
of all the early promises contained in that Law covenant-but
more, he was begotten of God and was the Seed of Abraham,
and as such was heir of the first covenant also.-Gal. iii, 16.
In the person of Jesus then, the second ( Law ) covenant passed
away, being fulfilled : and the first- ( Abrahamic ) -covenant
began to be fulfilled : for it will not be completely fulfilled
until "all families of the earth" are blessed by Christ.
This blessing of mankind is made the basis of a "New Cove
nant" between God and man. This, like the "Law" covenant,
has conditions, some of which bind God and some bind man
kind. Mankind will be required to keep God's prefect Law.
[He could not give an imperfect one-the Law given to Israel
was "holy and just and good."-Rom vii, 1 2. ] Any other Law
would be unjust and bad then ; consequently, God must give in
substance the same Law which Jesus said was briefly compre
hended in this : "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy
strength, and they neighbor as thyself." So far as man's
obhgations are concerned then, they will be the same under
the"New" that they were under the Law covenant ; the dif
ference consisting in this, that under the " New" God will
actually take away man's sins instead of typically ( as under
the Law. ) When God actually takes man's sins away and its
penalties ( mental and physical imperfections and death ) then,
and not until then, will they as perfect men be able to keep
God's perfect Law.
"Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a
New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of
Judah . . . . This shall be the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord ; I will put
my law in their inward part and write it in their hearts, and
I will be their God and they shall be my people, for I will for
give their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." "In
those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a
sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge, but every
one shall die for his own iniquity."er. xxxi, 29. "And in
that day, I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of
the field and with the fowl of heaven, and with the creeping
things of the ground, and I will break the bow and the sword
and the battle out of the earth."-Hos. ii, 18. See also Jer.
xxxii, 37-41 ; Ezek. xxxvii, 12, 1 4, 26. It may easily be seen that
these conditions are not yet fulfilled. The sour grape of sin
still sets all mankind on edge-the law of sin, the stony heart,
still remains in mankind : God has not yet taken it away and
given them instead a heart of flesh ( perfect manhood ) with his
law Love graven thereon. The beasts and fowl are not yet
in harmony with man. He was given dominion, glory, and
honor, but through sin lost it almost entirely ; but soon he will
be restored, and all nature will recognize in man her ruler.
But it may be asked-Upon what conditions will God take
away and blot out man's transgressions ? We answer, Uncon-

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Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

ditionally : according to the provisions o f the first covenant, a

seed. was to come, and secondly it was to bless all.
The

blessing is the removal of man's load of sin, through the death

of the seed, who died the j ust for the unjust. This ( third )
"New Covenant" like its shadow, the Law, has a mediator,
because there are conditions, and two parties to the covenant.
As under the Law Covenant Moses was the mediator, so is
"JESUS THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT,"

and to him God looks for the fulfillment of the Law ; and to
him Israel and the world look for ability to comply with its
conditions, viz., restitution. As the mediator, or testator then,
Jesus must die to leave mankind the legacy--of forgiveness and
restoration in the New Covenant. He did thus die and bought
all with his own precious blood, and soon is to commence the
great work of applying the blood-cleansing from all sin. As
typically Moses took the bunch of hyssop and scarlet wool,
and therewith sprinkled of the ratifying blood both the book
( Law) and all the people ( Reb. ix., 19, ) so with the New
Covenant, it must be ratified with blood., and the mediator
gives his blood ( life ) and then ( soon we believe ) he will begin
the work of sprinkling with this cleansing blood and with the
pure water of truth. He will sprinkle both the book ( Law )
and people, bringing the people into harmony with God's law
-"Love." No longer will their teeth be set on edge ; no longer
will they, when they would do good, find evil present with
them ; then, all shall know the Lord from the least to the
greatest, and the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole
earth.
But does some one inquire why the new covenant did not at
once go into effect as soon as the mediator died 1 W hy were
not all the people sprinkled BS soon as the blood was Ahed 1
Ah ! dear friends, that is the most wonderful part of it all ;
that is the part which shows "the eiJJceeaing riches of God's
grace"-"his loving-kindness toward us in Christ." This is
what Paul repeatedly speaks of, as the "mystery" hid during
previous ages, viz., "Christ in you the hope of glory."-Col. i,
27. Jesus died for and is to bless and restore men ; but before
entering upon the work of restoring, he publishes among the
great mass ( all of whom he ransomed ) the news of their ran
som, and to all who have an ear to hear it he extends the
privilege of taking up their cross and following him-of shar
ing with him in suffering evil for good, and promises these
that if they do walk in his footsteps they shall be not only
'lharers of the sufferings, but al'>o of the "glory that shall
follow." "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me
in my throne." "\Ve shall become heirs of God, joint-heirs with
Jesus Christ our Lord, if so be that we suffer with him, that we
may be also glorified together."-Rom. viii, 1 7 .
This is the reason why the Gospel age intervenes between
the death of Jesus and the blessing of the world : it is an age
of death, an age during which we may if we will-"fill up
what is behind of the afflictions of Christ."-Col. i, 24. We
are, then, joined with Christ in the sacrifi('e of the human life
-"aead with him," and so far as the world is concerned, they
are still waiting until the little flock-the members of the body
of the mediator or testator ( Christ) are "dead with him."
We believe the sacrifice to be almost ended, and soon all who
have shared death with him as members of his body shall be
joined with him in the glory of power and share in the glo
rious work of applying the blood-cleansing the people. Moses
did the sprinkling in the type and it will be the Great Prophet
and Mediator in the antitype. "A prophet shall the Lord

TO WER

( 1 5 1 - 1 54 )

your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me ;

him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto
you. And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not
hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people."
-Act iii, 22. This prophecy belongs to the "times of restitu
tion of all things," and is quoted by Peter as applicable there.
That prophet, or teacher-"the Christ"-head and body, is
now being "raised up" ( to power ) , and soon the work of
sprinkling and cleansing humanity begins ; and the soul ( per
son ) who will not then obey and be cleansed shall be destroyed.
In that age the sinner a hundred years old will be cut off,
though at that age he would be but "a child."-lsa. lxv, 20.
In a sense, the opetation of the new covenant begins with
the Gospel church, and lifts us from the plane of degradation
and sin to a j ustified or reckoned perfect condition, from which
we can go forward in the "narrow way," becoming heirs of th l"
first covenant.-Gal iii, 29. Let us briefly view these cove
nants as they are illustrated in a type or allegory.- ( Gal. iv.
22-3 1 ) . Paul explained that Abraham's wife, Sarah, wa'! a
type of the first covenant made with Abraham referring to ''the
Seed." As years rolled by, and no child came, they began to
look for a fulfillment in some other way and Hagar takes the
place of a wife and bears a son, who apparently is to be the
heir. So the original promise of God meant Christ, but he was
not born until "due time," and in the meantime "the Law"
was given from Sinai, appa.rently taking the place of the first
covenant, and under the law covenant a fleshly seed was devel
oped-fleshly Israel. But the first, or Sarah, covenant had not
failed, and after the Hagar covenant had borne fleshly Israel
( typified by Ishmael ) , the true seed of Abraham and heir is
born, under the first ( or Sarah ) covenant ; i. e., Christ Jesus
and the members of his body-spiritual Israel. This is as far
as Paul carries the type, because speaking only of the two
seeds, natural and spiritual, and the two covenants under
which they come into existence. But as we find that God is
to m ake "a new covenant," "after those days," we naturally
inquire : Why was not this new covenant typified by a wife
as well as the other two ? And upon examination we find it
was so illustrated. Turning to Gen. xxiv, 67, we read how
Isaac receives Rebecca into Sarah's tent, and she becomes his
married wife, ( illustrating how our heavenly bridegroom will
receive his Bride at the end of her journey, and bring her into
possession of and associate her with himself, in the enjoyment
of all things promised in the first ( or Sarah ) covenant. Then
we read after Isaac's marriage : "Then, again, Abraham took a
wife, and her name was Keturah," thus illustrating as plainly
as a type can the "New covenant."
Each of the first two covenants bore but one offspring.
The first, the "heir of all things," ( Christ Jesus and we hi"
Bride, ) and the second, fleshly Israel, beloved for the Fathers'
sake. But the New Covenant ( Keturah ) bears six sons, which,
taken with the one of Hagar, would be seven-a complete
numberrepresenting that all the fleshly children would be
developed under the Hagar and Keturah, or "Law" and "New"
Covenants.
The name Sarah means Princess ,- Hagar means flight or
cast out,- Keturah means incense or sweet : all of which are
significant. Oh, how our covenant--the Royal-looms up above
all the others ! Let us not forget that we must die with Jesu'!
if we would LIVE and share in the glorious work of sprinkling
and cleansing the world in the next age. "That by means of
death
they which are called might receive the promise of
eternal inheritance."-Heb. ix, 15.

AN EXPLANATION OF SOME SCRIPTURES FREQUENTLY MISCONSTRUED

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

parable recorded in Luke xvi, 1 9 , is generally re

garded as being the utterance o f our Lord ( though nothing is
said of his having uttered it) , and we so regard it.
The great difficulty with many is, that though they call it a
parable, they reason on it, and draw conclusions from it, as
though it were a literal statement and not a parable. To
think of it as a literal statement i nvolves quite a number of
absurdities ; for instance : that the rich man went to hell
because he had enjoyed m any earthly blessings and gave nothing but crumbs to Lazarus. Not a word is said about his wick
edness. Again, Lazarus is blessed, not because he is a sincere
child of God, full of faith and trust-not because he was good,
but simply because he was poor and sick. If this be understood
literally, the only logical lesson to be drawn from it is, that
unless you are a poor beggar, full of sores, you will never enter
into future bliss, and if now you wear any "fine linen" and
"purple," and have plenty to eat ('very day, you are sure to go
to hades. Again, the place of bliss is "Abraham's bosom," and
THis

if the whole statement is litera l. the boso111 m ust be htera l .

and would not hold very many of earth's millions of sick and
poor. But why consider the ahRurdities ? All unprejudiced
minds recognize it as a pa ra ble .
As a parable, how shall we understand it ? \Ve answPr, that
a parable is one thtng 8aid, another thing mean t ,- we know this
from some of the parables explained by Jesus. For instance.
the parable of the "\Vheat and Tares." From his explanation
we learn that when in that parable he said tcheat, he meant
"children of the kingdom ; " when he said tares, he meant ( t o
those who would understand the parable ) "the child ren of tlw
devil ; " when he said reapers, angels were to be understood. etc.
( See Matt. xiii. )
So you will find it in Her p a ra ble c.r
plained by our Lord ; the thing satd is never the t h t n .Q 111 ca 11 t :
consequently in this parable "a rich m an" m ea n <:om ething
else. Lazarus and Abraham's ho<:om are not litpra l . but t eprP
sent Rome class and cond i t ion . T n a ttempbng to expound :t
parable such as this. an explanatiOn of which onr Lord doe;

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WA T C H

not furnish us, modesty in expressing our opinions regarding

1t is rertainly approprirt te. We therefore offer the following
r x p l n n n t wl'" " ithout any attempt to force our view upon the
reader. e::-.. e rpt so far as his own truth-enl ightened j udgment
may eommend them, as in accord with God's Word and plan.
To our understanding "the rich man" represented the Jewish
nation. At the time of the utterance of the parable, and for
a long time preYious, the had "fared sumptuously every day"
-heing the especial recipients of God's favors. As Paul says :
What advantagP thPn hath the ,Teu: 1
Much every way ;
rhiefly,
' heeause to them was eommitted the oracles of God."
[ Law and ProphPey.] The promiP'\ to Abraham and David in
W"ted thio; people with ro11a l ty, as represented by the rich
man's "p111 plc." The ritual and ( typical ) sacrifices of the
La\Y eonstituted them, in a f1Jpica l '\ense, a holy nation-right
Pous-reprr"rnted by the rich man's "fine linen." [ Fine linen
is a symbol of righteousnes.-Hev. xix, 8.]
Laznru" repre'iented the Gentiles-all nations of the world
aside from the J<;raelites. These, at the time of the utterance
of this parable, were entirely dPstitute of those blessings which
Israel en joed ; thPy Jay at the gate of the rich man. No rich
promises of royalty were theirs ; not even typically were they
eleansed ; but in moral sickness, pollution, and sin they were
companions of "dogs." Dogs were regarded as detestable crea
t urP<; in those days, and the typically clean Jew called the
ouhidPrs "heathen" and "dogs," and would never eat with
them, nor marry nor have any dPalings with them.-John iv, 9.
As to the "eating the crumbs ( of favor ) which fell from the
rich man's table" of bounties, .Jesus' words to the Syro-Phceni
cian woman give us a key. He said to this Gentile woman
"It is not meet ( proper ) to take the children's ( Israelites )
bread and give it to the dogs" ( Gentiles ) ; and she answered,
"Yea, Lord, but the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their
m a -;ters' tahiP."-1fatt. xv, 2 i . Jesus healed her daughter,
thus giving- the deired crumb of favor. But there came a
tim<:> " hen the typical righteousness ceased-when the promise
of royalty cpased to be theirs, and the kingdom was taken from
them to he given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
-Iatt. xxi, 43. The rich man died to all these special advan
tage" and 'lOOn he ( the Jewish nation ) found himself in " ge
h n l l l a firc"-a cast-off condition, in troublP, tribulation and
affliction, in which they have suffered from that day to this.
Lazarus also died ; the condition of the Gentiles underwent
a <'hange, and from the Gentiles many were carried by the
angels ( meso;engers, apostles, etc. ) to Abraham's bosom. Abra
ham i'l represented as the father of the fatth-full and receives
to his bosom all the children of faith-who thus are recognized
as the heirs to all the promises made to Abraham. For the
rhildren of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the
"rhildren of the promise are counted for the seed" ( children of
Abraham ) "which seed is Christ," and "if ye be Christ's then
are ye ( bPlievers ) Abraham's seed ( children ) and heirs accord
ing to the ( Abrahamic ) promise."-Gal. iii, 29. Yes, the con
rlition of things thPn existing terminated by death-at the
death of Jeo;us-"for if one died for all, thPn were all dead."
There the Jew was c<st off and has since been shown "no
faYor," and the poor GPntiles who before had been "aliens from
the commonwealth ( the promises ) of Israel and without God
anrl having no hope in the world," were then "brought nigh by
the blood of Christ" and "reconciled to God."-Eph. ii, 13. If
the two tribes living in Judea ( Judah and Benjamin ) were
represented by one rich man, would it not he in harmony to
'inppo<;e that the five brethren represented the remaining ten

T O W E R

PITTSBURGH, PA.

ti ibes, who had "Moses and the Prophets" as their instructors ?

The question relative to them was doubtless introduced to
show that all special favor of God ceaspd to the ten tribes, as
well as to the two directly addressed. It seems to us eviden t,
that Israel only was meant, for none other ?}ation than Israel
had "Moses and the prophets" as instructors.
In a word, this parable seems to teach precisely what Paul
explained in Rom. xi, 19-31. How that because of unbelief, the
natural branches were broken off, and the wild branches graftP<I
in to the Abrahamic promises. In the parable, Jesus leaVP'i
them in the trouble, and does not Tefer to their final restora
tion to favor, doubtless because it was not pertinent to the
feature of the subject treated ; but Paul assures us, that when
the fullness of the Gentiles-the Bride-be come in "they ( the
Israelites ) shall obtain mercy through your ( the Church's )
mercy." He assures us that this is God's covenant with fleshly
Israel ( they lost the higher-spiritual-promises, but are still
the possessors of certain earthly promises to become the <'hief
nation of earth ) etc. In proof of this statement, he quote'l the
Prophets, saying : "The deliverer shall come out of Zion, ( the
glorified church , ) and shall turn away ungodliness from
Jacob," ( the fleshly seed ) . As concerning the Gospel, ( high
calling) they are enemies, ( cast off ) for your sakes : but as
touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' saki's
"For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might
have mercy upon all. 0 the depths of the riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God."-Rom. xi, 30-32.

HAVING A DESIRE TO DEPART AND BE WITH CHRIST

Paul was a prisoner at Rome, awaiting freedom or death, he
knew not which. He had, since entering the ministry, gone
through an eventful career and endured much suffering. He
recounts to the Philippian church that, though he has suffered
much, it has resulted in the furtherance of the gospel. There
fore he rejoices. Then he muses, wondering whether it is the
will of God that he continue to live, preach, write, and suffer,
and thus be a blessing to the church, or whether he has done
his work and will rest in death, being at the same time an
illustrious maTtyr. And he asks himself, as it were, the ques
tion : Which would you prefer to do if it were left to your
decision ? and concludes that he would not know which of the
two things to choose ; but he knows of a third thing which
he would be in no doubt about if he were at liberty to choose it.
He is in a strait between ttco, having a desire for the third.
The "Emphatic Diaglott" translates the passage thus :
"Christ will be magnified in my body by life or death. There
fore for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if to
live in the flesh, this to me is a fruit of labor ; and what I
should choose I do not exactly know ; I am indeed hard pressecl
by the two things. I have an earnest desire for the RETURNI:'OG
and being with Christ, since it is very much to be preferred."
Phil. i: 23.
An explanatory foot-note says, relative to the Greek A na l
usia, rendered returning, as above : Analusia, or the retwrninf!,
being what Paul earnestly desired, l'ould not be death, or dis
solution, as implied by the word depart in common version ,
because it seemed a m atter of indifference to him which of the
twlife or death-he should choose ; but he longed for the
analusia, which was a third thing, and very much to be pre
ferred to either of the other ttro things alluded to. The word
analusia occurs in Luke xii, 36, and is there rendPred return.
"Be you like men waiting for their master when he will
return," etc.

COUNTING THE COST, HOW MUCH WILL YOU GIVE ?

DEAR friends, we are not going to pass around the contri

bution box now, but thinking this to be an all-important

question. one upon which depends, perhaps, as much the in
tPre<;t of cvPry one of us, as any question we could propound,
let m Pach for him"lPlf carefully consider-How much will you
gin for the go'ipcl of Christ ? But do you say, is it not a free
go'ipel ? Do<:><; not the prophet say "Ho, every one that thirst
Pth come e to the waters, and he that has no money come ye,
buy, anrl eat ; yea, buy wine and milk tcithout money and with
out price ?" Ye<;, that is a correct quotation, but there is noth
ing in the passag-e quoted to indicate that a man who ha.
money can have the gospel and still keep his money ; those
who are to have it without monPv are those who have no
m onelJ to po1f. But 'llllcPrely, my brother, my sister, my friend,
110w Mt: CH will you give for the gospel ? It is exceedingly
valuable and you should not expect to get it for
nothing, you should not be will ing to take it for nothing if you
could, nPithPr <'an you Pxpect to gi \'P an equivalent for it, for
"ito; price i" hPyonrl rubie, anrl nll the things thou can<t desire
arP not to be compared unto it."

Now i f you have some faint idea of its value, perhaps you
will be willing to make some offer for it. Offerings are in order
for it now, this is "the acceptable ( receivable ) year of the
Lord," and we are close to "the day of vengeance of our God ; "
and if you want a chance in the high calling, you need to be
quick and prompt about it ; we expect the quota under this cal I
will soon be filled, and hope you will not be among the number
who will "stand without knocking and saying, Open unto m."
when it will be forever too late. Again we ask, How much will
you give1 Suppose we consider the word give first in the sense
of yielding, "give ear." A re you willing to give your attentwn
and thought to the gospel ? Are you willing to bend your mind
to it ? Are you willing to carefully, prayerfully and persist
ently consider it V Are you willing to give it all the thought
which you have hitherto given to matters of little or no im
portance ? Consider it wt>ll ; think of the hours you have spent
reading works of fiction, wit and humor, perhaps in playing
somP sort of 9ame for divPrsion, or even in reading history or
s!'rular news, mainly for the purpose of being considered "well
informed," or possibly for the purpose of bt>ing qualified for some

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1881

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TO WER

( 1 59-1 62)

position of honor ( worldly ) or fame. Are you willing to give way,

to give that attention to the gospel that you have to these ?
Do you answer in the affirmative ? That is well so far, but
that is not enough, Are you willing ( notice, these questions
are for you to answer to yourself in the present tense, not to
morrow) to give in the sense of quitting ; 11re you willing if this
gospel requires it, to give place to principles which will antag
onize those which you have hitherto entertained ? Are you will
ing to hav11 a radical change made in your mind, and in your
manner of reasoning, i. e., so that instead of reasoning from
an earthly or natural standpoint, it shall be from a spiritual
or gospel standpoint ? Earthly wisdom would reason, "If thine
enemy hunger let him starve," and everything else on the same
line, but heavenly wisdom u;aits to have our heavenly Father
who understands all the weaknesses of our natures, and all the
influences that have been brought to bear upon us, adjust mat
ters for us, instead of taking them into our own hands, and
managoing from an earthly plane, and with earthly wisdom ;
that is to say, looked at from an earthly standpoint, we resign
our own wisdom and become fools for Christ's sake. You think
that is giving considerable do you ? Well it is, but you cannot
become a vessel fit for the master's use without. Are you will
ing ? Yes. Very well, that is good, but that is not enough,
for this gospel very likely will reveal to you, that very many
things which you have hitherto considered harmless in their
nature are really very injurious to you, and you will be called
upon to give in the sense of abandoning, i. e., to let go of in
the sense of never taking hold again--e. long good-by-to the
things you once loved ; among them may be earthly hopes and
expectations ; this heavenly wisdom will teach you that all
these are transitory and vain, and that the more you depend
upon them the more you will be deceived by them, and the
greater will be your disappointment, for your expectations will
fail to be realized, and your hopes will be blasted. You will
find everything turned around under the influence of the gos
pel, and that the things which are highly esteemed among men
are abominations in the sight of God.-Luke xvi, 15. Notice
the words "highly esteemed among men ; " earthly things need
ful for our physical well-being are not to be despised, nor will
heavenly wisdom prompt us to despise them, nor are they the
things referred to as highly esteemed among men, for men will
sacrifice these for worldly honor and wealth. If you will
give away to the in fluences of the gospel upon you, you will
be led to abominate that which is HIGHLY esteemed among men.
Let us see what things are highly esteemed among men ;
what do they make the greatest sacrifice for ? Probably the
greatest effort that men make is to be worshipped j honor, fame,
a name among men ; not so much to be superior as to be re
garded as superior. To have men cast out your name as evil,
that is a terrible thing for a man who knows nothing of the
gospel or Christ ; to lose his reputation is one of the greatest,
if not the greatest calamity that can befall a man ; he will
not mind as much the loss of character, but the loss of his rep
utation is most terrible to the man of the world, for if you
lose this you will lose your worldly friends mostly ; some of
them will stand by if you have plenty of mcney, but it will take
a great deal even of money to hold many friends after your rep
utation is all gone ; so if you relinquish your reputation for the
sake of the gospel ( nothing else should induce a man to part
with it ) you will be doing pretty well, you will be giving con
siderable. Do you think you can do i t ? Y-e-s ? Well , can you
not say it with emphasis ? "By the grace of God I will ! " That
is good. You are giving yourself poor, after the wisdom of
this world, arn't you ? Never mind, look not at the things
that are seen ; they are temporal. But you have not giren.
enough yet-Have you any money ? ( No, we are not going to
pass the contribution box now. ) Yes, some. Well much or Iittl('

you will need to give it, not to pay for the gospel, but out of
gratitude and that it may be sent to others, and there are some
of the Lord's brethren living near your house that are hungry
or sick and need help, so your ( ? ) money will be needed, and
with it will go those few friends who stuck by you for your
money's sake after your reputation was gone ; you found by bit
ter ( blessed ) experience that a great share of your friends
left you when your reputation did, and now the rest of
your wordly friends will go and you will be left alone. Will
you do it ? "Yes, by the grace of God I will ! " The sting of
death ( to the world ) is past, isn't it ? How much easier it I S
to say yes, now. Praise the Lord ! But you have not gtven
enough yet.
Now, my dear friend, you are not far from the kingdom. Will
you sacrifice your ease, your comfort, yea, ltfe itself, if called
upon ? Will you let it be worn out, or burnt out, or in any
way used up for the sake of the gospel of Christ ? You will ?
Thank God ! I am so glad j you will be so rich. Now let us
look over this covenant. You will have given your attention,
your time, your mind, your reputation, your friends, your
money, your life-seven items. You have given yourself pout
indeed, haven't you ? I acknowledge the fact : it ts so, poor, very
poor, and you have done this willingly. It makes me thmk
of something I have heard, and while I am looking at you your
countenance seems changed ; you remind me of some one I have
known. Ah, it comes to me now ! Jesus of Nazareth was his
name : why how much you resemble him ; you must be his
brother. "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that
we through his poverty might be rich."-11 Cor. viii, 9. Why,
you have done just as he did and just what he intended when
he said : "I have given you an example that ye should do as
I have done to you."-John xiii, 15. Well, that is the best
kind of will you could make, and I am glad to greet you as
my brother ; I also having done the same things-"for which
cause he is not ashamed to call us brethren."-Heb. ii, 1 1 .
You can afford t o be poor and g o about in disguise for awhile,
now, inasmuch as you are an heir of the kingdom. "Hearken,
my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of thi
world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath
promised to them that love him?"-James ii, 5. And now you
will learn faster and to be able to prepare yourself for rega I
employment in the royal family ; for ''if any man w i l l ( \d l l 0 1
wishes to ) do his will, he shall know of the doctrine."-.John
vii, 1 7 . You now belong to that company so aptly described by
the poet when he said :

Lon to Christ smooths the path of duty, and wings the

feet to travel it ; it is the bow which impels the arrow
of obedience ; it is the mainspring moving the wheels of duty ;
it is the strong arm tugging the oar of diligence. Love
is the marrow of the bones of fidelity ; the blood in the veins
of piety, the sinews of spiritual strength ; yea, the life of
sincere devotion. He that hath love can no more be motion
less than the aspen in the gale, the sear leaf in the hurri
cane, or the spray in the tempest. As well may heart;; cease

to IJPat as love to labor. Lon' i:-. i n s tl n et \\ ith a l't l \ 1 t v . I t

can n ot be idle ; i t i s full of ('nergy, i t cannot content i'tspl f
with Iittles ; it is the well-spnng of heroism, and gn'.l t
deeds are the gushing<; of its fountain ; it is a g i a n t-1 t
heapeth mountains upon mountams, and thinks the pile h u t
little ; it is a mighty mystery. for 1t changE's bitter mto
Rweet ; it calls death hfe, and life dPath ; and it makes pain
less painful than enjoyme n t.-Sp u rg e on .

WHAT pleases only for the moment, whether poetry, or

oratory, or policy, will die with the moment. What looks
beyond the moment will live beyond the moment. What
speaks to the intelligent f('W will at last make a conquest

o f the unintelligent many ; what speaks only t o the u n i n t E> I

Jigent many will nenr reach the intelligrnt few, a n d w i l l
Roon b e forgotten b y the unintelligent many a l o.-Dca u S ta u

THE moment we try to peep beyond

fathom the mysteries of nature, we lose our real enj9yment
of both.

thP distrPR of tha t POUntn. thP Rlllli.In

Catholic bishops of I r(') a nd , in a l'N'Pnt a udi PH't' '' 1 t h thr
Pope, presentPd him with a pnrsc o f OY('r $40,000.

Wbat poor, despised company

Of travelers are those,
\Yho walk in yonder narrow way,
Beset by many foes ?
Ah, they are of a royal lin('.
All children of a King,
Heirs of eternal life <livme,
And lo ! for j oy they sing !
Why do they, then, appear so mean ?
And why so much despised ?
Because, of their rich robes, unseen,
The world is not apprized.
But why keep they that narrow road.
That rugged, thorny maze ?
Ah, that's the way their Leader trod ;
They lme and keep his ways.

ley.

------N OTWITHSTANDING
revelation, and to

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VoL. III

PITTSBURGH, PA., O CTOBER AND NOVEMBER, 1881

Nos. 4 AND 5

TERMS AS BEFORE
We were too hasty in the matter of discarding the old terms
from our paper as mentioned in the July number.
The government law regulating postage supposes that any
paper offered gratis is an advertisement only, and will allow
none such to go at newspaper rates, but charges four times as
much for postage on them. By taking off the price we came in
conflict with that law, and it cost us over eighty dollars for
the lesson on the July issue.

We visited the Postoffice authorities at Washington, but

could obtain no deviation from the law, and consequently are
obliged to put some price on the paper, as before.
We can and do say this, however, there will be a special
fund for the payment of subscriptions of all who want the
WATCH TowER but cannot afford to pay for it. To all such
we say : Send your names, and the Lord will supply your sub
scription money. You need not be troubled about the matter.

JEHOVAH'S FEET
"This saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne and earth is my foot-stool." Isa. 66 : 1. [Literal Hebrew trans.]
The word feet is sometimes used in Old Testament Scripof nearness to God, in prayer and supplication, they will come
ture to represent permanent establishment, or rest_ Stephen,
to a full recognition of the fact that as a people, they had
after quoting the above ( Acts. 7 : 49 ) , adds the words : "What
rejected and pierced their Redeemer. "They shall look upon
is the place of my rest"-residence 1
( recognize) Him whom they have pierced, and shall all mourn
Jehovah used his footstool before sin entered, but since
because of Him_" ( Zech., 1 2 : 8, 10. )
then he has removed his
presence and allowed sin to
Verse 4 : "And His (Jehovah's) feet shall stand (be es
reign and Satan to be "The prince ( ruler) of this
tablished) in that day upon the Mount of Olives." This is
world." (John, 14 : 30_) In a typical way he established his
another picture of the establishment of Jehovah's dominion.
presence among the Israelites in the Tabernacle and Temple,
As the above description showed us how it will be manifested
and in a higher and better sense, his presence has been in the
to Israel that God's arm is ruling, now we get the inside or
Gospel church as in a shifting tent or Tabernacle, all through
spiritual view of the kingdom's establishment, and appropri
the Gospel age, but soon the Temple glory or his presence in the
ately, symbols are used in the description. The feet of Jeho
Glorified church-head and body-will be manifested to the
vah standing or resting-the Mt. of Olives--its location to the
world. And in that glorious reign of the Christ complete,
east ( or sun-rising) of Jerusalem (the peaceful habitation )
typified b y Solomon's peaceful reign, and under the shadow
the division of the mountain into two parts-the valley formed
of that glorious temple with all its attendant power and glory,
into which Israel will flee, &c. ; these all we understand to be
of which that made with hands was a type, all the families
symbols ; as also the reference in verses 6 and 7 to the day of
of the earth shall be blessed, and brought into complete hart he Lurd being a dark day. It remains dark until the close of
mony with God and all sin and every opponent of right, having
this period of trouble, or until the evening of that dark day,
been destroyed-then the knowledge of the Lord will fill the
then-''at evening it shall be light" ; that is when the day of
whole earth ; the wilderness shall sing and the solitary place
wrath is over the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing
be glad. Then, all the ends of the earth (people) shall have
in his wings-blessing and restoring morally and physically.
remembered and turned to the Lord, and the glory of the
A mountain is a symbol of a kingdom and Mt. Ohvet would
Lord shall fill the whole earth.
signify Kingdom of Ltght and Peace. Then, in this "day of
Thus it is that Jehovah prepares and cleanses his footstool
the Lord," already begun, Jehovah will establish himself in a
to place his feet there, that his presence may abide with the
Kingdom of light and peace. This, we believe, will be accom
restored race of men and be their j oy and blessing ; and thus
plished through his representative, Jesus, who takes his great
power and reigns. The organization of his church-the dead
we read the declaration of Jehovah ( Isa., 6 : 13 ) : "I will make
the place of my feet glorious."
by resurrection, and the living members by change to the
In harmony with this same thought we find Zech., 14 : 3, 5, a
same condition ( spiritual bodies) , we understand to be the or
gani2ation of the kingdom whose exaltation to power, invisibly
description of when and how, Jehovah will establish his feet,
or residence. This Scripture as well as some of those above
smites and consumes evil systems and governments. (By the
quoted, which we have applied to the Father-Jehovah-are
teaching of the Word, we understand that this organizatiOn of
often misapplied to our Lord Jesus ; and while Jesus and his
the kingdom began m 1878, and will be complete when the
church will doubtless be the active agents of Jehovah in subliving members are "ready." )
duing all things (Phil., 3 : 2 1 ) , yet the fact remains, that the
This kingdom once established is Jehovah's foothold, and is
work here mentioned is Jehovah's, and the Hebrew text leaves
to be the source of government from which shall emanate the
no question about it.
laws, etc., for the guidance and blessing of mankind. (Another
We will quote and apply this prophecy : "Then shall the
figure being Mt. Zion.)
Lord [Jehovah] go forth and fight against those nations, as
The division of the mountain into two parts represents the
when he fought in the day of battle." The scene is laid in
two phases of the kingdom of God : one the higher, spiritual,
"the time of trouble," probably near its close, (perhaps, as we
invisible kingdom, composed of Jesus and the Gospel church ;
read the prophecy, about 1914 A. D . ) It is surely during "the
the other the earthly phase of the kingdom, composed of per
day of the Lord" (verse 1) when the first return of Israelites
fected fleshly beings, visible to humanity-Abraham, Isaac and
to Palestine will have taken place [a second and greater returnJacob and all the prophets, and all those of past ages justified
ing mentioned by the prophets evidently will not take place
by theu- faith.
until after the time of trouble. ] The Israelites will have been
The valley represents a place of favor and protection, made
and guaranteed by both the heavenly and earthly phases of
in comparative peace and security there and measurably free
kingdom power ; and into this place of protection and safety
from the trouble which, meantime, will have been disturbing and
Israel is represented as fleeing. Then they shall recognize him
overturning and impoverishing the nations of the earth. Theu
wealth and prosperity excite the cupidity of the nations, which
whom they have pierced.
we read come up against "my people Israel dwelling safely in
The earthly phase of the kingdom will thus be seen to be
essentially Israelitish, and according t o the promises of God,
t lwir o" n land . . _ _ t o take a spoil and a prey." ( Ezek. ,
ungodliness shall be turned from Israel (Rom., 11 : 26 ) and they
38 : 8, 12. )
shall come to the inheritance of the land, and promises vouchThe battle at first goes against Israel, as described in verse
2 ; then, the time having come for a manifestation of God's
safed to Abraham ; and then the fleshly seed of A braham will
justice against the nations and his favor to his anciently favbe used as the agents of Jehovah in carrying to the world the
blessings purchased by Christ, the higher, spiritual seed of him
ored people, He manifests his power and fights against the
whom Abraham typified-Jehovah.
nations, not by Jesus and the saints appearing on a mountain
with carnal weapons, but we read "as he (Jehovah ) fought in
This earthly part of the kingdom is to spread and increase
the day of battle_" Jehovah fought Israel's battles anciently
until it fills the whole earth and is under the whole heaven,
without being seen by other than the eyes of their underand the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor
standininto it-by coming into harmony with its laws.
Thus the Angel of the Lord slew (with death ) the hosts of
These two parts of the kingdom will be in perfect harmony ;
the earthly being under the control and direction of the heaven
the Assyrians ( Isa., 3 7 : 36 ) ; put to flight the Midianites
( Judges, 7 : 21 ) , and "smote great nations and slew mighty
ly. The law shall go forth from Mt. Zion, the spiritual phase,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem," the earthly phase.
kings." ( Psal., 35 : 10. ) And "as" he fought for Israel then,
( Tsa., 2 : 3 . )
so he is to rlo again at their deliverance_ The deliverance will
h o great anrl marked, that they will recognize God's power
Though i n due time there will be an earthly element o f the
kingdom visible to humanity, which shall be a praise in tho
ant! favor, and being blessed by being brought to a condition
(!}

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NovEMBER, ! 88 1

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WA T C H

whole earth, yet i n the inception o f the kingdom i t will JtOt

have this double character.
[Jehovah's feet stand on the
Mount of Olives as one at first, before its division.]
And so
we read that when demanded of the Pharisees when the king
dom of God should come, Jesus answered and said :
The
kingdom of Heaven cometh not with observation, neither shall
ye say, Lo here ! or lo there ! for behold it will be in your
midst.
(Luke, 17 : 2 0 . )
That is to say-the kingdom of God

T O WE R

12)

It is only
will be among but invisible to men in its coming.
after it has come and done a work, that the visible phase 1s
due--during the Millennia} age.
It is for this kingdom in both its phases (especially the
spiritual, where our inheritance is) that we pray "Thy km g tlorn
come ; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. " Oh, n1ay
the time soon come when Jehovah's feet will be establ ished a u d
his footstool made gloriou s !

THE FEET OF CHRIST

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth g ood tidings, that publisheth peace, that IH ingeth good
tidings of good, that publisheth salvation j that saith unto Zion, Thy G od reigneth." I sa. 52 : 7 .
Among the many beautiful and appropriate figures used to
represent the "little flock" and their union with Jesus, i s that
of a human body-Jesus the head, and the true church thA
members of the body.
Sometimes, as in 1 Cor. 12 : 13-27, all the parts are represented in any assemblage of the church, the hand and foot, &c.,
as well as the various excellent qualities which belong to the
heau-hearing, seeing and express10n.
Thus the head of the
church is present with the members of his body whenever two
or three o r more of them meet-in his name ; and the body is
complete and as effective for growth ir. G race, Knowledge and
Love ( ami far more so) as if hundreds of unbelievers and
merely nom1nal christians were p resent. When thus spoken of
the more aule and intelligent ones are mentioned in contrast
with the less brilliant by calling one class head ( Eye, Ear,
etc.,) and the other class feet, ( vs. 2 1 ) .
Thus mentioned the
word feet will be seen to mean the lowest members which require the especial assu.;tance of the others.
But another sense in which feet may be understood, is as
indicating the labt part, or completion of the body.
So to
speak The Christ has been in p rocess of development during
the Gospel age-the head first anu we, the living, representing
the feet, last. This certainly is not an unreasonable deduction,
a n d there are several texts which seem to ind1cate that the
last members of the overcoming band, are mentioned especially
unJer the term " feet"-not in the sense of degraded but as the
last-or end of the "llttle fl ock."
The Scnpture above ctted is of this character, and while
Paul quotes a part of it (Hom. 10 : 15) "How beautiful are the
feet of tltem that lJreach the Gospel of peace and bring glad
t 1 d i n gs of good t h mgs," and whlle it has undoubtedly been
t rue o f all the members of the Body of Christ, that they were
t he bearers of glad tidmgs, and that to all who receiveu the
message their footsteps were welcome, yet it is true also that
the proclamation of many of the sweetest notes of the glad
t1umgs of restitution, are rese1 vetl until now during the soundwg of the seveuth trumpet.
(Rev. 1 0 : 7, Rom. 16 : 25 ) when
tl:e mystCJ !J of God is finished, which he hath kept secret from
t i l l fon!l<l a t w u of the \\ Orl d .
Truly oms is a choice and favored day compared with any
age of the church, for though God's Word has always been a
lamp to enlightt:n " the body" all through the dark night, yet it
is true, that m an especial sense it is giving light to the "feet,"
a s w e read :
'"Thy word i s a light to my feet." Livmg i n the
tiu1e of the fulfillment of so much prophecy we walk in the
blazing light of our lamp, a n d on us a n d o u r day the eyes of
all "the body" throughout this age have anxiously rested ; and
of our day-' 'The day of the Lord," and our gathering together
unto him, both Paul and Peter wrote more frequently than of
their own day.
Hence it ueeJ not sm pnse us, if unuer the
figure of "feet" the Prophets mention us.
There is one part of the text above quoted, which certainly
was never applicable to any but the present members ; this part
Paul omits, because it was not applicable until now, viz : " 'l'hat
Jo>,t ith unto Z w n , Thv Gotl H'l,!! l l c t h . "
As we saw in the July number, in the application of I sa.
61 by Jesus, he used such part of the quotation as was applicable to his preaching and left unquoted the words-"the
Jay of vengeance of our God," because the proclamation of the
day of vengeance was not due until our day, and therefore
while the whole message referred to, has been proclaimed by
the Christ, yet only the feet have been pnvileged to utter i t
all. So with the Scripture now under cons1ueration ; Jesus and
the Apostles had a great and important part in proclaiming
"the good tidings of good," but only the feet of hm have been
privil eged to say "unto Z i on , Thy Go<l r<igncth."
The beauty of the feet's position, and the honor connected
with their p roclamation does not appear to the eyes of the
World. Oh no, none of the members of the Christ have been
of earth's heroes or wise, but in their eyes "we a1 e counte<l
fools." No, it is from the spiritual standpoint of Gou anu of
those who have ears to hear, that the tidings beaters are esteemed.
We rejoice then in our privilege as being among those who

announce to Zion these tidings that the kingdom begau in 1 8 i S .

At present our tidings can only b e received by faith i n the
same authority on which we base our statements-the WorJ of
God-consequently, not many are now able to hear. But oou
there will be abundant evidence of the truth of the statemeut
in the crumbling and falling of the various systems of iniquit:
-both in the uprooting of the blasphemous heresies of the
church, Roman Harlot, and Protestant daughters ; and afterward, in the j udgment and chastisement of the nations o f
earth, who through these false teachings, haYe established oppressive governments, which the harlot churches assure them
are christian governments, telling the people they are of G o d ,
appointment and are the "Kingdom's of our Lord anu of His
Christ."
Receiving their original right ( Y) of ruling, from Papacy,
these kingdoms are today recognized and blessed by all the
daughters.
But these are all parts of that great system of
A nti-Christ, or opposition to the real church and Kingdom of
God mentioned by Paul (2 Thes. 2 : 8 ) which the Loru shall
consume by the spirit of his mouth (truth) and destroy by the
bright shining of his presence.
Truth the spirit of the Lord's mouth, may come through a
thousand channels, even blasphemous Infidelity may be one o f
the agencies and we believe it is the truth uttered, though
mixed with error and blasphemy which is the secret of power
against Babylon, for it strikes her on her time honored and
It is truth with respect to human
festering sores o f error.
rights and equality, which is now moving Communists, Nihihsb
and Socialists to resist oppressive governments, and which will
in time overthrow them ; and truth it is, which will prepare the
world for the blessed reign and rule of the kingdom of God,
though in the development of truth, in i.ts various bumche-;,
both the nominal church and the world must pass a terrible
baptism of trouble : -Yet in it all, t r'llth will be conqueror anJ
come off victorious, because now, the rule and govemment has
been assumed by "Him whose right it is."
11 e has taken to
himself his great power and his reign 1s commenced, consequently we may soon expect the wrath and angry nahons of
Rev. 1 1 : 18.
How clear it is then, that the declaration to Zion, 'Thy G od
reigneth," is due now before the feet are JOined to the hotly m
Glory, and before the j u dgments of the Lord !{O a h roatl ; for
then it will need no proclamat ion ; it will mani fet to all b y
the outwaru signs that the kingdom is set up-even the tnbe
of the earth shall then see-recognize--that the g reat day o f
his wrath is come.
It is the feet of the Christ t h a t Z u I liff t h e g l a d tiding,
though others may echo and re-echo the glatl song.
Agaw, David who often represents 01 personifies The Cbnst ,
says :
Jehovah-"Brought me up out of a horrible ptt ( de)th
of confusion) out of the miry clay, and 8Ct my feet u pon a
rock and established my goings."
( Psa. 40 : 2. )
We might
make a sumlar apphcat10n of this scripture.
The whole body
of the Christ (except the head) wa:J down in the p i t of eon f u sion a n u mire of sin ; all through t h i s Gospel age J ehonth h.tS
been l i fting them up, or taking out a people for hts ttallle-separating such from the world aud mire of s 1 n ; au,l lat t o
be lifteu up are tlte feel, and truly t he 1 ' t t h :l \ e heen p l a cl'd
upon the rock of truth.
While the whole body has had truth as a ba-1s o f fa1th and
trust, ) Ct u u t l ou h t ed l y the feet are more fi l w ly c:,tabhshcd by 1 ! ,
than any p 1 ev i om; p a r t of t h e body, beau :;;c " e l l \ c 1u t he
time where t he l!gltt of all past ages c e n t ers and t he 111 !/Sft r!'
of Gol is finished.
"How fi rm a foun<lat w n , ye salllts of tht' Lo1 ,J,
I s laid for your faith i n his c:.eellent Word."
Again, wh1le it is true that a l l me1ube1 s o f t h e b od y , m
a new soug of praise to God when li fted from the dept h s of
confusion anu mire of sin, yet it 1s espeoally trtll' o t' the T r:d
-the song of praise breaks forth as soon as t he fttt to u r h t he
solid rock of truth anu reali7e that-

[ 28 7 ]

Z I O N 'S

n J)
"

WA T C H

There's a wideness in God's Mercy

Ltke the wideness of the Sea."

Tht'Y ean now smg w1th double j oy the restltution song-

" A ll nations which thou has: n:aJe
Shall come and worship before thee."
_\nd as we saw some tune smce ( Article--" Having Harps

o f G od,'' ) the position of the feet and their song a1 e beautifully

described m symbol, in-Rev. 15 : 2-4.

Agaw, we find a strtking reference to the feet of the Christ

' H e [Jehovah] shall give his angels char!{e
oYer thee to keep thee m all thy ways :
They shall bear t._e
up m theu hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
Thts prophecy by JJav1J refers to the Christ as a whole ; its
p rsonal apphcatwn by Satan was reJected by Jesus as a
uusapplilatwn of Scripture (Luke 4 : 12 ) , but when we apply
the reference to 'foo t," to the feet or last part of the body of
Christ, all ts harmonious. The stone referred to, we understand
to be the same as that of Isa. 8 : 14, viz :
That Jesus is the
stone of stumbling.
Jesus at the first advent was a stone of stumbling before
the feet of the nommal Jewish church, and they stumbled over
him because, being out of harmony w1th God, they could not
see in him the Me ssia h . In their pride of heart, they, especially
the Pharisees and Doctors of Divinity, were sure that Messiah
would come in their way, and own and accept of them as a
people.
They stumbled and were broken as an institution.
But the real feet of the real Jewish church-the "Israelites
indeed"-these received the present Messiah and were blessed
and lifted up by that "stone" to the higher plane of the Gospel
church. "To as many as received him, to them, gave he liberty
to become sons of God."
( The Jewish house was the house
of serva nts-the Gospel house a house of Sons.)
As there was a stone and stumbling there, in their "harvest,"
or end of their age, so the parallelism which we find associating
the Gospel age with its shadow, the Jewish age, demands that

in Psa. 91 : 11-12.

PITTSBURGH, PA.

TO WER

the stone should be present in the path of the Gospel church,

to be either accepted or rej ected ; and if the parallelism con
tinue (as we see it has) then we should expect that here the
feet of the nominal church would stumble as its shadow did,
and for the same reasons. And so we find it, the living genera
tion of the nominal church-the feet, have failed to discern
the presence of the Lord-'they knew not the time of their
visitation"-and all but the true feet of the true body have
He shall be for a stone of stum
stumbled as it is writtel1 :
b ling and rock of offense to both the houses of Israel.
To
''Israel after the flesh" he presented himself in the flesh, and
to the spiritual Israel he presented himself a spiritual body
-to each on their own plane.
But we cannot for a moment doubt, that as Jesus at the
first advent took special care to make himself known to every
''Israelite indeed" and gave such, clear evidences (while to
others he spoke in parables and dark sayings ) ( Psa. 78 : 2 ) , so
here at the second advent, every one wholly consecrated to
God, (not to churches and creeds ) and as such a part of the true
feet, is to be made aware of that presence, and consequently
will not stumble over it. That special care for all such, is what
1s referred to by the text considered-"He shall give his angels
charge, &c., lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
Only the feet could stumble over such a stone, and the stone
of stumbling was not in the path of the members of the body
who preceded us. And when we look back and see how closely
"the lamp" was put "to the feet" and how it was kept trimmed
and burning that its light shone out brightly, revealing to us
the stone which nominal Zion stumbles over and is shipwrecked
upon, but which to us IS a tried stone, elect, precious, the heaJ
of the corner or the chief stone of all in the glorious spiritual
Temple, we thank God for His care over us, and re.J oiee that we
are counted worthy to be members of that company, which in
the eyes of the world has no beauty that they should desire it ,

but which is as a root of dry ground-the feet of Him

that bringeth glad tidings, that saith unto Zion, Thy God
reigneth.

OUR NEW NAME

"..1 nd tlns ts the name wherewith SHE shall b e called, Th: T.oTd our Righ ft>o nsne88. "-.Jcr.

x x x i il

Hi.

Thy name Oh ! Heavenly Bridegroom,

Can we ever hope to bear f
Sha ll \\'e ""e Thy matchless gl01 y,
And in Thy kingdom share ?
With smiles of loving welcome,
Wilt Thou say to u s well done f
When our pilgnm days are ended,
And our rare for life is run f

Oh glorious fount of blessing,

We will haste without delay,
Our little all, to Thee to give,
Who dost such j oys repay ;
We care not Lord for earthly fame,
Its honors, or its pride,
But let us bear Thy sacred name,
And own us as Thy bride.

Yes, I hear Thee sweetly saying,

I n words of love <l ivine,
" I f tww with me thou'lt suffer,
My r;lol' l/ shall be thine.
If now with me thou'rt crucified
New h f<> t o thP<' I ' l l <> 1 \'1'.
And through eternal age,
My bride shall with me live."

Thy name above all others grand,

Which Thy waiting bride shall own ;
\Vhen Thou shalt ca ll hPr Thy si<IP
And share with her Thy throne ;
Through realms of fadeless glory,
Shall all its power confess ;
And every tongue on earth shall praise,
"The Lord our righteousness."
Mrs. A. Agens, N. J.

"AND THE DOOR WAS SHUT"

For the >oake of the many new readers of the WATCH TowER,
i t may not b e amiss to give a general review o f the steps o f
faith by which the Lord has been leading us as a people, during the last seven years, and in a general sense during the
preceding thii t) -five years.
The parable of "The Ten Virgins" ( Matt. 2 5 ) seems to have
been given as a pen picture of some of the important events
connected with the close of the Gospel Age.
The introduction of the parable shows this, for after recounting to the disciples ( .:\Iatt. 2 4 ) some of the signs of the ending of the Gospel
Age and the -parousta-presence of the Son of Man, which
verse 37 assures them will be a presence which the world cannot
recognie, then follows the parable, connected with the preeedmg :,tatements by the word then. "Then shall the kingdom
of heaven ( church ) be likened unto ten virgins which took
their lamps ( Bibles) and went forth to meet the Bridegroom"
'
e . , t h <y W<" l l t fm th or <'P"< 1 a ted them-;e)vps because of their
belief that the Bridegroom, Jesus, was about to come.
While we are neither "Millerites" nor "Adventists," yet we
believe that this much of this parable met -its fulfillment in
l )j 43 and 1844, when William Miller and others, Bible in hand,
walked out by fatth on its statements, expecting Jesus at that
tune. They were composed like all other earthly companies of
two or more classes ; one class had the Spirit in their hearts
a well a 1ts light in the Word ( oil in their vessels and in their

lamps) others had only the light of the Word ( oil in the lam p ) .
The disappointment of that company o f Christians (which
was composed of many of the best Christians from all denominations) all are well aware of, but it was foretold in the parable :
"While the Bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and
slept." As a general arousing of the church to the investiga
tion of God's Word had attended the preaching of Mr. Miller,
and the Word was more studied than ever before, especially
the Prophecies, so when his calculations seemed to end in such
bitter disappointment, a spirit of drowsiness followed ; some
slumbered, some slept, and many vagaries-dreamings incidental to sleep soon sprung up.
The next im portant step of the parable ( verse 6 ) is the
midnight cry.
The night of the parable was the time during
which the disappointment lasted and the sleeping occurred ,
and was to end with joy in the morning, when, the tarrying
being ended, the Bridegroom would be present.
As the former movement in the parable had been represented by Miller and others, so to this second movement we
give a similar application.
A brother, Barbour of Rochester,
was we believe, the chosen vessel of God through whom the
"Midnight Cry" issued to the sleeping virgins of Christ, an
nouncing a discrepancy of thirty years in some of Miller's
calculations, and giving a rearrangement of the same argument
(and some afl clitional ) , proving that the night of the parable

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Z I O N'S

WA T C H

was thirty years long, and that the morning was in 1873, and
the Bridegroom due in that morning in 187 4.
We do not here give the time arguments or proofs. They
are familiar to many, and can be had in more convenient shape.
We merely notice here that the Bible chronology, first dug
from Scripture by Bowen, of England, which shows clearly
and positively that the 6,000 years from Adam ended in 1873,
and consequently that there the morning of the Millennia! day
(the seventh thousand) began, in which a variety of things
are due.
The establishment of the kingdom of Christ, the
binding of Satan, the restitution of all things, and the blessing
of all the families of the earth, are all due. And if all these
things are due during this thouaand years which commmenced
in 1873, surely one of the first things due and on which the
others all depend, is the coming of the Bridegroom, who must
first exalt his church [ establish his kingdom] before it can
bless, restore or bind.
Brother Barbour first began to preach the message, and
soon started a paper, which he appropriately called "The
Mdmght Cry," the circulation of which soon ran up to 15,000
copies a month, and served to arouse many of the drowsy to a
fresh examination and trimming of their lamps. These began
again to search the Scriptures to the hme of the Bridegroom's
connng.
But the disappointment had served an intended purpose
in casting a reproach on the subject of "time," and the prudent
ones had reached the worldly-wise conclusion that having been
disappointed once and consequently had the finger of scorn
pointed at them, they would be more prudent in future, and not
expose themselves to contempt ; so there was a division of the
company ; some <"ould see it and ot h ers could not. "Thou hast
hid these things from the (worldly) wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes."
Some rejoiced in the midnight
message that the Bridegroom was due in 1874, and were able
to find the evidences in the light of their lamps ; others ad
mitted that though Scripture contained a great deal of "time,"
yet they were so fearful and prudent that their lamps would
give no light.
Thus they said :
"Our lamps are gone out."
Thus one separation took place.
When 1874 came and there was no outward sign of Jesus
in the literal clouds and in a fleshly form, there was a general
re-examination of all the arguments upon which the "Midnight
Cry" was made.
And when no fault or flaw could be found,
it led to the critical examination of the Scriptures which seem
to bear on the manner of Christ's commg, and it was soon dis
covered that the expectation of Jesus in the flesh at the second
advent was the mistake ; that the human nature had been taken
for the purpose of giving a ransom for humanity, and that
the hmnan nature remams a sacnfice forev er ; that J esus,
though put to death in the flesh, wa& quickened or made alive
in sprtt-Sown a natural body raised a spiritual body, &c.,
and that all spiritual bodies can be present unseen. Soon too,
under cntical exammation Matt. 24 : 3 7 and Luke 17 : 26, 30
were seen to teach positively that "in the presence" of Christ,
"in his days," the world would be ignorant of the fact, and
be attending to their affairs as usual.
Then the words of
Paul :
"Ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should
come upon you aa a thief," indicated that the church should
possess a light on the subject while the world would be in ig
norance. Peter's words, too, were in harmony :
"Take heed to
the sure w o r d of prophecy, which shines as a light in a dark
place."
When this was seen it was apparent at once that the "time"
element of the Scriptures was intended only for those who
would walk very close to the Lord and feed on his Word,
and not to scare the world into repentance. How necessary too,
if the manner of Christ's coming was such that the world would
not know, but would eat, plant and build as usual, that there
should be some source of information to the waiting virgins,
else they too, would be in darkness. How reasonable, too, that
the knowledge of Christ's presence should be presented to the
household of faith in the same way all other blessings had been
received, viz. ; by fath in the statements of the Word of God.
It is thus they knew of their j ustification from all sin ; thus
they heard the call to become the Bride and j oint heirs ; thus
they see the crown of life and all the exceeding great and
precious promises-and thus they receive the knowledge of the
presence of the Bridegroom-by faith built on the statements
of God through Jesus, the apostles and prophets.
This increase of knowledge, led to still greater faith in the
"time," for it was evident that the Lord was leading, and
every item of light added increased bri htness to others.
It
was the same light and the same oil shming more and more.
It was evident, then, that though the manner in which they
had expected Jesus was in error, yet the time, as indicated by
the "Midnight Cry," was correct, and that the Bridegroom

I-19

TO WER

(3)

came in the Autumn of 1874, and he appeared to the eyes of

faith-seen by the light of the lamp-the Word.

Afterward
it was seen that the thirty years of tarrying between 1844
and 187 4 was the exact parallel to the thirty years of tarrying
at the first advent, from the time the wise men visited the
babe until Jesus stood on Jordan and was anointed with the
Holy Ghost for his work, at thirty years of age.
(Acts, 1 0 :
38. )
This and other points of similarity brought attention to
the fact that the Jewish and Gospel ages had been parallels
in their general details, both being of the same length, and
both ending with comings of Jesus and the closing penod in
each case, called a "harvest," or end of the age. Examination
of the Word disclosed the fact that God had so ordered the
Jewish age and people, &c., as that they were made a pattern
or "shadow" on a fleshly plane, of things to take place in the
Gospel Age on a higher plane. The fact that the "time argu
ments" proved this parallelism was additional evidence that
they were correct, and these wonderful parallelisms soon Le
came one of the leading evidences that we are in the "Harvest,"
or end of the Gospel age, and that the Reaper is p rese nt ,
separating with the sickle of truth tlw " heat and tares. A;;
there were seven years of "favor" to the Jews from the time
Jesus' ministry began (the 70th week of Daniel, 9 : 27 ) , fol
lowed by thirty-three years of trouble called fire, so here we see
the parallel of seven years of favor to October 3d, 1881, to the
Gospel church, to be followed by trouble called "fire," which
will consume the dross of Babylon and purify those of God's
children in and contaminated by her.
To return to the parable. If these movements were of God,
and if Bros. Miller and Barbour were his instruments, then
that "Midnight Cry," based on the prophetic and other state
ments and evidences, was correct, and the "Bridegroom came"
in 1874. We believe that Midnight Cry was of God, and was
fulfilled by the Bridegroom's coming, not because Bros. Miller
and Barbour claimed it, but because the Word of GoJ. sup
ports it.
"How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word."
The next step in the parable, after the Bridegroom comes,
is an assembling in his presence of those who are to be united
to him and to become his bride. "The Bridegroom came, and
they that were ready went in with him to the marriage" ( verse
10. ) The going in, like all other features of the parable, is a
work of time, and we understand that it has been in progress
during the seven years from 1874.
Those who went in wtth
hm must all have recognized his presence ; they include, we
believe, saints out of all denominations who had made them
selves living sacrifices to God (not sacnfices to sectarian
churches and creeds-so many do this and call it sacrificing
to God ) . Such as sacrificed self and became as little children,
we believe the Lord has led during the past seven years, to a
knowledge of the Bridegroom's presence, and as they accepted
it, they '''I I cn t in with him to t he marriage . " T h e m a n i n ge has
not yet taken place. It could not until all had gone in.
The seven years which ended October 3d, 188 1 , were years
of favor during the presence, that of the living generatiOn aU
of readiness of heart might become members of the httle flock
and enter into the joys of our Lord's presence.
If our appli
cation of Scripture be correct, the favor has now ended, and
in the language of the parable, "the door was shut" ; and to
those who have never fully consecrated and sacrificed self to
God, we cannot any longer hold out the great prize of our
high calling, viz . ; to b e members of the Bride of Christ, j oint
heirs of Glory, Honor and Immortality.
But, thank God, we do not have it to say that the door
OF MERCY has closed. Oh, no !
''His n1ercy endureth for
ever." And while we call it the door of fa vor, yet we u n der
stand the Word to teach that God has manv fa\ors to manv
classes of His children. He has favors and me1 c i es for those

who have covenanted and failell to make hdng sac n fices o f

themselves.
He h a s mercies and favors f o r Israel according
to the flesh, and st il l other blessings for "all the fatu ihes of
the earth."
But the favor or opportumty of being mem
bers of the Royal family and partakers of the Dhine
nature is the chief prize, and those who,
during the
Gospel age, have won this prize by so nwn utg as t o ob
tain must first be crowned before the other faYot s and blessings
can be given to the other classes-thse with Jesus, their
head, constitutmg the seed in whom all the families of the
earth shall 1e blessed.
It is not ours to say which, indtvHlually, a re shnt out, but
we believe that none were shnt out who up to t ha t time, h a d
made an entire consecration to God.
Does some o ne inquire :
Why has the "marriage" not taken

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Z I O N'S

WA T C H

place if all have gone in and the door is shut f We answer that
we have not expected the "marriage" as soon as the door would
shut, this parable and other Scripture illustrations seeming
to demand a waiting time after the door was shut before the
union with the Bridegroom. Suppose it were an earthly mar
riage, and the announcement was made that the door would
open at 2 P. M. and close at 4 o'clock. Some would come early
and others later ; on arrival there would be more or less prepara
tion to make, and when, at 4 o'clock, the door closed, it is only
reasonable to suppose that some time would intervene before
the ceremonies. So here the "gathering together unto Him"
of those who have made a covenant by sacrifice (Psal., 50 : 5 ) ,
. e., their going i n t o the marriage, has been i n progress for
sel""en years and each, as he entered the wedding apartments,
has become exercised in having his garments without spot and
wrinkle b efore him-our Bridegroom, and our efforts extend to
all who enter, for the Bride is to "make herself ready." (Rev.,
19 : 7.) And if some came in very recently they, as members
of the prospective Bride, require time and help to make them
ready ; besides who will say that others who have been rejoicing
in the presence of the Bndegroom and waiting for the mar
riage, may not yet need the application of water (truth) and
washing by water through the Word. ( Eph., 5 : 26.)
Let us then not forget nor neglect these two things : First,
to see that our own sacrifice is complete ; and, second, to help
one another to prepare for the great climax of our hopes ; for
who will say that though the door may be closed so that none
will be allowed to enter, some may not be cast out "into outer
darkness" if they be not ready for the marriage.

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

The next item to be noticed in the parable is that afterward

came the other virgins, saying (after the door was shut :
"Lord, Lord, open unto us." This, if we read the parable
aright, indicates that after the door is shut, and apparently
before the marriage takes place, some who now scoff at the
idea of the Lord's presence will come to see differently, and
entreat that they be admitted to be part of the Bride.
From other Scriptures it seems evident that their knowledge
of the presence of the Lord came not from the light shining
from the lamp of prophecy, but rather from the j udgments
upon the nominal church, which we believe are now fully due,
and will soon come. These judgments will prepare them for
truth by convincing them of the multitudinous errors of doc
trines and systems in Babylon. If our inferences here be cor
rect, that these will come to knock because of judgments mani
festing the presence of the Lord, and if this knock is prior to
the marriage, it would seem as though the marriage is some
time after the door closes. How long-weeks or mouths-we
at present have nothing to indicate, but we shall see from other
types, &c., other things due here.
The Lord's answer to those knocking too late, we understand
to mean : "I do not recognize you as part of my Bride ; my
espoused one has come in with me. I have only one bride.
They must go through the time of trouble, and if they will may
be of the great multitude, who come out of great tribulation,
who shall be before the throne and serve God." (Rev., 7 : 9 . )
This will b e a glorious place and portion, though not so
glorious as that of the Bride, to sit with him on His throne.

A SHORT SERMON FROM A FAMILIAR TEXT

God

so loved the wm ld that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not peri..,h, but lave ever
lasting life." John 3 : 16.
We learned this text, so long ago, some of us in childhood,
Whatsoever is not of faith is sin ; and the promiBes are only
and have heard it so often, that we are now apt to read or hear to believers. But does it seem reasonable that God so loved
it without noticing its breadth and depth.
the wmld and yet made provision for only one out of a thou"God so loved."
sand, allowing the rest to remain in heathenism, to perish ?
Orthodoxy says it was Jesus that so
Is it true 1
The Word says : "How then shall they call on him in whom
loved the world. The Father did not love them ; no, he was
they have not believed T and how shall they believe in him of
angry-very angry-with them, because Satan was too smart
whom they have not heard ! and how shall they
' hear without
for him rwe feel ashamed to have o write such an idea] ; bt
a preacher ?" Rom., 10 : 14. They could not. but our loving
Jesus loved us, and now thew h1mself between us and hs
Father has provided a preacher in that glorious Anointed One
angry Father, and thus received the fatal . blow ; at least 1t -Head and body-who is "the tnt" Light winch hghteth
would have been fatal to us, but Jesus bemg God could not EVERY MAN that cometh into the world." And thus shall all men
really die, and so arose when he wished to.
"come unto a knowledge of the truth." Understanding this
How much better to believe that "God commendeth his love
Paul could say : "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would
toward us, in that while we were yet sinners [enemies, verse
justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel
10] Christ died for us." Rom. 5 : 8. "Herein is love ; not
[good news } unto Abraham, saying : "In thee shall all natioM
that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be
be blessed.' Gal., 3 : 8.
the propitiation for our sins." 1 John, 4 : 10.
This is good news indeed.
"Should not perish, but have everlasting life."
"God so loved the wrRLD."
Babylon would paraphrase this sentence thus : "Should not
What ! the uorld f the whole worldf This would be blessed
live forever in hell, but nave everlasting life in heaven." Web
news indeed, if true. How is it ? Babylon teaehes that only
ster gives the primary meaning of "perish" as "to die, to lose
those who believe before the second coming of Christ-probably
life in any manner." But, says some one, Jesus did not speak
not one in one thousan<l of the world's inhabitants so far-can
English, and the translators may not have given us a good
be saved. God's word tells ns that through the Abrahamic seed
equivalent for the Greek. Well, Liddell and Scott define the
shall "all the families of the earth be blessed." Gen. 12 : 3.
original word "to destroy utterly, kill, slay, murder." The
What if the promise has not been fulfilled as yetf Can we not
text really defines its own meaning by placing "f.erish" as tl1e
wait God's time 1 Paul tells us that God "will have ALL men
opposite of "life." Life, everlasting or eterna , is promised
to be saved [ from the Adamic death] and to come unto a
only to the pure. Our Father intends to have a clean universe,
knowledge of the truth." What truth f That Christ Jesus
and has commissioned the Son to do the work for him. This
"gave himself a ransom for ALL, to be testified in due time."
he will do, throwing light into every dark corner, washing,
1 Tim., 2 : 4, 6.
scouring and polishing every vessel that can be made available
"He gave his only begotten Son."
for the Master's use, hanging every one in its proper place,
This phraseology brings us into conflict with an old Baby
sweeping out and "utterly destroying" the rubbish, but evi
Ionian theory, viz. : Trinitarianism. If that doctrine is true
dently savin g and blessing with life everlasting by far the
how could there be an Son to give ? A begotten Son, too ?
_
greater portion
o f mankind s o that the saved will b e the rule,
I mpossible.
If these three are one, did God send himsel f !
and the lost, the exception--else would Satan triumph over God,
And how could Jesus say : "My Father is greater than I."
which is impossible.
John, 14 : 28.
W. I. MANN.
"Whosoever believeth in him."

IN THE VINEYARD

To strengthen and encourage the lonely and isolated ones,

we want to give a brief account of how the. work in general
is progressing. It is our common work and common interest.
Many of you are apt to think that our glorious glad tidingl'l
are preached and known only by an occasional one, just as
Elijah thought when he said : "I only am left alive and they
seek my life" ; but what saith the Word of the Lord to him f
"I have left me seven thousand in Israel . . . . which have
not bowed the knee to Baal." ( 1 Kings, 19 : 18.) Even so now
also there are more than two or three who worship Jehovah

and His Christ only, and are controlled only by His Word ;
and now there doubtless are 7,000 or more who neither worship
the Papal "Beast" nor the Protestant "Image." (Rev. 13.)
THE TRACT WORK

you will remember, was begun in a small way some time since,
and afterward the "ZION'S WATCH TowER TR ACT SOCIETY" or
ganized. First, we proposed to publish a quantity of the 32-page
tracts, but soon concluded to make one large tract or pamphlet
of 1 64 pages, which would give a general idea and outline of
what we see to be God's glorious plan, and gave it the title :

[ 290]

0CTOBJ!R AND Novl!MBJ!R,

1881

Z I O N 'S

"}'ooD
FOR THINKING CHRISTIANS :
WH Y
EVIL WAS PERMITTED, AND KINDRED TOPICS."

WA T C H

TO WER

(5)

the word Church-so we speak of the real and the nominal

Church-or nominal Zion being now termed, in Scripture,
"Babylon." The true Zion, the first-born, the heir, the Christ,
has been delivered. ]

THE WORKERS
We thought to publish 300,000 copies of this pm hlet, ad
Brother Adamson is now in Illinois and Iowa distributing
so far as possible to put them in the hands of thmkmg Chns
pamphlets from city to city, and preaching as he goes.. An
tians everywhere. But we soon saw that, though very large,
extract from a letter m .another column, shows that he I S en
the quantity would not be sucient and !t w increased to
joying the work. The Lord give him grace for every time of
_
500,000 copies. These were prmted m vanous c1t1es of Penn
need-though showing him how great things he lllUSt suffer
_
sylvania, New York and Ohio. These ave nearly all ben dis
for the truth's sake.
_
tributed in the medium and larger c1tles, and at the prmc1pal
Brother Keith has been similarly engaged m central Penn
camp meetings, rothers Admson, Keith, Keim, cranor and
sylvania and New York, and . has had good sucess, and still
_
Only
others, being still eng ged m the work of d1stnbut10n.
continues. The Lord feed h1m abundantly w1th truth, that
about 65,000 yet remam.
he may go from strength to strength mighty in the Scriptures.
But the way seemed to open yet wider, and Bros. Sunderlin
Brother Jones also gave valuable assistance i. the trat
and Bender were sent to Great Britain to publish the same
He has now removed to New York C1ty, aLd 1s
distribution.
pamphlet ; three hundred thousand copies were published, and
doubtless preparing something valuable for the readers of the
before you read this will probably be in the hands of the church
first number of his new paper, elsewhere referred to. 'l'he Lord
goers of the principal Cities there.
lead him to his praise.
In the meantime another avenue of spreading the truth
Brother Paton has been laboring recently in Detroit and in
opened up. The manager of the principal papr of ew . York
the neighborhood of his home, Almont, Mich. He is, we sup
City agreed to send a copy of the tract t? then entue hst . of
pose, busily engaged "?'iting for Br. Jones' l!ew papc:>r, o
subscribers, and several other papers of Chicago, Boston, Phila
which we believe, he w11l be an occasiOnal contr1butor. He HI
delphia and New York favored us similarly in the work, for
busy lso collecting names for the new pape. The Lo.r<l hold
which they have our sincere thanks. [We omit the names of
him in His powerful hand and overrule all thmgs for H1s good.
the papers only to save them mconvenience from applications
Brother McGranor is distributing tracts, and as he goes
from others. They say they have never before granted such preaching in Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
';l'he Lord has
privileges to any. ]
been blessing him greatly. The Lord enrich h1m and honor
For this work we had the same matter that was i n the tract
him by use in His service.
.
put into newspaper shape, and as such it constituted the Sep
Brother Keirn is attending to the tract work and preachmg
tember number of the WATCH ToWER-thus, doubtless, you have
in New Jersey and Delaware. The Lord bless him and fill
all read the tract. So to those who may have wondered why
his mouth with the sweet things of His Word.
the increased she, change of form, &c., of your last paper, this
Brother Sunderlin is being tried in patience ; for while he
will explain.
delights in the work and is anxious t be constan.tly in it, he
As we were reaching Christians in the cities with the
is on a sick-bed. He was attacked w1th rheumatic fever and
pamphlets, we sent the papers only with weekly and monthly
obliged to return home from the tract work in Great Britain
JOurnals, and hope thus to have reached many Christians in j ust as he had the pamphlets ready for distribution. The
country distncts. We sent out m this way over 400,000 copies.
Lord comfort and sustain and smile upon him in his affiiction,
Thus you see that from an apparently small beginning, the tract
and in His own good time restore him to us and the work.
work has spread to the immense proportions of 1,200,000 copies
Brother Bender is still in England busy with the tract dis
or about 200,000,000 pages in four months, or about eight times as
tribution. We make a few extracts, in another column, from a
much (in number) as were distributed by the American Tract So
letter recel).tly received, writ en before the general distibuti?n
ciety in the last year. The work has employed hundreds of men, had taken place, which may mterest you. The Lord gmde
hun
women and boys m preparation and distribution, nearly 500 with wisdom, and while blessing others may he have abundant
boys teing employed to distribute in London, and about 300 in blessing.
Kew York-other cities in proportion. The distribution was
Others might be mentioned, but we refer only to those who
made in the larger cities at the church doors on Sundays.
are connected with the work in a very prominent way. Time
The work we believe to be the Lord's and that its results
and space would fail us to refer to those who in towns, vil
w1ll be far-reaching we cannot doubt. Letters come pouring lages and cities are engaged in helpin the twos threes, twehes

!
.
_ H1s
in fr om every quarter-many of them are very rich and sweet, and fifties to the food so nchly
Word by om
prov1ded m
ami mdicate that the same heavenly manna which has been
Lord. Some, in a still more private way, are using the1r
s o refreshmg and strengthening to us, has the same rich
every talent in setting forth God's great unfolding plan of
flavor to many others when they taste of 1t. Some are from
Love--calling attention to his provision of a "Narrow way to
scattered ones who have been digging in the Word, and were life" for a few and promised "Restitution" to human perfec
reaching after these things. Some from parties who say they tion for the many. The work of these may not be heralded or
had been drifting into, or were quite in, Infidelity, because known on earth, but it is all recorded in the "Book of Remem
never had they been able to see anything reasonable, har
brance." Their faithful performance of their consecration vows
monious or worthy of a God of Love in the teachings of the
of self-denial and self-crucifixion is well known to the Lord,
Bible, as interpreted by the creeds of the various sects. Nearly
and will be rewarded exceedingly abundantly more than
all ask for more for their friends. A few, even, come from
we can ask or think-when the Bridegroom shall say : "Thou
"class leaders" and pastors, asking them for their people, but hast been fatthful over a few things ; I will make thee ruler
very few ; we have no reason to expect many, from "those that
over many things ; enter thou into (share) the joys of thy
give suck" ; alas ! they feel that they are "rich and increased
Lord." Among this last class are many noble women, who are
in goods, and have need of nothing," and are too busy giving
unobtrusively exerting their quiet influence 'Unknown to the
the "milk of the Word" to have any time either to eat stronger many, yet owned and loved of God. Oh ! the jewels, the
meat or provide it for others.
j ewels ! how brightly they shine, lighted up by the light of
The work has been so much greater than we had antlCipated,
the Lord's face shining upon them and changing them daily
and seemingly was impelled by an unseen hand and at such a
from glory and beauty of resem blanca to the head, to yet
special time, too, that we cannot doubt that it is all of the
more glory and beauty until, the work done, and the Bride
Lord, and it is probably designed as a ripener to some grams
made ready, they shall be made like unto Christ's glorion8
of "wheat," to prepare them as a part of the "first fruits" of spiritual body.
the wheat or spiritual harvest-members of the Bride of Christ ;
"How beautiful are the feet of Him."
and also, one of the many instruments to be used in the over
We believe tnat every member of this body of Christ is en
throw of "Babylon" and the deliverance of God's children
gaged in the blessed work, either directly or indirectly, of giv
within her. But while an unseen hand seemed to impel the
ing meat in due season to the household of faith. "Who then
onward progress of the work, another unseen hand seemed at
is that faithful and wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler
work seeking to thwart our purposes, but "if God l:le for us,
over his household," to give them meat in due season f Is it
who can be against us !" In his strength one could chas( a
not that "little flock" of consecrated servants who are faith
thousand opposers, and two put ten thousand to flight.
fully carrying out their consecration vows--the body of Christ
We shall endeavor monthly to keep you informed as to the
-and is not the whole body individually and collectively, giv
general outlook over the field, as seen from ZioN's WATCH
ing the meat in due season to the household of faith-the great
TowER, and shall be glad of information from any of our
company of believers f
readers. We are expecting great things in the near future.
Blessed is that servant (the whole body of Christ ) whom
If our position be correct, we may expect "Zion's travail" to
his Lord when he has come (Gr. elthon) shall find so doing.
commence at once. [Keep in memory the distinction between
"Verily, I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all
real and nominal Zion, the word Z1on being used instead of
his goods." "He shall inherit all things."

[ 29 1 ]

( li l

Z I O N }S

WA T C H

The e,iJ <erYant" who says : My Lord delayeth his com

ing-, and forgetting Ius consecration vows, begins to eat and
drmk with the drunken (partake of the spirit of the world )
ha l l h a Y e 110 part with the faithful overcomer.
( Matt. 24 :

.!()- i t) , )

I n conclusion, let each remember that the work is the

Lord ' s : that our Captain's eye is upon each of us, and that

his 'ITis,lom has appointed to each a place in his vineyard, how-

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

ever prominent or obscure ( 1 Cor., 12 : 18 ) ; and with this

thought let us study to show ourselves approved workmen that
need not to be ashamed.
Let us be careful in sounding the trumpet, remembering
that others will be preparing to "sing" in harmony. See "The
Temple Type." Our every expression should be with care, and
all our influence on the side of truth} so the trumpet shall give
a clear sound.

THE TEMPLE BUILDING TYPE

In a pre,ious number, we called attention to what we believe
to be a type, vir : The temple. The church of Christ is re
peatedly mentioned under the figure of a temple. Jesus spoke
to th<' .Te'"" con(tt n in g t lw tem plf' of hi'l body, saying, Destroy
this temple and in three clays I will raise It up. We understand
of course that he referred to his own resurrection, which would
be in three clays after death ; yet we believe that his words re
ferred also to his body, the church, and were a sort of prophetic
forecast. Di,iding the 6,000 years from Adam to 1873 into
large das or periods of 1,000 years each, we have six days of a
great week. When Jesus uttered the wortls quoted, 41000 years
( 4 clays ) were past and he was in the fifth. Since 1873, we
are in the seventh thousand years, or seventh day. Count the
fifth, sixth and seventh and we have the third day or epoch
from the time Jesus uttered the words.
During these years the church of Christ has been subject
to death, and on the third day, the day or period already en
t<>rNl upon, this temple is to be reared up and glorified, to be
the place of blessing to the world.
We make a similar application of Luke 13 : 32, 33. "Go
' , . n n o l ttll t h a t fo'l:, TIPhol d I l'n o;; t out devils, and I d o cures
today and tomorrow, and the third day I :;;hall be perfected."
In fact, Jesus as the head represents the whole Christ so thor
oughly, that whatever might be said of him could be applied
on a still larger and grander scale, to the body and seed of
which he is the head.
Both Peter and Paul refer to this temple type, saying that
we as living stones are built up a spiritual house, which build
ing fitly framed together groweth into a holy temple. ( 1 Pet.
1 : 5 and Eph. 2 : 2 1 ) . Anrl looking back, we not unreasonably
suppose, that as Solomon himself was a type of Christ, so his
great temple may have been a type or symbol of the greater
temple of living stones which Jesus has been building during
this Gosp<>l Age.
As the stones underwent much cutting and polishing and
titting, from the time they left the quarry, so those who are
to be of the liYing stones in the greater temple, must undergo
much fitting, shaping, etc., from the time they leave the quarry
hefor<> they are latd in the temple.
In the typiral, there came a time when no more stones were
q n arriel for the temple, though cloubtless the quarrying con
tinued, the stones afterward being designed for other build
mgs ; o here there came a time when no more stones were
sclectel for the t e mple, or highest position. Though God still
calls, it is for other than temple stones, for when a temple
i<> romplett', it would only mar it to add to perfection.
S HH'(' " ,. hf'Ji f',.f' t hn t t h P l iving f'tones for the temple are

selected and the temple is nearly or quite finished, we ask our

selves-what next' This was the question which Solomon must
have asked as the temple was finished. The next thing was to
have Jehovah come into it with his glory ; so here we now wait
for the glory to be revealed in us.
The fact that the glory did not instantly fill the temple
when complete, should teach us that we need not expect the
glory as soon as "the door" closes and the antitypical temple is
complete.
An account of what was done in the typical temple when it
was finished, and before it was glorified, is recorded, in 2 Chron.
5 : 11, 14. The Priests assembled at the door of the temple with
trumpets, then carne some of the Levites which were singers.
The Priests sounded the key note on the trumpets and the
Levites joined in to sing in harmony : It took some time be
fore the harmony was perfect, but as soon as they were "as
one" (perfectly in harmony) then, the glory of the Lord fi lled
the temple. This we would interpret as teaching that the
Priests (the little flock who are to be glorified ) will give the
key note of our song to a representative part of the great com
pany (Levites) before they, the priests, are glorifie d.
It is only a part of the Lev1tes who compose the singers,
and they are clothed in white robes and have cymbals, anll
psalteries, and harps (2 Chron. 5 : 1 2 ) S o w e understand that,
for a part of the great company who are already arrayed in
white robe'! of j u stification through Jpsns' merit, and wh o now
have the harp of God (the Word of truth) and are now trying
to get harmonious strains of music from it, hearkening dili
gently unto the trumpet voice of the priest company which daily
sounds louder and clearer, for the bringing of these into har
mony with the priests, the glory of the Lord waits.
The trumpet should now give no uncertain sound ; the white
robed company are beginning to tune their harps in harmony
with its strains, and soon " as one" we will sountl the praises
of him "whose mercy endureth forever," and the glory of the
Lord will fill the temple.
The character of the song to be taught and learnetl, is Resti
tution, if we may judge from the line of it given us VJ7. :
"For He is good,
For His mercy endureth fore,er."
This temple type then teaches us that we are to continue
our efforts to teach the Restitution Song to all who wf'ar t h <>
white robes of Christ's righteousness, and that we may expert
a considerable measure of success to attend our efforts before
our glorification. This would seem to teach too, that the priests
would reach a harmony in their trumpeting before the glory.

WORDS FROM BRO. SUNDERLIN

DE.\R BRI:TliRF::>: .\D SISTERS :
I was lately pa:,i ng al on g the streets of a large city, when
my attent ion wa attracted to a fine large engraving hanging
in one of the shop mn olows. ( I t was in Fleet street, London. )
Tt repreentecl a seene in one of the ancient Isthmian games.
Two pet '-On s nearly di wsteol of apparel, with distended muscles,
or( ll ( ' l f'd t l 1c course, tretching eYery nerve, while around, evi
d e n t ! e x c t t e d w i t h deep interest, was the "great cloud of wit
nc!>ce<-.''
T l 1 r ' lHre 1 r c l l a lon q in the ronrse but the attention of the
o n P. '>Ot;: Pwltat in ah'anre of the other is diverted for a rroment
l .y a fl o wer or some shming oh,iect that has been thrown into
t h <> a rena h- '>Omc one of the many witn('sses, by which they
are 'com pa'-erl ahont.''
An effort i -, 111 arle to grasp it, evirlently the prize for which
t hey ar<> runumg 1 lost hy this one, and no trace of sympathy
1'> not J (;cablc on the countenances of the spcrtato1s, but great
tt)'J1 C l llf J i'> apparent among the multitude, at the persu;tency
w1th which the ,-i ctor l1as reached the goal, ignoring every
t b m g else, keepmg the pr17e only in v1ew and finally won it.
I thou ght, that i a true picture of the Christian race which
Paul has so fru t!tfn l l y an,J vividly painted in words, and
which we :;,ce arll'rl upon the stage of life. Bnt how appropri
ately and timely the emphasizing of the thought just now. How

faithfully that little shining obJect, whatever it may be, repre

sents the besetments in the path of the one who is running for
the pri2e of our high calltng.
How insignificant compared with the p1it e and the honor
at the end of the course. But unless watchful we shall hesi
tate ; one moment may cost all, and may make delay sufficient
to reach the judge's stand too late.
What's that in your path f A little worldly praise f Dis
dain to notice it, it is of no value whatever ; you are worse off
with it than without it. At another point do you see an avenue
to wealth ' Never mind ; it would not be abiding if you had it.
Press on.

Again ; do you begin to think of some of the "weights" of

value ( 7) left behind, fearing you will never see them again f
Don't think of them only to hope you will never be encumbered
with them more. Do you say or think : "I fear this race will
be the ruwation of all my worldly prospects f" Of course it
will so far as having any pleasure in them is concerned.
You will be a very foolish man to divide your energies now,
or thoughts either. Press on.
But do you say : "Why, there's my reputation right there
in thE' d11st." Poor fellow ! how sorry I am you noticed it ;
but it's only the reputation you once had. Don't you know that
none of those who are noted racers on this course have any

[292]

OCTOBER

AND

Z I O N 'S

NovEMBER, 1881

WA T C H

TO WER

(7)

a life that is life everlasting, and more-immortal. Don't Le

foolish now. Press on.
"A heavenly race demanrls thy zeal
And an immortal crown.'
London, England.
J. C. SuxDERL I N .
(The above was written by our brother before illnes had
quite prostrated him and compelled his return.-EDITOH. ]

The greatest racer who ever stepped o n i t "made

himself of no reputation."
But do you say : "This awful run will be the death of me f"
Yes, of course it will; but you are a poor culprit under sen
tence of death any way, and if you undertake to save your
life you will lose it, but run yourself to death and you'll have

reputationf

FROM BROTHER j. J. BENDER

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, October 1 st, 1881.
DEAR BROTHER RU S SELL :
Having but a few minutes to post a letter in time to meet
steamer leaving Liverpool today, I write in haste a few words.
Arrived in Glasgow on Werlnesday, and spent the day in hunt
ing up some party, but could find none. Advertised in paper
my wants and left for Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen, to
extreme north, intending to distribute at each place. I suc
ceeded without delay and returned in the night to Glasgow, hav
i ng 18 replies to mv advPrtisPment. The first I called upon I
made a contract with, and came here again to hear from Lon
don, but received no letter. I telegraphed to learn how things
were getting along, and enclosed find a favorable reply. So
far100,000 pamphlets for London.
30,000 pamphlets for Glasgow.
20,000 pamphlets for Edinburgh.
10,000 pamphlets for Dundee.
:'i,OOO pamphlets for Aberdeen.

I will now go to Carlisle and Kew Cat !c next, whict w i l l

_
geographically
be distributing on my way down as near nght
as I can to Liverpool, Manchester, Hull, Le e ds, etc. T hink 1
can get through all well.
.
I had time to call on Mr. Robert 1 onng, cnttcal t ranslatot
of the Bible and author of "Young's analytical Hehrew ann
Greek Concordance," and I asked his op inion of the text 1 1 1
2 John, 7 in regard to the Coming of Christ in the fl sh ,
and he says that there is no doubt about the passage referrmg
only to Christ's first Coming. I m entio n e<l the quibble re
garding the Rochester phase of it, and he said : "0 n o , no, 1t
means only the first Coming."
Am enjoying good health1 of which you may inform any
inquiring friends and trust you are enjoying the same.
Working in the hope that the labor bestowed will fall upon
good ground, and produce many fold to the glory of God.
Yours truly,
J. J. BENDER.
_

"WHO CAN HEAR IT "

An idea sometimes becomes s o imbedded i n our minds, so
mnch a part of ourselves, as that we can scarcely part with it.
Yet how many of our ideas we have found it necessary to
moilif.v, the reason doubtless being that now we see as through
a smoked glass, dimly. To very many it becomes a trial to
have a long-cherished theory interfered with ; but to all who
have the childlike spirit of Christ, viz. : a readiness to take
the Father's word unhesitatingly (not man's word) . T o such
there is no trouble, for they say : I know nothing at all on
the snbject, and if I have received an idea unsupported by
God's \Vorr! I ilon't want it. I want truth, not my own ideas ;
give me truth, no matter what idol it may overthrow.
To such only, we have a word to say touching the long-cher
ished idea, that some of those now living would never die a
physical death. We want to say to you that the Scriptures
npon which that iilea has been based, when critically consid
ererl do not ( in our ,1 udgment) support the thought ; and
other Scriptures seem to teach positively that all who will be
members of the bod11-Christ, must like their head, example,
forerunner, die physically. Carefully examine the subject in
the light of the following remarks on texts usually regarded
as the Lasis of the idea that we will be exempted from physical
ileath , anrl should you find any other texts which you consider
'' i < l c n c e of the old iilea, please inform us.
l n l Thes., 4 : 1 3, 17, we read-"Then we which are alive and
remain unto the coming (parousia-presence) of the Lord
shall not prevent [hinder] them which are asleep. For the
Lord . . . . shall descend .
and the dead in Christ shall
rise first :
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together r or also] with [or to) them, &c."
Now we do not claim that anything here mentioned, indi
<'ates that the saints who remain over to this time of the Lord's
presence will die ; but we do claim that nothing in this text
teaches that their human bodies will not die. This Scripture
does not mention what change they will undergo before being
joined to the Lord ; in fact the change is not mentioned here
at alL But the same apostle elsewhere informs us that a change
must take place, because "flesh and blood" cannot inherit the
kingdom of Gorl-we must all be "changed" to spiritual bodies.
Let us next look at 1 Cor. 15 : 51 , for it mentions the change
particularly, and let us notice carefully whether Paul says we
shall be changed without dying, as we have always supposed he
does. We read : "Behold I show you a mystery ; we shall
not all sleep but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye ; . . . . the dead shall be raised incor
ruptible and we shall be changed." We received our impression
t h at our earthly body woulrl not die, from the above statement
regarding sleep, but who cannot see that the human body
might be dissolved and we the new creatures be delivered from
it and so quickly clothed upon with our spiritual body, that
not a moment for sleep would intervene. If time should in
tervene between the dissolution of our earthly house (human
nature) and the receiving of our spiritual body we should be
obliged to sleep, as the Apostles and "all who sleep in Jesus."
But that sleep has 11lways been an undesirable thing ; therefore
.

with the apostle we can say that we an; anxious, not to be

unclothed ( asleep without either human or spiritual body) bnt

we prefer if the will of God be such, that we should be of the

class alive when the Lord has come, so that instead of being
even for a moment in the unclothed ( or sleep) condition, we
might be clothed upon, or receive the spiritual at the same
moment we part with the old human house. And this in sub
stance Paul here states-all will not sleep for to some the
change will be in a moment, in an eye-twi nkling.
One thing is sure, we must leave the flesh sometime, and
whenever or however it may be, it will be the death or ,l is
solution and end of the human to all who become full recipient>;
of the divine.
Now notice the word of Jesus, conceruing John. John, wr
have long since seen to be a type or representatiYe of the l a t
part of the church-those who are alive and remain unto 1 he
presence of the Lora and who shall be changed. Jesus aid
of our representative, John : "If I will that he tl!rry t i l l I
come what is that to thee." PetPr ? '''l'hPn " en t t h n t "'1 mg
abroad among the disciples, that that disciple shoull n o t cTu: ;
howbeit Jesus said not that he should not die but, i f I will
that he tarry till I come," &c. (John, 2 1 : 22 . ) Jnt so, dear
brethren, it has been with the company typified by Joh n : the
saying has gone abroad and has been generally recehcd t hat
this part of the church will not die. Howbeit when we ex
amine the evidences, we find that neither Jesus nor the apos
tles said we should not die, but that we would tarry till tlw
Master's presence and be changed in a moment and no t slr't})
Now notice the positive teaching that all of "the bo<l y " m i l
die and then mark the necessity of death. It was n o les
an authority than Paul who said : If we be dead wi t h him
we shall also live with him ; and if we have been plant<' I m
the likeness of his death, we !'hall be also in th e hkeness of lu
resurrection-desiring therefore to be made eonformable u nt o
his death.
Does some one object that these words are applicable to t h L'
daily life of Paul and of us and suggest that we a rc to "''
"living sacrifices."
Very true, so we have taught a u l o ''""
still believe, but while our ilying commences at o u r COH'<cna t J O H ,
it does not end there. As in the <'ase of our "C'apt:un," it doc
not end until the human is dead. While we begin, as [1 1 1 11 1
sacrifices," yet when the sacrifice 1s ft n r,slred, all that is h u ma11
is dead. The thing that rl 1es at once, is the lr 11 111 a n 11 1 1 / . n n,J
when this is accomphshed we 1eckon oursehes tlead ; but the
death actually is in progress rlay by <lay l< ntil the saerifkc 1s
complete. \Ve cannot recehe t he s p 1 n t n n l mmtl u nl e s we
surrender the human mind or will, so aho '"<' e n H n o t rcee i,-e
our spiritual bo<ly unless the earth!)- hol- u \TL'ndered. Re
member that Jesus said to all the churches : "Be thou faithful
unto death and I will give t he e a er own of l i fe.''
It is in hn rmonv
' " ith t i H'''' tlwu:.:ht"' th.lt W<' undt'rt.lllll
the words of Jesus (John, 11 : 2<i ) : " Wh o o e vc r hveth ( n t this
time) and believeth in me f Or I S one Of the fa r t lr - fnl ] Sbnll
never die." The class referreil to are re<'kmwd dead t o th<'
human will, nature, hope, etc., and are alive toward God as

[ 29 3 ]

Z I O N 'S

( 7-8)

WA T C H

new creatures. Such new creatures who are now living will not
sleep-will not die, but immediately-in the twinkling of an
t.>ye will be transferred to their new body like unto Christ's
spiritual body. What matters it to us, if the earthly house ot
this building be dissolYed in death, we shall not be unclothed
but clothed upon with an heavenly one.
.i'low as we have seen that in Jesus' case, the human was
surrendered to death forever, (He was "put to death in the
flesh but quickened in spirit,") and that had he taken back
the human nature it would have been taking back our ransom
price, so we have seen that it is a privilege granted to us as
his body, to fill up that which is behind of the affi.ictions of
Christ-to share in the world's redemption, with him who loved
us and bought us with his own precious blood-to suffer with
him, being made conformable unto his death. In a word, if
Jesus must needs be obedient even unto death., and if he says
to us : "Be thou faithful unto death," who shall say that the

TO WE R

PlTTS.URGH, PA.

dissolution or death of the human being is not necessaryf

Well, says one, then you are not now expecting translation,
but death. No, we reply, we as new creature who are living
in this favored time of the Lord's presence expect to be trans
lated--or changed to our own spiritual condition, but we ex
pect the change to take place at the moment of the death
of the "earthen ve88el,"-we will not be obliged to sleep as
did the new creature Paul and others, but will be "changed in
a moment."
We believe that translation in this manner is now due, and
shall not be surprised to hear of some going thus beyond the
second vail into the "Most Holy" condition-the perfect spir
itual.
We are on the race course for life, and must be faithful
unto death if we would receive the Crown of Life. "Whoso
ever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever
shall lose his life shall preserve it." ( Luke, 17 : 33 . )

THE CHART OF THE AGES

At a considerable cost, besides five cents apiece postage,
we sent our readers (in July) as a supplement a "Chart of
the Ages" (the same which appeared in our last issue, only
larger ) , suitable for hanging in a sitting room.
We fear that by many it has not been thoroughly studied,
and because we know of nothing which would give you so clear
a conception of the plan of God, we again direct your atten
tion to it, and suggest that you study it three, four or ten times
until you get every point clearly and indelibly fixed in your
mind and heart, and it cannot fail to be a great blessing to you.
In the last paper ( and also in the pamphlet) you have the
same explanation of the chart which is found on the back of
the large one, which will be found a more convenient form for
study.
A reader asks regarding the extreme right of the chart
"The Tabernacle"-whether by the line which is shown as run
ning through the center of the "Most Holy," we are to be un
ilerstood as teaching that heaven is divided into two parts.
[Will questioner read explanations with more care f It
required careful thought to state them, and must have the
same careful thought to read and understand them.]
We would answer assuredly not, and if you had stud
ied with more care the chart and its explanation, you
could have drawn no such conclusion.
The line which
i'> >;hown to run throug-h the "Inmost Holy" is the same which
passes all along the upper part of the chart, and is
explained to be (plane K ) an illustration of the co-ndition
or plane (not place) of Glory. But as many have a very in
<'Orrect idea as to the meaning of the different parts or places
of the typical Tabernacle, we want simply to suggest to you
that none of those apartments indicate places. They are places
in the type, but condttions in the anti-type.
The "Most Holy" represents the perfect spiritual and glori
ous co ndt tio ns planes K and L. The "Holy" represents the
consecrated condition in which we are now as priests minister
ing before God, offering up sacrifices on the Golden Altar, a
swe et incense, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, and eating
of the spiritual food and being enlightened by the Golden Lamp
-the Word of God. We are there now in condition, but not in
p lace ; t here is no such place where we will need a Golden
lamp, etc., for when we are perfected and go beyond the Vail
e shall know as we are known and not need the light of the
Lamp, etc., for when we are perfected and go beyond the Vail
by the "Holy," just as we expect shortly to be in the condition
typified by the "Most Holy."
"The Court" represents the condition (not place) of justi
fi <'ation by faith-the J1tsttfted human.
"The Cam p" represents the condition (not place) of the
Worlcl husy with its own pleasures and affairs.
All these are condttions, as much as, when Paul says : "Let
n go to him without the Camp," (referring to the sacrifices for
in-the hullock, Christ and goat-the Church) . He refers to
our heing cast out from, and dead to the World-he refers
to a conrlttwn into which we are to go an d not to a place.
The confusing idea as to place has been obtained by many
-

from Paul's expression that Jesus did not enter the Tabernacle
(Holy and Most Holy) made with hands-the type, but he
entered the real--even "heaven itself." (Heb. 9 : 24.) Now,
while not disputing the fact that there is a locality called
heaven and that Jesus is there, yet the meaning of the word
heavens here is spiritual reality, as contrasted with the earthly
type.
We think that Paul's statement and the type he was ex
plaining referred to Jesus' having gone :first into the condition
represented by the Holy, in which condition he ministered and
offered sacrifices before God during his three and a half years'
ministry, and then at his resurrection, his entering the "Most
Holy" or perfect spiritual condition-afterward proceeding to
the Glory plane in that Most Holy spiritual condition.
This is shown by the connections, for Paul says ( Reb. 8 : 5 )
that the earthly Tabernacle, etc., served a s an example and
shadow of heavenly (spiritual) things, and (9 : 23 ) that though
the pattern or typical Tabernacle was sprinkled by the blood
of bulls and goats, yet the heavenly ( spiritual) must have
better sacrifices. Therefore Christ Jesus entered not the literal
(neither do we) but the real or spiritual. (So do we as mem
bers of the same body following our fore-runner. ) Both of the
above words rendered heavenly ( Greek, epouraneous) are the
same exactly that Paul uses in describing our position when he
says (Eph., 2 : 6) that God hath quickened us (Ye are alive
toward God) and made us sit together in heavenly (spiritual)
places in Christ Jesus.
Thus we see that as Jesus went into these heavenlies in their
proper order-into the :first during the three and a half years
of self-sacrifice, and into the other (the perfect spiritual condi
tion) at his resurrection, so we are to do as followers of our
forerunner. And those who are living the consecrated life
(livin sacrifices) toward God, are now in the first of these
"Holy ' or spiritual conditions, and, like our leader, will en
ter into the other, the "Most Holy," when at resurrection (or
change) we are made like unto Christ's glorious body.
The force of this is more clearly seen when we notice Paul's
statement in Eph., 1 : 20. Here Paul asserts that at his resur
rection Jesus was exalted by God far ABOVE all powers, etc.,
and placed at his right hand ( choicest condition of favor) in
THE ( chief ) h.ea11enZy place.
The Greek word heavenly, here
used, is emphatic, and signifies the chief heavenly condition,
which is in perfect harmony with what we have already seen,
viz. : that Jesus (as we are) had been in a heavenly condition
during three and a half years before, but at resurrection he had
reached THE heavenly or perfect spiritual condition.
Let us remind you that here also the word rendered heavenly
is the same word used with reference to our position as spir
itually begotten-new creatures. This text affirms that at res
urrection Jesus entered THE epouraneous (heavenly, spiritual
condition) , while now we are in an epouraneous condition as
asserted by the Scripture above referred to ( Eph., 2 : 6 ) , and
in due time we hope to reach THE epouraneous condition and
be like him.

ANOTHER PAPER
:'\fany have been the requests to have the WATCH ToW!:&
r,Ctener than once a month, and now it would seem they may
ha\ e almost their wish.
Such will cloubtless be glad to learn that our Bro. A. D.
Jones ( formerly of this city, but who has recently removed
to New York City, where he can be within easier access of
some companies of those who read the WATCH TOWER), pur-

poses starting a new paper, to be devoted in some measure

to the same topics we have been considering in this paper.
The new paper will be called, "Zion's Day Star," and hat
our best wishes ; may it honor our Father and be an able me
senger of the glad tidings to many. It will be a monthly, and
the same price as the WATCH TowER. All desiring it should ad
dreBB A. D. Jones, Cor. 27th and Broadway, New York City.

[ 29 4 ]

THE EKKLESIA
This is a Greek word which is translated church. In the
N. T. it signifies a company, assembly or body of people bound
or compacted together.
Today there are many organizations claiming to be the
church, and having various bonds of union ; but we wish to
know, upon the authority of God's Word, what ekklesia, body,
or church Jesus established, and what are its bonds of union ;
secondly, we wish to show that every Christian should belong
to that church ; thirdly, the injurious effects of j oining the
wrong ekklesia or church ; and fourthly, having j oined the right
church, what are the results of losing our membership.
First then, the church which Jesus began to gather during
his ministry, and which was recognized by the Father at
Pentecost after their ransom price was paid, was the little
company of disciples who had consecrated earthly time, talents
and life a sacrifice to God. They were organized and bound
together as members of one society, and as such bad laws and
government, and consequently a head or recogni2ed ruling
authority. The bonds were bonds of love and common interest.
Since all were enlisted under the captaincy of Jesus, the hopes
and fears, joys and sorrows, and aims of one were those of the
other ; and thus they bad a far more perfect union of heart than
could possibly be bad from a union on the basis of any man
made creed. Thus their organization WB.l! of the Spirit ; their
law for the government of each was love, and all as a whole
were put under obedience to the "law of the Spirit," as it was
expressed in the life, actions, and words of their Lord. Their
government was the will of him who said, "If ye love me keep
my commandments."
Thus we see the early church organized, governed, and in
perfect unity and harmony under the rulership or headship of
Jesus. Contrast this church organi.ration with what now affects
to be a continuan<'e of the same--viz. : the various denomina
tional organi2ations, each of which binds ita members to a
mental union on the basis of some creed or dogma of its own
( many of them anything but ( lov e-ly ) and each having its
own laws.
These laws emanate from their beads or rulers and law-giv
ers ; so it is clearly seen that these present day churches have
and recogni:ze as beads, or directing, ruling powers over them
the ancient founders of their various creeds while their clergy
in conferences, councils, synods and presbyteries, interpret
and enforce the "traditions of the elders," which "make void
the Word of God."
These take the place of the true head
of the church-Jesus and the true teacher and guide into all
truth, the Holy Spirit.
Hear the Prophet Isaiah express it,
(chap. 9 : 15 ) . "The ancient and honorable, he is the head, and
the prophet that teacheth Zies, he is the taiZ."
Will they own this to be so t No, for Babylon the great
the mother of harlots, and all her daughters, the complete nomi
nal church in this evil day, represented in Isa. 4 : 1, as the seven
women, take hold of the one man ( Christ Jesus ) saying : "We
will eat our own bread (which the world supplies) ann wear
our own apparel (the filthy rags of their own righteousness ) ,
only let u s be called by thy name, to take away our reproach."
And so they assume the name of Christ and call their organi
zations Christian churches.
Theirs is a union of hands but
not a union of hearts.
"These are bard sayings, who can receive them f"
But
these are not our sayings : it is the warning voice of the "sure
word of prophecy . . . . whereunto ye do well that ye take
heed." And it is a loving voice for again our Lord declares :
"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten."
There are two senses in which the troe chwch of Christ may
be considered : All who like the early church were fully con
secrated to the doing of our Father's will, amenable only to
Christ's will and government, recognizing and obeying none
other-these saints from the beginning of the Gospel Age down
to its close, when all of this class are sealed and the door
to the high calling closes, constitute the "CHURcH OF THE
FIRST BoRN," whose names are written in Heaven. These are
all one in aim, hope and suffering, and in due time will be
joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to the great inheritance--heirs to
the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him.
The other sense in which this same class is recognized, is,
by counting a part for the whole, thus all the living of this
class may be spoken of as the church ; or again any part of this
class of living followers who may meet together may properly
be called the church ; for by the word of Jesus we know that
wherever two or three are assembled, he will be among them,
consequently that would be a church meeting-an assembly of
the "churcb of the First Born." The general assembly will be
when all the church are made like, and glorified with, their
head-Jesus.
Such then is our definition of the church of Christ ; it is
perfectly illustrated by Paul (Rom . . , 12 :4, 5) when he com
pares the church to a human body. In this figure, Jesus repre-

sents the head, and all who are his, constitute the body, over
and through which, the head rules. Jesus has been and always
will be the head over his church as a whole ; he is likewise the
head and ruler of the entire living church, and in every as
sembly where two or three meet in his name he is the head,
ruler, and teacher. If it be asked :
In what sense does he
teach f-we answer, by exercising the qualities of the head,
or teacher ; using one or more of those present in unfolding
truth strengthening faith, encouraging hope, inspiring zeal,
1
etc., Just as the head of your body can call upon one member to
minister to another. But here a word of caution : -If one be
comes as useful an instrument as a right hand, take care that
you aspire not to become the head. Be not puffed up ; pride
will paralyze and render useless :
"Be r.ot ye called Rabbi
( Master, teacher ) for one is your Master (head ) even Christ
and all ye are brethren." And let not the least member despise
his office, "for if all were one member where were the bodyf"
"Nay those members of the body which seem to be more feeble
are necessary"-"God hath set the members every one of them ,
in the body as it hath pleased him."
How simple, beautiful and effectual is God's plan of organi
zation.
This brings us to our second proposition, viz. : that all
Christians should be joined to this organization. In the light
of what has just been said as to the class constituting the
church which Jesus organized, it is evident that if you have
given up all your will, talent, time, etc., you are recognized by
Jesus as a follower, and member of the ekkZesia, or body of
which he is the head, whose names are written in heaven.
Thus we join Jesus' church and have our names recorded as
m em bers, by con secrati on. But says one : Must I not join some
organization on earth, assent to some creed and have my name
written on earth f No, remember that Jesus is your pattern
and teacher, and neither in his words nor acts will you find
any authority for binding yourselves with creeds and tradi
tions of the elders, which all tend to make the word of God ot
none effect (Mark, 1 : 13 ) and bring you under a bondage
which will hinder your growth in grace and knowledge, and
against which Paul warned you to "Stand fast therefore in
the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not
entangled with the yoke of bondage."
( Gal., 5 : 1.)
But say some : If it is not proper to unite with any of the
present nominal churches, would it not be well to form a
visible organization of our own 'i Yes, this is what we have-
an organization modeled after that of the early church.
We
think we have come back to primitive simplicity :
The Lord
Jesus alone is our head or lawgiver, the Holy Spirit is our
interpreter and guide into truth ; our names are all written in
heaven ; we are bound together by love and common interest.
Do you inquire--How shall we know one anotherf
We
reply, How could we help knowing one another when the Spirit
of our Master is made manifest in word and act, and manner
and look ! Yes, the living faith, the unfeigned love, the long
suffering meekness, the childlike simplicity coupled with the
constancy and zeal of maturity, make manifest the sons of
God, and we need no earthly record, for the names of all such
are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Do the sick need visiting or assistance ?-these stand ready
with consecrated time. Does the Lord's work require money f
these stand ready with consecrated means. Does his work bring
upon them the reproach of the world f-these have also sacri
ficed reputation-all-all to God.
But again, do you inqmre how shall we deal with one who
walks disorderly in our midst ; if we have no organization such
as we see about us, how can we free ourselves from such,
as the Lord requires us to do 7
We answer :
Do just as
Jesus and Paul directed.
Now, as in the early church, there are various degrees of
advancement among the individual members, and Paul says
1 Thes., 5 : 14) some are feeble minded, comfort them ; some
are weak, support them ; but while you should be patient
toward all, warn the disorderly ( those who are drifting away
from the true spirit of Christ ) . Don't mistake the disorderly
for the weak, and comfort them; nor for the feeble-minded, and
support them, but patiently, lovingly, warn the disorderly.
Whom does he call disorderly f Doubtless there are many ways
of walking disorderly, but in 2 Thes., 3 : 11, he speaks of some
who work not at all, but are busy-bodies, and says they should
do as he did-work that they be not chargeable to any ; and if
any will not work neither should he eat. Thus he said he did,
that he might be an example to others. Then again, vs. 14 : If
after you have warned such a one and he "obey not . . . note
that man, and have no company with him, that he may be
ashamed. Yet count him not an enemy but admonish him as a
brother."
Again Jesus gives explicit directions where there is a matter
of offense between two brethren, Matt., 18 : 15, 17-If thy

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brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault
between him and thee alone ; if he shall hear thee, thou hast
gained thy brother ; but if he will not hear thee, then take with
thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three wit
nesses eYery worJ may be established. And if he shall neg
lect to hear them, tell 1t unto the church : (the company of
brethren who assemble together) but if he neglect to hear
the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a
publica n .

If, under the organization of our head, we heed his com

mands, which we will do if we love him, how few will be the
misunderstandings and difficulties among the brethren. This
organization has its evangelists, pastors and teachers appointed
anJ directed by the Lord. They need no laying on of hands
by the so-called Apostolic succession ; for the "Spririt of the
Lord hath anointed" all the members of the body "to preach,"
etc., ( Isa. 6 1 : 1 ) and it is the duty of every member of the
body to exe1 rise l t i 'i office for the edification of other members.
How complete is the organization of the church of Christ
\\'Ith It heaYPil-\\ ritten, lme-bouncl and Spirit-ruled member
ship, and how sad the error of mistaking the nominal for
the real church 7
The importance of our fourth proposition need not be urged.
It would indeed, be a dreadful calamity to lose our member
ship in the true church or body of Christ. And no member
is out of this danger except when keeping a vigilant watch
oYer the old nature, counted dead, lest it come to life again,
and assert itself in the form of pride, selfishness, envy, evil
speaking-or what not Y But if filled with love (the love that
prompts to sacrifice ) and clothed with humility, and under cover

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

of the redeeming blood, we are safe in the church (body) , hav

ing the assurance that it is our "Father's good pleasure to
give us the kingdom."

Yes, the kingdom is the glorious destiny of the true church

-the "little flock"--now treading the pathway of humiliation

and drinking the bitter cup of death. Oh, the glory that shall
be revealed in us doth not yet appear except to the eye of
faith, but the temptations and trials are very apparent on every
hand. "Let us, therefore, fear lest a promise being left us of
entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of
it." (Heb., 4 : 1 . )
Thus Paul warned others and thus h e feared, "lest (even
after) having preached to others, be himself should be a
castaway." ( 1 Cor., 9 : 27.) We may have our names cast out
as evil oy those of the nominal church, and yet "rejoice and
be exceeding glad because our names are written in heaven."
They may frown upon you and despitefully use you and say all
manner of evil against you falsely, or they may seek to win
you back by flattery, saying they cannot afford to lose your
influenc&-you could do so much gooJ by remaining among
them. Oh, how necessary in this evil day is the faith"That bears unmoved the world's dread frown,
Nor heeds its flattering smile ;
That seas of trouble cannot drown,
Nor Satan's arts beguile."
Dearly beloved, let us again repeat the warning : "Stand
fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be
not again entangled with the yoke of bondage"-not even in the
slightest degree.

THE EVERLASTING FATHER

"His name shall be called '" onderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." ( I sa., 9 : 6. )
Two of these titles of our Lord Jesus have rather bewildered
many of His children, and the churches in general holding to
the Papal heresy of a triune God--or three Gods in one, equal
in power, glory and all other respects, have rather been interested in adding to the bewilderment than in explaining the
text.
Not to go into the subject in great detail, we would mention
a few thoughts on the titles-Mighty God, and Everlasting
Father.
The English word God, as found in the Old Testament, is
the translation of several Hebrew words-sometimes one, sometimes another. In this instance it is the word El. El signifies
stro ng or potcerful, consequently is applicable to any powerful
being and especially so to the most powerful-the Almighty
Jehovah.
That the word is thus used may be readily seen by any one
who will carefully note the following texts, in which the English translations of the Hebrew word El are in italics :
"It is i n the power of my hand." (Gen., 31 :29)-"there
shall b e n o 1nt(!ltt i n thine hand." ( Deu., 28 : 32. ) -"neither is
it in our p o lD er." (He b., 5 : 5 ) -"like the great mountains."
( Psa., 36 : 6 ) -"m the power of thine hand to do it." (Prov.,
3 : 2i ) -"pray unto a g od [mighty one] that cannot save."( Isa., 45 : 20. ) -"who among the sons of the mighty." (Psa.,
89 : 6 ) -"Gol stanleth in the congregation of the mighty." [the
saints.] (Pa., 82 : 1 )-" Who is hke unto thee 0 Lord [JEHOVAH ] among the Gods" [mighty or ruling ones.) (Exod., 15 :
1 1 ) -''Gi\ e unto the Lord [ JEHOVAH ] 0 ye mighty." (Psa.,
29 : 1 ) -"The 11l 1.1J ht.tJ God [ ruler] even the Lord" [JEHOVA H . ]
r Pa., .) (J : 1 . )
Notice the above texts carefully and critically and all will
agree that the context in every case shows the meaning of
the Hebrew worl El to be powerful one. How clearly it is
stated in the last three quotations that JEHOVAH is the
chief "el" and ruleth over all other el--powerful ones. And it
should be known to all, that JEHOVAH is the name applied to
none other than the Supreme Being--our Father, and him
(John, 20 : 17. ) The
whom Jesus called Father and God.
meaning then of the words ".Mighty God" in our text, is-He
shall be called the mighty powerful. And so he is, for to him
the Father has given all power in earth and heaven- (Matt.,
28 : 19, and 1 1 : 2i . ) "He is Lord of all"--next to the Father
for "The head of Christ is God." ( 1 Cor. 1 1 : 3. ) They are
one in rninJ, purpose, etc., because Jesus gave up his own
will and took the Father's (John, 5 : 30 ) just as we must give
up our will, mind, spirit and receive the Father's if we would
he made heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord.
Does any one ask further proof of a distinction of persons 7
If !>O we request such to read Matt. 22 : 44-Jesus' application
to himself of Psa. 1 10 : 1, remembering that the words used by

David, translated Lord [Master] are totally distinct and en

tirely different words, the first one bein Jehovah and the other
adon. We give Young's translation ot this verse"The affirmation of Jehovah to my LordSit at my right hand,
Till I make thine enemies thy footstool."
Now let us notice the second appellation-"Everlasting
Father." This in the Hebrew signifies just what it does in the
English, viz. : a father forever. The word father signifies
cause or authorship of being-or life giver. So that Isaiah's
declaration means that Jesus shall be hereafter known as an
author of lif&-Or life giver to some one. Next we inquire
to whom will he give life ! and Paul answers "As in Adam
all die so in Christ shall aU be made alive." This teaches
then that Christ becomes the Father of the entire race.
Next we ask what kind of life or nature will Christ give
And the answer is, a perfect human nature,
the race t
and hence an etemal human life-just what they lost
through Adam's transgression. So Paul tells us (Rom., 5 : 18 19.) "As through one [person's] offense sentence came on all
men to condemnation l condemning all to a loss of life] so
also, through one [person's] righteous act sentence came on
all men to justification of life. [That is, through the obedience
of Christ the death penalty is to be removed-in his death it
was paid and all men shall have a right to life again-the same
life and nature once possessed, then lost, which has been re
deemed or purchased back. ] For as through the disobedience
of one man the many were made sinners [and because sinners
deprived o f life ] , so also, through the obedience o f the one
[Christ] the many [the same number] will be constituted
[made] righteous." And being no longer sinners they will no
longer be subject to the penalties of sin-sickness, pain, DEATH.
We see then that the special work of Christ for the human
race was the counteracting or rolling back of sin and its
penalty-death (the loss of life.) In this, he is the Great
Physician or Restorer ; and the age during which this (result
of his death on their behalf) , will be accomplished is called
"The times [years] of restitution"--or giving back-of the
blessing lost through the entrance of sin. Human life was the
principal thing lost and it Jesus is to give back-and in so
doing he shall ( future ) be called the "Everlasting Father."
Adam was so created that he might be the father or life
giver to a race of human beings. Through disobedience he
lost his own right to lif&-became a dying sinner. He could
only give to his posterity what he possessed-a dying nature
and consequently none of the race ever attained perfect life.
Thus Adam failed to become in the proper sense a father or
life giver. It is because Christ will accomplish this work of
life giving in which Adam failed, that he is called the "Ever
lasting Father."

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But does some one inquire, I s not Jesus a spiritual being

9 : 24.) It is an extraordinary prize, and it is no easy race as
and of the divine nature since his resurrection 7 Yes. Then
all the runners testify from the head all down through thi<> age.
would not any life imparted by Him be of the same nature as
Yet, though difficult we run i t with joy for the same reason<>
his own, viz : Divine Immortal ! By no means, Jehovah is the
as the "head"-who for the joy that was set before him, en
life giver, or father of all creation ; yet all creation is not
dured the cross despising the shame. (Heb. 12 : 2 . )
Brother Paul tells u s that the exceedtng great a nd precious
possessed o f the Divtne nature. Besides we must not deal i n
promises of the Word were given us, that by these ( the strength
inferences while we we have clear teachings of Scripture to
and encouragement which they would afford us, as they did
guide us in this matter. If Jesus be the Father or giver of
Jesus, to be "obedient even unto death") we might become
the Divine. nature to the world in the next age, he must be
equally so to his church of this Gospel age. How is this-is
partakers of the Divine nature. ( 2 Pet. 1 : 4.)
Let us glance at a few of these exceeding great and precious
Jesus ever called our Father ? No, he is called our "Captain,"
promises :
"Leader '" "Forerunner'" "Master'" "Head' " "Lord" but never
'
Jesus says : "To him that overcometh, I will grant to sit
i.s he called our Father. On the contrary, Jesus own teachmg
and that of the Apostles, is that Jehovah is the only Father
with me in my throne" (Rev. 3 : 21 ) .
T o him that overcometh, I will give power over the nations,
or Giver o f the Dit:i n e nature, that the God and Father o f our
and he shall rule, etc., . . . . even a.s, I received of my Father.
Lord Jesus Christ is our Father and hath begotten us ( 1 Pet.,
1 : 3)-that as He raised up Jesus to the Divine nature and
(Rev. 2 : 2 7 ) .
l ikeness He would raise u p u s also by His Spirit.
Paul says : "If we suffer with him we shall also reig n with
It was Jesus himself who taught us to pray "Our Father."
him." (2 Tim. 2 : 12 ) . "If we be [become] dead tcith him
(Luke, 11 : 2. ) Who also said : "Glorify your Father which
r dead to the World and to our own WJI!-aliYe to the will of
G od] we shall also live with him." (2 Tim. 2 : 11 . ) If we
is in heaven." Matt., 5 : 16. ) "Be the children of your Father,"
vs. 4!5. "Pray to thy Father in secret and thy Father which
seek Glory, Honor, and Immortality, patiently and persevering
seeth in secret shall reward thee."
(Matt., 6 : 6.)
"Your
ly we shall gain the prize. (Rom. 2 : 7 ) . Then again, he says
Father knoweth what things ye have need of," etc., etc.
Who
that Christ is a son over a house of sons, whose bouse are we,
Aaid again, "I ascend to my Father and to your Father to my
if we hold fast to the end of the Gospel age, when the house
will be finished. ( Heb. 3 : 6.)
God and your God." (John, 20 : 17.)
Peter mentions this special prize which is for the otercomer.
Again Jesus made a very emphatic statement of our dear
and close relationship to him and to The Father when he saidof this time saying : "Blessed be that God and Father of our
"Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven
Lord Jesus Christ who, according to his great mercy l!ath be
gotten ttS, again, to a living hope (through the resurrection of
the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." ( Matt. 12 :
Jesus Christ from the dead ) to an inheritance incorruptible
50. ) "Call no man Father on the earth for one is your father
(immortal) undefiled [pure] and unfading, preserved in heaven
even God and all ye are brethren." ( Matt. 23 : 9 . ) And Paul
for you, . . . . that the proof of your faith . . . . may be
assures us that "Both he that sanctifi.eth (Jesus) and they
found to, [or result in] praise and glory and honor at the
that are sanctified (the "body") are all one, for which cause be
revelation of Jesus Christ." ( 1 Pet. 1 : 3-7-Diaglott.)
is not ashamerl to call them brethren." (Heb. 2 : 11).
Do thee statements seem out of harmony with that other
Our Father might have asked our sacrifice without telling
us how great should be our reward, but he knew that the influstatement of Jesus (John 10 : 27, 28.) "My sheep hear my
ence of these exceeding precious promises was neerlful, that
,oirt> nnd I g i n unto them eternal life" ? We think not, for
we might properly value the titles and honors of earth, and be
while it is thus expressly stated that we are begotten of Godenabled to count them all but loss and dross for the excellencies
that he is our Father, and that "God hath both raised up the
promised us as members of the body of the Christ.
Lord and will also raise up us also by his own power," ( 1 Cor.,
6 : 14) it is also stated that "He which raised up the Lord Jesus,
Thirdly, we notice that all of these promises designed to
help to the Divine nature (2 Pet. 1 : 4) belong to the Gospel
shall raise up us also by JeSttS ." (2 Cor. 4 : 14.) The harmony
age. They will all be fulfilled when the church-or body i
of these Scnptures shows that Jehovah is our Father-lifegiver-though he has used the Spirit and the Word as his exalted to glory with the bead-set witl. him on his throne.
Read each of these again carefully and any others and see that
agents in our begetting, and will use Jesus as his agent in our
none of the exceeding precious promises belong to the next
birth or resurrection.
age ; all are confined by the context, to this age. To those 'l'l' ho
But though accepting the statements of our Lord on this
have covenanted to sacrifice the human, "now is the acceptal,le
subject as conclusive, yet we desire to understand if we may
time"-and to such only is the Divine nature given. True there
how Christ will he the "Everlasting Father" to the world, while
are promises and great ones to mankind, to be fulfilled in the
Jehovah is the Father of the "little flock" who shall with Jesus
next age during the reign of The Christ head and body, but
inherit the kingdom ; assured, that every such distinction bas a
these are all earthly promises and will not compare with our
reason, which, if understood, should shed some light upon the
heavenly ones. Among these, are the promises to Abraham,
general plan.
Isaac, and Jacob, Israel and the nations, all of whom are to
First then, we remark that Jesus did a work for his church,
be blessed under our spiritual Kingdom which will be the
without which they never could have received either the beagency and power through which they will be restored to
getting or birth to the Divine Nature, i. e., he redeemed our
human perfection and happiness ; as Paul expresses it : "God
human nature. Like all others of the human race, the church
having provided some better thing for 11s, that they without
uere sinners, and like all others of the race, we were redeemed
us should not be made PERFECT. " (Heb. 1 1 : 40. )
-or justified, by t he precious blood (life) of Christ. No one
is jnstified to the Divine Nature by Christ's death-no, it was
We see then, that the Divine nature rones to the ehurcb,
human life that was lost through Adam, and to human life all
as to Jesus, as a reward from the F ather Jehovah for the race
are justified by Christ. It was because it was a human nature
of faith well run, for the crucifixion-s acrific e , of the human
that was lost that Jesus left the glory he had with the Father,
nature. Does some one ask : Was not our human natnre con
and took upon Him the human nature-that be might give or
demned to death already as sinful, and if so how could it be
accepted of God as a sacrifice ? Ah ! that was where we were
sacrifice it as a ransom for our human nature. In a word, it
must be evident to all that Jesus' death is the basis or cause
blessed in Jesus, the same as the World i. e. his death paid
of a restitution of the human nature, but not a cause of the
our penalty and j ustified us. Had it not been for our rauom ,
i
we should have had nothing to sacrtf ce an<l could neYer haYe
giving of the Divine Nature.
received the divine reward ; but being justified we could present
Secondly, we remark that the Divine nature is Jehovah's
gift-given as a reward of obedience (even unto death) to those
our justified humanity "a living sacrifice, holy, accepta!lle t o
God." (Rom. 12 : 1.) Our human nature having been redeemed
who, by patient perseverance in well doing seek for it-"Glory,
by our Lord's death, must in the sight of Jehovah, be J Ust as
Honor aml Immortality."
pure and perfect as was the human nature of Jesus. for his
Paul informs us that it was because of obedience even unto
perfe tness was imputed to us. Consequently bemg ustified
the death of the human, that God highly exalted Jesus, or m ade
by fa1th, we may run the race as acceptably as did om Lor<L
him a Divine being. (All spiritual beings do not possess the
And though the race is a difficult one we are not alone in it as he
Divine nature-Angels for instance. ) And the promise held
was for he was a solitary traveler and "of the people there
out during the Gospel age, under which the "Bride" or "Body"
was none with him," while we have in each other helps b>
of Christ is called out of the World is, that if we follow in
the way ; and in Him as our Leader and "Fore-runner" a pe;
Jesus' footsteps, we shall attain to the same prize and experifeet example, and above all his watchful eye to guide and direct
ence the same high exaltation from the human nature to the
our course and to give "help in e'ery time of need," as we
Glory, Honor and Immortality of the Divine-as members of a
climb after h i m . Fell' thl're be thn t find thi nn rr0w difficult
body under Jesus our bead.
way. It is "a little flock to whom it is their Father's good
The conditions of this high exaltation are so severe that
pleasure to give the Kingdom."
though many are called, few will be chosen, because
We conclude then that the titles, Mighty God, and EYer
only a few will make their calling and selection sure
by so running as to obtain that great prize.
(1 Cor.
lasting Father, are titles which fully understood, are Yery ap[ 297]
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propriate to Our Lord Jesus Christ. And we might add that

so perfectly is his Bride-body-church, associated with him,
both in filling up the measure of the sufferings-being joinea
in sacrifice and also in the Glory that shall follow, that the
same titles are applicable to the Church as his body-for "lie
that hath freely given us Christ, shall he not with him also
freely give us all things t"
"Therefore all things are yours,
and ye are Christ's and Christ is God's."

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

After the sacrifice-soon follows the power which will, under

him as our head, constitute the whole body of Christ the
"Mighty God" ( el-powerful one) to rule and bless the nations
-and the body with the head, shall share in the work of re
storing the life lost in Adam, and therefore be members of that
company which as a whole will be the Everlasting Father to the
restored race.

PRACTICAL PREACHING
It Is obj ected that practical preaching is the right kind
of preaching, and that prophecy is not practical. Is this true T
It is not true.
The preaching of the Ten Commandments,
the social virtues, and the neighborly and moral duties may
be called practical preaching by some, but it is not so in the
Christian sense of the word. The most successful preaching is
the preaching of the cross in which Paul gloried, and the
crown for which he waited.
The two advents are the poles
around which the orb of duty rolls-the strong foundation
on which the morality of the new man reposes.
Faith lays
hold of the cross, the fountain of divine mercy, and out of
love to Him that first loved us, brings forth in the heart
and life of the believer the fruits of righteousness.
Hope
looks forward to the crown and the kingdom, and the
promised inheritance, to nerve us for the trials and duties
of life, and make us victorious over all our spiritual enemies.
This is practical religion.
Doctrine is the root and basis
and motive of practice ; and in the whole range of theology
there is not a more practical doctrine than the second advent
-no, not one. I challenge you to show me a duty of which
it is not in one way or another made the motive.
Read, and consider the following texts of Scripture.
It
is the motive for patient waiting, I Thess. I : 10 ; for divine
hope, Titus 2 : 1 3 ; for moderation in all things, Phil. 4 : 5 ;

for prayer to be counted worthy to stand before the Son of

man, Luke 2 1 : 36 ; for long-suffering patience, James 5 : 8 ; for
heavenly-mindedness, Luke 21 :34 ; for perseverance in spite
of persecution, 1 Pet. 1 : 7 ; of godliness and holy conversation,
2 Pet. 3 : 1 1, 12 ; it is the motive for earnest preaching, 2 Tim.
4 : 1 -3 : for fighting the good fight of faith, 2 Tim. 4 : 7, 8 ; for
reverence and godly fear, Heb. 7 :26-28 ; for sobriety and
watching unto prayer, 1 Pet. 4 : 7. This is practical preach
ing ; but if you preach these duties without the Advent, which
is their chief motive and strength, you are asking the peo
pie for bricks without giving them the straw-the steam
is taken from the engine and the train stops.-Messiah's

Herald.

If the belief of the coming of the Lord has so much

power to mould and influence the child of God, what in
describable power and influence should and does the belief
that he has come-is now present a spiritual being-the
"harvest" now progressing under his supervision as the chief
reaper, and the gathering of the ripe wheat now being in
progress and soon to be finished and the righteous then
made to shine forth as the Sun in the kingdom of their
Father-what effect as a separator and sanctifying power,
should this truth have we enquire ? What preaching can be
so powerful ?

FROM BRO. ]. B. ADAMSON

DEAR BRo : -Your letter received. I shall try to go on in
strong faith in all circumstances, believing the "many and
exceeding precious promises" "so Christ shall be magnified in
my body" by life or by death. Am working mQre each day,
for delivering personally, calls for more preaching to twos and
I avoid those
threes, and is very precious to them and me.
"wise" men who know it all, whose creed is all and in all for
them, and go to those really truth hungry, among whom I :find
Christ's most precious people and also many infidels.
Some
days do not get far and then have appointments for the
evening. Truly the views we hold are true Gold to a large and
increasing cla'ss. Most timely was the tract project from every
point of view.
As the poor teaching and want of teaching
among the clergy increases, many look out to gather rays of
light. I am asked to come Sunday at one o'clock to make the
third meeting with an intelligent couple, members of the M. E.
church who let me talk by the half hour and hour, seeming
to drink in the doctrine and rejoice in it. Last night I spent
an hour with them before prayer-meeting when I was asked

to go along and testify there of these precious things. I had

to remind them I dare not do so fully, and of the opposition
and even abuse I met almost everywhere.
I may give you
some incidents in detail again that will rejoice your heart.
Found the Free Methodist's very fair. The treatment bet
Gave the pamphlet to sixteen
ter than I got anywhere else.
preachers and one hundred of the most intelligent of the church
membership, attending the conference from all over the state,
beside in a large number of cases, also adding a word that will
make the book more living for the personality attaching to it.
That is the reason I talk to so many that I give the books
to ; so I get their attention to the book more fully. Am gener
ally asked for explanations of our views. and though neither
powerful nor eloquent of speech, I get attention to the book
by complying.
Thank God for the wider field thus opening.
May the will of God be done in poor me, and His name get
honor and blessing forever.
Yours in Christ,
J. B. A.

YOUR LETTER
We have been so much engaged by the tract work during
the past three months that the issuance of the last two num
bers of the W. T. has, of necessity, been considerably delayed.
Our apology must be found in article under the head of "In
the Vineyard."
To many who may have written important letters or ones
requiring some answer, the same apology must be offered. The
,J istribution of the pamphlets and papers has brought from
their readers hundreds of letters, asking questions or re
q uesting hack numbers of the paper, etc. We answered quite
a good many of these, but they come so fast, and our time has
been eo limiterl, that nearly a thousand letters and postal cards

have now accumulated-unopened and unread, and probably

your letter is among them.
The Lord has provided more office help ( for it is difficult to
get suitable assistance ) , and we hope to get caught up soon.
Let us here remark that we do not send receipts for regular
subscriptions-the amount is too small. You know when and
what you send, and we keep a careful record of all receipts.
If subscriptions are lost in the mail we will be responsible for
it, and be the losers. If your paper fails to come to hand any
month, inform us by card if you have paid in advance, or if,
as one unable to pay, you have requested to be put on the
"Lord'' poor list."

NO BACK NUMBERS
The demand recently has exhausted our supply of back num
ber!! of the WATCH TowER except a few of the July number.
For the benefit of our many new readers we will republish

a few articles which appeared in our columns about a year

or two ago.
Among others in next number will be an article
on "The Beast and Image of Rev. 13."

RoME AND JERUSALEM.-The Roman Church maintains a

steady attention to the Holy Land. At Jattha they have
Prected a new hoRpital, they have estahliAhed a branrh nun
nery at Ramleh, and a nu nnery and srhools at Bethlehem.
It would appear that the Franciscans have a new establish
ment at Emmaus, in addition to the large hospice at Jeru-

salem. On the Mount of Olives a grand sanctuary and an

extensive nunnery have been erected and endowed by the
Princess de Ia Tour d'Auvergne, who, with great devotion,
spent several years on the spot, in order personally to super
intend the work.

[298]

VoL. III

PITTSBURGH, PA., DECEMBER, 1881

No. 6

THE CREATIVE WEEK

We read in 1 Tim. 6 : 20. "0 Timothy, . . . . avoid profane
and vain babblings and oppositions of science, falsely so
called." This passage the church nominal has ever been
ready to quote when an investigation of nature's laws seemed
to develop _ ideas or theoris at variance with her. herised
opinions ; forgetting sometimes to olw;y te equal mJunctlo!l.
"Prove all things, hold fast that wh1ch 1s good." Paul d1d
not blow hot and cold. In the first place he did not say
"science." The word he used means knowledge or wisdom
in a more general sense. Secondl;r, he clearly indicates that
it must first be proved to be a vam babbling under the name
of wisdom before it is rejected.
Strange to say the church [falsely so called] pro fessing
.
to walk in the light and in the knowledge of God mstead
of being a leader in the advancement of true science and
_
philanthropy, has not only been a dead load dragging
be
bind, but has often bitterly opposed every advancing step.
The telescope and microscope were denounced as instru
ments of unholy prying into God's secrets. Astronomy,
Geology and whatever truths there may be in the Evolution
theory, have been violently assailed ; while religious intol
erance, human slavery and the divine right ( t ) of kings has
been defended, supported and duly prayed for.
Scientists however, have but little room for boasting as
regards intolerance. They have denounced each other and
frequently claimed what was afterwards proved untrue. The
study of nature without a knowledge of nature's God fre
quently leads to the wildest conceptions. We must first see
light in his light to see clearly. Then, a looking down
through nature--after having looked up to nature's God
expands the heart and mind ; and fills us not only with a
miration, but with adoration as we catch the panoram1c
glimpse of the glory, majesty and power of our transcendent
Creator. The God of the Bible is also the God of nature ;
and if we do not see perfect harmony we may set it down
that we misunderstand either the word of inspiration, or the
lesson of creation.
The Bible has nothing to fear from mature science ; on
the contrary, scientific investigation and research are daily
adding to the proof of the authenticity and reliability of the
Scriptures.
We wish at this time to look into the subject of Cos
mogony ; or the science of the origin and formation of the
earth. Many suppose, that the history of creation as given
in the first chapter of Genesis, is utterly at variance with
the teachings of Geology. This is not the case. Some of
the most eminent Geologists believe "that the word of God,
properly interpreted, is in harmony with the teachings of
their science . . . . also, that the divine word explains the
divine work, while the divine work confirms the divine word."
Prof. Silliman says, "Every great feature in the structure
of the planet corresponds with the order of events narrated
in the sacred history." "This history furnishes a. record
important alike to philosophy and religion ; and we find in
the planet itself, the proof that the record is true." Prof.
Dana declares, "In this succession, we observe not merely
an order of events, like that deduced from science ; but there
is a system in the arrangement, and a far reaching prophecy,
to which philosophy could not have obtained, however in
structed." He further says, "No human mind was witness
of the events ; and no such mind in the early age of the
world, unless gifted with superhuman intelligence, could have
contrived such a scheme, or would have placed the creation
of the Sun, the source of light to the earth, so long after
the creation of light, even on the fourth day, and, what is
equally singular, between the creation of plants and that of
animals, when so important to both ; and none could have
reached to the depths of philosophy exhibited in the whole
plan."
The conflict between the champions of Genesis and Geology
has been mainly in reference to the length of time consumed
in the work of creation.
Most geologists reckon time only in millions of years ;
while many Bible students as devotedly claim for the Mosaic
account, six literal-or 24 hour-days. As to the latter
theory, while we do not doubt God's abiUty to create the
earth and its inhabitants in that very short period, yet we
do know that such unnatural haste has not been, in other
things, his practice. Those who understand the plan of the
ages will see this.
Besides, the scriptural use of tlH word "day" will not
support auch a conclusion. It is used there as we often use

it now, in an accomodated sense. For instance : "The day o f

temptation in the wilderness ; " ( forty years. ) Heb. 3 : 8. "In
that day ; " "The day of the Lord ; " ( 1000 years ) ; and many
others. As if the Lord would guard his people against such
an error he ends the description of creation in these words :
"These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth
. . . . in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the
heavens." Here the whole period is called "the day." So
indeed the period of re-generation under the second Adam is
called "the day of Christ."
The length of the day of creation is a question which
heretofore no one has been able satisfactorily to answer.
Many Bible students think that because Peter says "One day
is with the Lord as a thousand years" each day of
creation must be of that duration. Peter, however, was speak
ing of the period between the day of creation and the day
of the Lord ; his language can fully apply, only to that
period ; and is without doubt very strong inferential proof
of the theory that the period from the dominion of the first
Adam to that of the second will be six thousand years, to
be followed by the "Millennium" or the seventh thousand as
the antitype of the Jewish Sabbath.
There are good reasons why we should expect the creative
days to be different from the thousand year days, which
Peter speaks of. Let us not forget however, that Peter links
them together ; but we will refer to this again.
While we do not see evidence to warrant the need of
such enormous periods as some geologists claim, yet we do
think that six thousand years ( a thousand years to each
day ) are altogether too short for the amount of change,
development, & c., accomplished in the preparation of the earth
for man.
Some geologists have claimed thousands of millions of
years since life began. "Sir Wm. Thomson has reduced the
estimate on physical grounds, to one hundred millions of
years as a maximum." [ Dana ] . As a few hundred millions
is only a. difference of opinion among these savants it might
be well to leave about that much off from some of their
calculations ( T )
The mode of reckoning used, and the re
liability of the data will be understood from the following
remarks of Prof. Dana. "I calculations of elapsed time,
_
from the thickness
of formatiOns, there is always great un
certainty, arising from the dependence of this thickness on
a progressing subsidence, [regular sinking of the land.] In
estimates made from alluvial deposits, [ soil, etc., washed
ashore or deposited by a stream] when the data are based
on the thickness of the accumulations in a given number of
years-say the last 2000 years-this source of doubt affects
the whole calculation, from its foundation, and renders it
almost, if not quite, worthless . . . . When the estimate . . . .
is based on the a U!ount of detritus [nne scourings] .discharged
_ 1s of more value. But even here there is
by a stream, 1t
a source of great doubt," &c.
A question of the first importance in our investigation
is this : At what point in past history did the six days work
of Gen. 1 . begin ? Was it at the beginning of the creation
of the universe, as some have conjectured ? Was it at the
momnt of the origin of our earth as a distinct planet ? Or
was 1t when God began the special work of preparing it for
habitation of man f A work which we believe has not been
done as yet in any other sphere. We think it was the latter
period. We have no knowledge of the time occupied in
creating or evolving the untold myriads of Suns with their
satellites ; some of them so far away that light ( movina
1 9 1,000 miles per second ) takes millions of years to com
to us ; thus proving that they were flaming suns millions
of years ago.
Scientists claim, without seeming objection, tha.t our earth
was once a globe of molten material of which only the crust
has yet cooled. That as the cooling process went on the vapors
condensed, completely covering the earth in an ocean of water
which was mixed with, or held in solution and suspension,
much that now forms the surface of our earth. In the
course of time by earthquake upheavals ( caused by the cool
ing and contraction of the earth's crust ) the land appeared
above the ocean's surface. The work of assorting the different
layers or strata of minerals and rocks had now begun and
has evidently been going on ever since. The dashino- of the
waves of that turbid ocean against the upheaved cotinents,
assisted by the acids, & c., believed to be in the w a t!'r, evi
dently wore down the original rocks, forming boulders, p!'hble,;.
sand, & c., depositing each in layers, to he again uplwavcd

[ 299]

(I)

(2}

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

and worked o \e r until satisfactory to the plan of the great

Architect .
It is not known how soon plant life began, as
the earliest wa,; probably not fitted to survive and was evi
dently d t> t ro y t>d m the grinding of the great mill.
We t h i nk the beginning of the six ooys' work was at a
pomt \\'hen the ea r th was so far cooled that it was covered
with an ocean of water, but before the first continent appeared
aboYe the surface of the shoreless sea. While the scriptures
c lea r ly teach that God 1s the Creator of all things we think
that Gen. 1 , describes only the preparation of the earth from
thi;o penod onward ; and does not even allude to the creation
of the sta rry heaYen s ; so that previous time, either geological
or a ;: tronom1ca I , i'3 not included in the si::r: days.
"In the beg i n n i ng God created the heavens and the earth."
The henYens here alluded to are terrestrial ; as-"the birds
uf hea \'en." ''rain from heaven," "clouds of heaven," & c.
T!Jis IS in harmony with Ex. 20 : I I .
"In six days the
Lord m a de hea\'en and earth the sea and all that in them is."
The latter clane means birds, beasts, fish, & c. On the first
day . o n ly the sea appeared ; on the second, the heavens were
formed ; and on th e third the earth or dry land was brought
to Yiew.
It IS claimed that the word "create" in Gen. I : 1,
rather means to shape, form or make, out o f that previously
created, ( a s in Ex. 20 : l l , above, ) .
,. s. 2 . "Xow the earth was waste and empty ; and darkness
was onr the face of the deep : and the Spirit of God was
brooding over the face of the waters." This verse shows us
the condition of the globe when this special work began, and
It eY idently corresponds to the earliest geological era ; ( the
As the hen broods ovt.r her nest of eggs, developing
Azoic ) .
the life by imparted warmth, so the Spirit is represented as
YiYifying the inanimate waters.
This impartation of new
life or energy would undoubtedly affect the electric conditions
of the earth and LIGHT would be the seeming result.
Vs. 3. "And God said, Let there be light ; and there was
l i ght."
What Prof. Dana predicates of the beginning of
actiYity in matter would, we think, be true in the beginning
ot a special modng.
He says, "In such a beginning, the
actidty would show itself instantly, by a manifestation of
light, since light is a resultant of molecular activity.
A
flash of l ight . . . . would therefore be the first announce
ment of the work begun." This would of course be some kind
of electric l ight, earthly, not heavenly, as the globe was then
wrapped in dense clouds of steam from the heated waters.
It may haYe been like the Aurora Borealis ( Northern Lights )
or the Zodiacal light.
We have not room in this article to follow in detail the
work of each day, we can only notice a few points in passing.
On the second day the watery vapors were lifted above
the firmament or expanse which was called heaven.
That
might occur in thi.s way.
In that early period the ocean
conta ined a large quantity of carbon, phosphorous and other
elements in solution.
As formations took place gases com
bined from these elements would escape into the air, saturating
it with carbonic and 9ther acids. This very heavy ( carbonic
aci d ) gas would make the air so bouyant that the lighter
clouds would rise far up into it. ; probably much higher than
they are now, as the most of the carbonic acid has since been
ahc;orbed by the wonderful plant life that afterwards formed
our vast coal beds.
8keptics and Infidels have objected to the idea that the
sun, moon and stars were not created until the fourth day.
The objection is reasonable, but it is based on a mis
conception of the Scriptural statement. The earth had been
reYoh'ing around the sun for ages and Moses is evidently
alluding simply to their first appearance to the earth, and
their appointment as the recorders of passing days and years.
Apparently God had another reason for now revealing the
Sun.
Plant life as then existant could live without light,
but animals have eyes, and God is about to introduce these.
Why had not the Sun given light to earth before ! The ocean
was once a boiling sea.
Still earlier all the water of Old
Ocean was in a state of vapor ; and the clouds enveloping the

TO WER

earth must have been simply immense. Not until the earth
had so far cooled that the larger part of these clouds had
disappeared by condensation in the sea could the heavenly
bodies possibly be seen ; and this was evidently not until the
fourth day.
About this time it is thought the great coal beds were
formed. Coal is made from dense forests of trees and plants
which grew ages ago, and which after having formed a thick
bed was broken down and covered by the sea with a layer
of st-.mes, sand, clay, etc. Above this a new forest sprang
up to be again covered and laid away safely to cake into
coni for the use of generations of men who existed then, only
in the plan of God.
This would seem to have taken a long time, and so we
think it did, ( In Nova Scotia no less than seventy-six suc
cessive forests have grown after and above each other, ) but
not so long as it would now require. The earth was then
one vast hot-bed.
( These deposits are found in the Arctic
regions. )
Plants which now grow only a few inches or a few
feet high, even at the equator, grew then forty, sixty and
eighty feet high, and two or three feet in diameter. Probably
in that warm virgin soil and moist and richer atmosphere
these forests had an almost mushroom-like growth. Evidently
then, there can be no just comparison made between the far
past and the present, neither can we measure past ages by
present rates of development.
Is there then no way of measuring these days of creation 1
Yes ! we think there is. We believe we have found the key.
There are seven days : Each must be of the same length : If
we can find the length of one we will know the length of all.
We have j ust found, that we do not know the duration
of the first six : How is it with the seventh T We know when
it began, can we find where it ends T At the close of the
creation God made one who, in the likeness of himself, should
have dominion over all,-an image or miniature of God. Then
God began his rest.
Adam fell and the power passed into
the hands of "the Adversary." ( In accordance with Jehovah's
original plan ) Jesus has purchased the "Inheritance" and is
preparing for the overthrow of the usurper. When he takes
his great power he will reign until he has put all enemies
under his feet. This is the work of the Millennia! age. When
he has restored all things, he delivers up the kingdom to God
the Father who again re!lumes the reins of government. How
long does God rest-as to the affairs of this world ! Seven
thousand years.
["The Father judgeth no man, but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son."]
We turn again to the words of Peter. His subject is the
history of the period of time from "the generation of the
heavens and the earth to their re-generahon. He says : "One
day is with the Lord as a thousand years." He teaches then,
that the week of the law, was typical of the grand period of
7000 years of man's allotted history. Six thousand years of
toil under the bondage of sin and Satan, to be followed by
one thousand years of peace, rest and heavenly communion.
But when this Sl' bbath shall end-as it must-is there another
weary week of toil to begin again T
No ! thank God the
cycle is complete.
The Jewish week was a glorious typ e ;
gracious even in its keeping, for man and beast : and it has
a worthy antitype. But what of that granC:er cycle, of which
the seven days was but a typical part-the seven times seven,
that ushered in the Jubilee T
If the seventh period of creation in which the Father
rested is seven thousand years long-as shown above-so
are the other six periods ; and so we have seven times seven
thousand years, even forty-nine thousand years, bringing us
to the fiftieth thousand the antitype of all chronological anti
types, the great gramd JuBILEE.
"God's purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour ;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
nut sweet will be the flower."
W. I. M.t.NN.

VIEW FROM THE TOWER

The work of the Lord still prospers-favorable and en

eouraging reports from all parts of the field. All the workers
are well, etc., except our dear Brother Sunderlin, who still
utfPr'i intense pain, confined to his bed .
The Lord provide for each of us the experiences he sees
u'- to need, preparing us for the kingdom.
The letters keep pouring in from all parts of the U. S.
a n d ( j n!at Britain, and give evidence that the Lord has been
n - 1 11 !! tl11 l ittle hooko. as Hi-; agent to awaken His children
tr, irh interest in His plans and work.

PITTSBURGH . PA.

The letters average about 40 to 50 a day, and nearly all

represent true hearts overflowing with love and gratitude for
God's goodness, i,n permitting them and us, to see so much
of His grandly unfolding plan of love, for man's salvation.
We wish all could read these letters if we had more room
we would frequently refresh you with others like the two
which we publish in part below.
These letters have just come to hand and we cannot resist
the desire to add to and refresh your joy and comfort, in
the rough pathway to glory. The first is from a minister.

[300]

DJtCJtMBU, 1 88 1

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND,

November 8th, 1 88 1 .
M Y DEAB SIR-Permit m e though a stranger to assure you,
that I can never feel sufficiently thankful that out of the
thousands of copies of your book, "Food for Thinking Chris
tians" distributed in this town-a copy fell into my hands :
apparently it was the merest accident ; but really I regard it
as a direct providence. It has thrown light upon subjects
which have perplexed me for years ; and has made me feel
more than ever, what a glorious book the Bible is, how
worthy of our profoundest study. At the same time, I came
from the study of your book with the conviction that a very
large proportion of the Theology of our Churches and Schools,
is the merest scraps of human notions, and that our huge
systems of Theology upon the study of which, some of us
have spent so many laborious yearsnly to be the worse
confused and perplexed-are infinitely more the work of mis
taken men, than the inspiration of the allwise God.
However I may differ from the book in a few minor
details, I found the main argument to be resistless, commend
ing itself to both my head and my heart. Again let me thank
you on my own behalf, for the good I have received.
I find at the close of it, you make an offer to send copies
to any who have reason to believe they can make a good
use of them. In my church and congregation, there is a
number of intelligent persons who are interested in the second
coming, and who would be only too glad to read your book,

T O WE R

( 2-3 )

I could distribute 60 or 70 copies with advantage, you say,

"ask and ye shall receive''-! have faith in your generosity.
Believe me to remain yours, Most faithfully
.
LO UISVILLE, KENTUCKY,
November 22, 1 88 1 .
GENTI.EMEN- Having read with the most profound interest
your publication entitled ; "Food for Thinking Christians,"
and being fairly dazzled by the wonderful light it reveals
on the great "subject," I find myself thirsting for more knowl
edge from this seemingly inspired pen.
Therefore in accordance with the invitation extended by
you on the cover of this little work I ask that you send me
a few copies of "The Tabernacle and its Teachings," if in
print.
With reference to the first named book, permit me to say,
that I have never yet read or heard anything equal to that
little volume in its influence upon my heart and life ; and
to my mind, it answers most grandly and conclusively the
great question, "Is life worth living." Such views as it sets
forth, are bound to find response in the minds and hearts of
all unbiased thinking christians, for they bear the stamp of
something greater than mere human conception. I only wish
we could hear it from the pulpits ; but I think this must
shortly follow. It is good seed and in its "due time" will
come forth.
Believe me, I am
Very Truly Yours

"A LITTLE WHILE"

A little while, our fightings shall be over ;
A little while, our tears be wiped away ;
A little while, the presence of Jehovah
Shall turn our darkness into Heaven's bright day.

A little while ! His presence goes before us,

A fire by night, a shadowy cloud by day ;
His banner, love-inscribed, is floating o'er us ;
His arm almighty is our strength and stay.

A little
Shall
A little
Shall

A little while ! 'Tis ever drawing nearer

The brighter dawning of that glorious day,
Blest Saviour, make our spirits' vision clearer,
And guide, oh, guide us in the shining way.

while, the fears that oft surround us

to the memories of the past belong ;
while, the love that sought and found us
change our weeping into Heaven's glad song

A little while ! Oh, blessed expectation !

For strength to run with patience, Lord we cry ;
Our hearts up-leap in fond anticipation.
Our union with the Bridegroom draweth nigh.

-Selected.

"YE ARE GODS"

"I have said, Ye are Gods ; and all of you are children of the Most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one
of the princes" [ literally heads] . Psa. 82 : 6.
same relationship as a son of God. ( John 1 0 : 35 ) .
Our high calling is so great, so much above the comThese sons of God, like him from whom they heard the
prehension of men, that they feel that we are guilty of
blasphemy when we speak of being "new creatures"-not any word of truth by which they are begotten, are yet in dis
longer human, but "partakers of the divine nature." When
guise ; the world knoweth us not for the same reason that
we claim on the scriptural warrant, that we are begotten of
it knew him not. Our Father puts no outward badge or mark
a divine nature and that Jehovah is thus our father, it is
of our high relationship, but leaves each to walk by faith
claiming that we are divine beings-hence all such are Gods.
and not by sight all through the earthly p ilgrimage-down
Thus we have a family of God, Jehovah being our father,
into death. His favor and love and the Glory and Honor
and all his sons being brethren and joint-heirs : Jesus being
which belong to our station, we can now see by the eye of
the chief, or first-born.
faith, but soon it will be realized in fact. Now we appear
Nor should we wonder that so few discern this grand
like men, and all die naturally hke men, but in the resurrec
relationship, into the full membership of which, we so soon
tion we will rise in our true character as Gods.
hope to come. The apostle tells us that "the natura man
"It doth not yet appear
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God .
. neither
How great we must be made ;
can ke know them because they are spiritually discerned."
But when we see him as he Is,
( 1 Uor. 2 : 14 ) . Just so it was, when our great Head and
We shall be like our Head."
Lord was among men : He, having consecrated the human at
30 years of age was baptized of the spirit, and became a
How forcibly this is expressed by the prophet and how
part-taker of the divine nature. When Jesus said he was
sure it is too, Jesus says-It cannot be broken : "I have
a son of Goa the Jews were about to stone him, reasoning
said ye are Gods, all of you sons of the l\Iost High. But
thus, that if a son of God, he was making himself to be also
ye shall die hke men, and fall like one of the princes." [ lit.
a God, or of the God family. [ Just what we claim. "Beloved,
headti'-Adam and Jesus are the two heads.]
now are we the sons of God"-"The God and Father of our
Then the whole family-head and body are addressed a!i\
Lord Jesus hath begotten us."] ( 1 John 3 : 2 and I Pet. 1 : 3 ) .
Jesus does not deny that when he said he was a son, it one, as they will be under Christ their head, saying-"Arise
0 God, judge [rule, bless] the earth : for thou shalt inherit
implied that he was of the divine nature, but he quotes to
all nations." The Mighty God, and everlasting Father of the
them the above passage from the Psalms as being good
nations, is Christ whose members in particular we are. He
authority and it seems as though it satisfied them, for they
it is that shall inherit all things and He it is that promist'd
did not stone him. Jesus said, "Is it not written in your
his body that they too should have power over the nations,
law, I said, Ye are Gods" ? Then he proceeds to .show th t thP
and of whom Paul says "Know ye not that the saints shall
"Gods" there mentioned, are the ones who receive obediently
judge the world ?"
his words and example, and concludes his argument by asking
How forcible this scripture in connection with the thought
whether if God calls such ones as receive his ( Jesus, ) teach
that aH must die like men-like the ( last ) one of the heads.
ings, Gods, whether they think that he the teacher, whom
[ See article "Who Can Hear It."-l\"o vembe1 1. u m ber, 1881,
the Father had specially set apart as the head of those Gods
could be properly said to blaspheme, when he claimed the Z. W. T.]
.

[301]

IMPORTANCE OF BAPTISM
[ With the exception of the paragraphs below, this article was a
please
The baptism of which Paul speaks then, cannot mean
water baptism.
No, thousands are so immersed who will
not be in his likeness in the resurrection. But baptism into
water i!l a beautifully expressive type of the real baptism
mto deat h .
By it we emphasize our covenant to die to
the world and earthly conditions, to rise to "walk not
after the flesh but after the spirit." Jesus so used it and it
IS so beautifully expressive of our hope and covenant, that
if there were no divine injunction as to its performance, as
there is, we should still feel it a privilege to show forth our
planting ( burying ) together, in the likeness of his death and
our expectation of being in his likeness in the resurrection.
When Cornelius had received the Holy Spirit Peter in
quired :
Can any man forbid water that these should be
immersed ? And so we ask, Who can say aught against water
being tl111;; used as a type of our death and resurrection T
.-\nd we might put the question in another form for some :
Can anv man refuse to thus show forth his death if he bas
wdeed died to the world ? We think not. That which hinders
many in the public illustration of the death they profess is we
fear, generally pride, fear of mental or uttered reproach of
fellow disciples and of the world. But dear fellow disciple
reflect that these objections to water baptism indicate that
the true essential baptism has never fully taken place. You
may be partly dead, and may have given up part of your

reprint of that published in issue of September, 1 880, which

see.]
own will, but when fully crucified you will say with Jesus,
"I delight to do thy wi ll, 0 Lord." I count all things but
loss and dross that I may win Christ-the great prize.
The true baptism then, is to be submerged, covered up,
or immersed into death; to which every member of the Christ
is appointed-i. e., the eternal death of the human nature.
And thus by this voluntary baptism into this eternal death,
we as new creatures begotten again of God ( 1 Pet. 1 : 3 )
become members of the body of The Christ-the body anointed,
dedicated or set apart for the work of redeeming and restoring
a fallen race. From the moment we covenant to be thus
baptized, until the human body is laid in the dust and the
death of the human completed, the work of baptism is in
process. The "new creature" is to reckon the old creature
dead; so, completely ignoring its will, and letting the holy
spirit-mind-will of our Father bring even these mortal
bodies, into active service to his glory. "Let ( this) same
mind ( spirit, disposition, will of our Father ) be in you, which
was also in ( the head of the ) Christ-Jesus our Lord." If
thus as human beings, we die daily until ultimately dead,
and if as "new creatures" we are begotten again of God and
are daily growing up into his likeness, can we doubt the
truth of Paul's statement, that in the resurrection we shall
be born in the likeness of our head and forerunner-Jesus,
who is the brightness of our Father's glory ?

THE MORNING COMETH

"The watchman said, The morning cometh" ( lsa. 2 1 : 12 ) ,
and though while making this answer, he forewarns us of
night, he also assures u s of the morning. There i s R morning,
says he, therefore do not give way to faintness of spirit ;
but there is a night between, therefore take warning, that
you may not be surprised nor dismayed, as if the promise
were broken, or some strange thing allowed to befall you.
There may be delay, he intimates, before the morning-a.
dark delay, for which we should be prepared. During this he
calls for watchfulness, for the length of the night is hidden,
the time of daybreak is uncertain. We must be on the outlook, with our eyes fixed on the eastern hills. We have nothing wherewith to measure the hours, save the sorrows of the
church and the failing of hearts.
During this delay the watchman encourages us to "inquire," to "return," to "come." He expects us to ask "how
long," and say "when will the night be done !" He takes for
granted that such will be the proceeding of men who really
long for the morning. To the hills of Seir they will again
and again return, to learn of the watchman what is the promise of the day ; for no familiarity with the night can ever
reconcile them to darkness, or make morning less desirable.
It is right for us to desire the morning, to hope for it,
to inquire as to the signs of it hour after hour. God bas set
this joy before us, and it were strange indeed if, when compassed about with so many sorrows, we should forget it, or
be heedless as to its arrival ; for the coming of the morning
i'l the coming of him whom we long to see. It is the coming of
him "who turneth the shadow of death into the morning."
( Amos 5 : 8 ) . It is the return of him whose absence has been
night, and whose presence will be day. It is the return of
him who is the resurrection and the life, and who brings resurrection with him ; the return of him who is creation's Lord,
and who brings with him deliverance to creation ; the return
of him who is the Church's Head, and who brings with him
triumph and gladness to his Church.
All the joy, the calm, the revivifying freshness of thP
mornin.'t". are wrapt up in him. When he appears, day appears, life appears, fruitfulness appears. The curse departs.
Clouds, storms,
The "bondage of corruption" is no more.
trouble'!. sorrows vanish. The face of nature rea1sumes the
smile of unfallen times. It is earth's festival, the world's
jubilf'e. "The heavens rejoice, the earth is glad, the sea roars
and the fullness thereof, the fields are joyful and all that is
therein , the trees of the wood rejoice, the floods clap their
hands, and the hills are joyful together before the Lord ; for
he has come, for he has come to judge the earth ; with righteousness shall he judge tl1e world, and the people with his
truth" ( Psa. 96 : 1 1 ; 98 : 7 ) .
This morning has been long anticipated. Age after age
has attracted the Church's eye, and fixed her hope. On the
promie of it her faith has been resting, and towards the
hastening of it her prayers have gone forth . Though afar off,
it has been rle'l<'ribrrl . and re joiced in as the sure consummation towartl'i which all things are moving forward according
to the Father'., purpose. "There is a morning" has been the
(3}

word of consolation brought home to the burdened heart of

many a saint when ready to say with David, "I am desolate ! "
or with Jeremiah, "He hath set me in dark places as they that
be dead of old."
Let us dwell for a little time on some of these Old Testament allusions to the morning. Let us take the Thirtieth
Psalm.
David had been in sorrow, and in coming out of it he makes
known to the saints his consolations : "Sing unto the Lord, 0
ye saints of his, a.nd give thanks at the remembrance of l11s
holiness. For there is but a moment in his anger ; in his favor
is life ; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in
the morning" ( Psa. 3 0 : 4, 5 ) .
The earnest of that morning he hath tasted, but the morning itself he anticipates. Then joy has come. Then he can
say, ( verse 1 1 ) , "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into
dancing ; thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with
gladness." But it is the voice of a greater than David that is
heard in this Psalm. It is one of Christ's resurrection
Psalms, the 18th and the 1 6th. He was "lifted up," so that
his foes were not made to rejoice over him. He cried and was
"healed." His "soul was brought up from the grave." There
was a.nger against him "for a moment," when he bore the
sinner's curse. But in Jehovah's favor there was "life." He
had a ight of weeping, a night of "strong crying and tears,"
when hts soul was "sorrowful even unto death," and when be
neath the waves of that sorrow he sunk, commending his spirit
into the Father's hands. But it was a night no more. Morn
ing came, and with morning, joy. Coming forth from the
tomb, he left all his sorrow behind : his sackcloth was put ofl',
and he arose "girded with gladness." He found morning and
joy ; and he is "the first fruits of them that slept." His rising
was the rising of his saints,-There was a morning for him,
therefore there shall be one for us,-a morning bright with
resurrection glory.
Let us next take Psalm forty-ninth. These are Christ's
words, as is proved from the quotation of verse 4th in Matt.
1 3 : 35. He summons the whole world to listen. He "speaks
of wisdom," for he is Wisdom. He points to the vanity of
riches, and their insufficiency to redeem a soul ; and who
knew so well as he what a ransom was needed ! He sees men
going on in their wickedness, self-confidence, and vain-glory.
He contrasts the wicked and the righteous. "Over the wicked
the righteous shall have dominion in the morning." The morn
ing then brings dominion to the righteous,-redemption from
the power of the grave. In this Jesus rejoiced ; in this let us
rejoice. This joy of the morning was set before him ; it is
the same joy that is set before us. Dominion in the morning
is that to which we look forward,-a share in the first resurrection, of which those who partake live and reign with Christ.
Look again at the forty-sixth Psalm. It is the utterance
of the faith of Israel's faithful ones, in the time of "Jacob's
trouble." The earth is shaken ( verse 2, compare with Haggai
2 : 6 ; and Heb. 1 2 : 26, 27 ; ) the sea and the waves roar ( v. 3,
compare with Luke 21 : 25 ; ) but there is a river whose streams
gladden them. God j., in the midst of her. Nay, "God helps

[302]

DtCP:M BIIR. 1 88 1

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

her when the morning appeareth," ( verse 5, margin, ) just as in

in the morning watch he looked out from the fiery cloud and
troubled the Egyptians. Then the heathen are scattered at
his voice,-he sweeps off every enemy, he makes wars to cease,
and sits himself on high over the nations, as King of kings,
"exalted in the earth." From which we gather that the morn
ing brings with it deliverance from danger,-victory over ene
mies, the renewal of the earth, peace to the nations, the es
tablishment of Messiah's glorious throne. What a morning of
joy that must be, for the Church, for Israel, for the whole
earth-resurrection for the church, restoration for Israel,
restitution for the earth !
Look at the l lOth Psalm. We see Jesus at Jehovah's right
hand, waiting till his enemies be made his footstool ; and then
he who said unto him "Sit," shall say, "Arise." ( Psa. 82 : 8 . )
He i s yet to have dominion on earth, and t o sit upon the
throne of his father David. Willingness, beauty, holiness,
brightness, number ; shall mark his people in that morning of
j oy which his coming shaH produce. "The dew," says one, "is
deposited in greatest plenty about the breaking of the dawn,
and refresheth with its numerous drops the leaves and plants
and blades of grass on which it resteth ; so shall the saints of
God, coming forth from their invisible abodes out of the womb
of the morning, refresh the world with their benignant in
fluence ; and therefore are they likened to the dew, for all na
ture is so constituted of God as to bear witness of that day
of regeneration which then shall dawn."
Read also "the last words of David," ( 2 Sam. 22 : 1-4, ) in
which, as in the 72nu Psalm, "the prayers of David are ended,"
or summed up. "There shall be a just one ruling in the fear of
God ; as the light of the morning shall he arise, the Sun of
an unclouded morning, shining after a rain upon the tender
grass of the earth." Not till that Just One comes is that
morning to dawn, for he is its light, and from his counte
nance is to break forth that light in which all earth is to re
joice. Then the darkness of the long night shall disappear,
and the tribulation tasted in the time of absence be forgotten
in the abounding blessedness of his everlasting presence.
Let us hear how, in "the Song," the bride refers to this
same morning. She rejoices in the Bridegroom's assured love,
and her desires and longings are not questionings as to the re
lationship in which she stands to aim. This is with her a
settled thing, for she has tasted that the Lord is gracious. "I
am my beloved's and my beloved is mine," What directions do
her longings take ? Her "eyes are towards the hills," over
which she expects to behold him coming like a roe. Thus she
pleads with him not to tarry : "Make haste, my beloved, and
be thou like a roe, or to a young hart on the mountain of
spices" ( 8 : 14 ) . Thus also she anticipates the morning of
fuller joy, even while enjoying present fellowship : "He feed
eth among the lilies until the day breaks and the shadows flee

TO WER

(4)

away" ( 1 : 1 6, 17 ) . And thus the Bridegroom himself, feel

ing if one may so speak, the loneliness of the night, and that
it is "not good to be alone," longs, like herself, for the day,
and resolves to climb the hills, where he may not only be re
galed with freshest odors, but may catch the earliest gleams of
dawn : "Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I
will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frank
incense" ( 4 : 6 ) . On that hill let us meet him in faith, and
watch with him in hope, yet ever remembering that though his
joy which faith gives here is unspeakably comforting, it is not
the gladness of the marriage supper,-it is not blessedness
of the bridal day. For he himself, while telling his disciples,
"Lo, I am with you always," says also this, "I will not hence
forth drink of this fruit of the vine until the day that I drink
it new with you you in my Father's kingdom." ( Matt. 26 : 29. )
There is the joy of deliverance from overhelming danger.
This was the joy of the Jews when their adversary perished
and Mordecai was exalted :-"The Jews had light, and glad
ness and joy, and honor . . . . the Jews had joy and gladness,
a feast, and a good day" ( Esther 8 : 1 6 ) . Such shall be the
Church's joy in the morning of her great deliverance. There
is the joy of escape from captivity and return from exile, such
as made Israel feel "as men that dream." Such shall be
the Church's joy when her long captivity is done. Then
shall her mouth be filled with laughter ; and her tongue with
singing ; having sowed in tears she reaps in j oy.-Psa. 66 : 2.
There is the joy of harvest, Isa. 9 : 3 ; and such shall be the
Church's joy. There is the mother's joy when her pangs are
over, and the child is born into the world.ohn 1 6 : 20. With
such joy shall we rejoice, and our joy no man taketh from us.
The joy in reserve for us is manifold and large ; it will abide
and satisfy ; it is the joy of the morning ;-a long, glad day
before us ; no evening with its lengthening shadows, no night
with its chills and darkness.-"There shall be no night there,
and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord
God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever."
-Rev. 22 : 5.
The prospect of this morning-this "morning of joy"
nerves and cheers us under all our tribulation. Were this
morning an uncertainty, how dark would the night seem !
how difficult for us to fight against faintness and despair !
But the thought of morning invigorates and braces us. We
can set our faces to the storm, for behind it lies the calm.
We can bear the parting, for the meeting is not distant. We
can afford to weep, for the tears shall soon be wiped away.
We can watch the tedious sick bed, for soon "the inhabitants
shall not say, I am sick." We can look quietly into the grave
of buried love and cherished hope, for resurrection shines be
hind it. Things may be against us here, but they are for us
hereafter. The here is but an hour ; the hereafter is a whole
eternity.-H. Bonar.

THE BLESSED DYING

"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit. that they may rest from their labors ; for
their works follow with them." Rev. 1 4 : 13.
Uniformly throughout the Bible except this one instance
doors of them that are bound ( captives of death ) and pro
claim liberty to the captives ( lsa. 6 1 : 1 . )
death is represented as a dreadful disaster, a terrible enemy,
a devouring monster, and the grave as a great prison, per
In view of the general expression of enmity to death, in
mitted of our loving Heavenly Father, only because men had
the Scriptures the above solitary text speaking of it as a
become sinners and must be destroyed. .And the great hope
blessing, is rather peculiar until we notice, that the applica
held out before the world has been, that Christ having given tion is limited by the word "henceforth." Not alwavs, but
himself a ransom for the sinners-having "tasted death for
henceforth death may be a blessing. But notice anotl{er lim
every man"-the just for the un,iust, will soon <>ommPncc thP
itation ; it will not henceforth be a blessing to a ll mankind,
grea't work of destroying death by restoring all mankind to
but only to those in the Lord-members in pa rticular of
the body of Christ, the little flock to whom it is t he Father's
life. Thus will he "swallow up death victoriously."
When he has exalted his church to the glory of kingdom good pleasure to give the kingdom-to all others dea th will
( svmbol, mountain, ) power, then, he will spread before all
continue to be an enemy until its final destruction in the
people a great feast, and through this kingdom ( mountain )
Millennia! reign. ( Hos. 1 3 : 14. )
he will destroy the vail of ignorance and the covering of
Again, it is unusual to speak of those already drad as
death-i. e. "He will swallow up death in victory." I sa. 25 : 6-8.
dying ; but the spirit uses this seemingly incongruous ex
pression, evidently desiring to limit the applicatwn of the
Then, he will break open and abolish the great prison house
of death and set at liberty all the captives. Of this deliver
death blessing to a certain class "Blessed are the dead ( dead
ance to the captives and opening of the prison doors to them to the world--crucified with Christ-"ye are dead and your
that are bound Jesus preached, saying, "The hour is coming
life is hid with Christ in God," ) who die in the Lord from
in the which all that are in their graves shall hear the
henceforth."
voice of the Son of man and come forth." ( John 5 : 28. )
Now, we are full of inU>rest to know wh.,n, from what
Paul recognizes death as the greatest of all enemies, and
time forward, will it be blessed for the special class men
speaking of Christ's Millennia! reign he says, "He must
tioned, to die. These words were written for our edification
reign until he hath put all enemies under his feet : The last
and we should be able to know when they apply : especially
enemy that shall be destroyed is death." ( 1 Cor. 1 5 : 25, 26. )
if we are in the Lord and dead to the world ; for it was part
It is the same apostle who, speaking of the object of Jesus
of our Master's promise, that the spirit should guide us into
coming into the world and dying for our sins, says that he
an understanding of the truth and show us things to come.
took the human nature that "through death he might destroy
( John 1 6 : 1 3 . ) If as we believe the last members of the body
him that had the power of death, that is the devil." ( Heb.
of Christ are now living-"The feet of him"-it is timl' that
2 : 14. )
It is also affirmed that he will open the prison
we understood this passage, which clearly refers to the feet.
[ 3 03 ]

(-5)

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

\\' !' look bark ward at tht> ron text, to ascertain if possible
when this blesii'ing is due. The seven preceding verses give,
we think. ,ery dear testimony on the subject. They mention
thn<' spE>cific messages which must be proclaimed in the
chureh ( svmbol, heaven ) which, we believe, have been in
proces. dttring the first seven years of harvest just ended,
from I S7-! to 1881. The first message embodies not only the
agelastmg good news ( Gospel ) but also the time element.
"Th e HOUR of h is 711dgment is co me." This is precisely what
wa prearhed by quite a goodly number of us, viz : that the
glad tidings of great joy should yet be unto all people, and
that the ''h a 1vcst" or t ime of trial ( judgment ) commenced
with l Si-!, and would last for forty years, the first seven
years bt>ing specially devoted to the church for the harvesting
of the firstfruits.
You will rPcall that up to 1 878 though Restitution was
the key note, and entire consecration was always urged, yet
the t ime element was one of the most prominent features
always. Since 1 87 8, however, though the same time element
is recognized in all our preaching and teaching, and is re
peatedly referred to aR a proof of our position, yet the direct
teaching of time has almost stopped among all the preaching
brethren-and this too, without any preconcerted arrangement,
and without anv othPr reason, than that other elements of
truth came into greater prominence.
It was in the spring of 1 879, that seeing clearly the
parallelism between the nominal Jewish church and the nom
inal Gospel church, we were enabled to know just where the
latter was finally rejected of the Lord and spewed out of
his mouth ( Rev. 3 : 1 6. ) no longer to be his mouthpiece. We
aw that this was due in 1878, as the parallel of the rejection
of the Jewish church, when Jesus just prior to his crucifixion,
wept over them and said, "Your house is left unto you
desolate"-The Jewish church was there likewise cast off, or
spewed from his mouth.
We were led to see very clearly that the nominal church
of the Gospel Age, is the Babylon ( confused, mixed condition,
of worldly-mindedness and luke warm christianity ) described
in Rev. 1 8 : 2-4.
This spewing out, or casting off, of the nominal church,
as an organization in 1878-we then understood, and still
proclaim to be the date of the commencement of Babylon's fall,
as recorded there. And since then we feel ourselves led of
the spirit, through the unfolding of this portion of the word
of truth to say in the name of the Lord, to all God's true
children in Babylon : "Come out of her my people, that ye
be not partakers of her sins and receive not of her plagues."
( vs. 4. ) This seems to accord wonderfully with the second
meseage--"Babylon is fallen." ( Rev. 1 4 : 8. )
The third message ( vs. 9 - 1 1 . ) concerning the worshipers
of the Beast and his Image-showing the nominal church
in the colors in which the Word of God paints it, pointing
out, how all who remain in her either in spirit or name, in
opposition to the word of God, saying, "Come out of her" will
he subject to torment and vexation so long as they are wor
hiping creeds and doctrines and organizations of men. The
remembrance of which distress ( smoke of torment ) will never
be forgotten.
As with the preceding two, so with this third message-
it could not have been more accurately fulfilled than it was
[And here we would remark, that the resemblance of the
teachings of our company, to the descriptions now being con
sidered, was only noticed about six months ago.] The mean
ing of the symbol of RPv. 13, the beasts and image, we
first published in the January 1 880 number of this paper
[ We will republish it for the benefit of new readers-in our

TO WER

next number.] All three of these messages yet continue, and

will doubtless continue to be repeated by others so long as
they contain truth due to the Lord's children ; but as special
messages in the sense referred to in the prediction of the
Revelator they have all been given, and we are in the time
of patient waiting for our "change" described in vs. 12. And
here it is, just now- 1 881, that for the first time we are
able to read understandingly the words "Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord from henceforth." Evidently the blessing
is to the members of the Ghrist now living.
But we inquire, In what respect will death be a blessing
to us now, that it has not always been to other members of
the body ? We answer, The difference is that we shall not
sleep, but we will be instantly invested with our heavenly
i:lpiritual bodies, being changed in a moment dropping all
that is human and earthly and being clothed upon with our
heavenly condition. In the case of Jesus, there were nearly
three days of sleep-the unclothed condition between the
times when the earthly body was resigned and the heavenly
body was received-Paul and others have been nearly two
thousand years waiting "unclothed" or "asleep in Jesus" and
this is one of the principal reasons why death was undesirabl('
even to christians : We don't wish to be unclothed even for
a moment, but we do desire to be clothed upon or have the
change an instantaneous one. ( 1 Cor. 1 5 : 52. )
Herein consists the blessing to those of the body now taken.
Death of the human will be instantaneous with the perfecting
of the divine nature, hence it will be a blessed "change."
"Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors ;
for their works follow with them."
To the class thus "blessed," there will be no interruption
of work. Already dead to the world and alive toward God,
their work is in harmony with the kingdom work now going
on, and they merely step to their higher plane of "divine"
perfection and power and there continue the same work. It is
only the labor ( toil, ) incident to the mortal body-the frail
"earthen vessel" which ceases. Not so highly favored in this
regard was the lot of any of the members of "the body" which
preceded us. Quite a period elapsed in Paul's case between
sufferings and glory. When he had fought a good fight and
finished his course he looked forward, not to a change in
a moment, but to a sleep from which he would be wakened
to receive his reward in the kingdom. So he expresses his
hope, "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of life
which the Lord, the Righteous .Judge shall give me at that
day." ( 2 Tim. 4 : 8. )
"How beautiful are the feet of Him," how many favors
and blessings are for us. Truly, "Ble;sed are the dead who
die in the Lord from hencefort h : Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labors and their works follow with
them." Rejoice and be exceeding glad-but
"Ne'er think the victory won,
Nor once at ease sit down ;
Thine arduous task will not be done,
Till thou hast gainE>d thy crown."
The human must be entirely sacrificed before the divine
is perfected-"Be thou faithful unto death and I will give
thee a crown of life," are the words of our Lord and Fore
runner in whose footsteps on the narrow way, we must follow
to gain the prize of our high calling-"Glory Honor and
Immortality."
What harmony there now appears in this text when thus
explained in harmony with the article "Who can hear itf"
in our last number.

THE ANTI-CHRIST

11.
There are various conjectures a s to who may be, this "Man
of Sin." It bas been claimed for Napoleon Bonaparte, and
each of his successors to the title to the throne of France,
and now for Prince Jerome Bonaparte. Others quite recently
have given up expecting so much of a development of power
from a broken down dynasty, and claim, with positiveness,
that it is the present Pope.
B.-It would be a very remarkable thing to have occur
in this nineteenth century. It might have been possible in
some heathen land, hundreds of years ago, but I could not
make myself believe that such things are even possible now.
No, the tendency of the press and of science is to ignore
God altogether, and in the face of the wonderful evidences
of His creative power, might, to deny entirely, the Lord, in
whose praise "Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto
night showeth knowledge." Ps. xix. 2.

2 THESS.

B.-Good morning, brother A., I have wanted for some

time to inquire your views of the "Man of Sin"-"The AntiC'hri st." ""ho is he, what is he, and when will he come ; or
ha he alr>ady come ?
A-I shall enjoy a conversation with you on this subject ;
1t i one deerving of careful thought and is mentioned by
,Jeu himself, as well as by his apostles and prophets. I
presume I need not make mention of the various theories
held by Bible students on the subject. Many believe that
.Jermalem and the temple will be rebuilt soon, and that some
literal man will oppoe and exalt himself above all that is
allerl God, or that i worshiped, so that hP, as God, will
it in the temple of God showing himself that he is God.
( 2 The ii. 4. ) He i s expected to be able to perform "signs
rmrl lytng won4ers"-to deceive all the world into the idea
that HE is God, and to have them homage and worship him.

PITTSBURGH, PA.

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Z I O N 'S

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TO WER

A.-I fully agree with you. It would be much easier to

( Generally dated I believe from A . D., 792 to 1 i92. ) The.)
claim that the Millennia! reign of Chn'it and h i s saints, Rev.
turn the world to Atheism than to Idolatry, especially the
xx., there took place and that the penod since the overthro''
worshiping of a man the tendency is the very reverse. This
of Papacy's dominion ( I 798, ) is the little season mentioned
is one reason why I could not look for a personal "Man of
in verses 3, 7 and 8 during which the "devil is loosed," viz
Sin."
Protestantism and all infidelity to Papacy.
Paul had always exhorted the church to look and wait for
"The day of the Lord," yet in 2 Thes. ii. 3. he tells them
During her reign over earth's kings she did "rule with
a rod of iron," claiming that it was the fulfillment of Palm
"That day shall not come except there come a falling away
2 : 6-12. [Read it.] Special emphasis was given to verses 1 0 - 1 2 .
first, and that Man of Sin be revealed." As I believe the
"Be wise now therefore 0 ye kings . . . . Kiss the Son let
Word to teach that we are now living in "the day of the
he be angry, and ye peri!'oh from the way, when his wrath
Lord," you see it is both natural and consistent in me to
is kindled but a little."
look backward for the "Man of Sin" and to expect to be able
to recognize him, for Paul says he must be revealed, or his
To fulfill this, the kings of earth were obliged to knPPl
before the Pope and kiss his great toe to receive his bleing
real character shown and seen, before the "Day of the Lord,"
and their crowns. ( On one occasion, to show the superiority
by those in the church who sleep not as do others. W e understand Paul to refer to a false system which would develop in
of the Pope-that he was indeed "King of Kings," the crown
after being placed on the head of the prostrate king by th!'
the church. As one error after another crept into the church,
Pope's hand, was kicked off with his foot, then lifted bP.tween
they gradually brought about the "falling away." The church
his feet and thus put on the king. ) For centuries no king
fell from her position of trust in, and support on the promises
reigned in Europe without this appointment and blessing of
of her absent Lord, and began to love the world and the
the Popes. To offend was to forfeit their titles and throne .
things o f the world. She began to look to the world for the
fulfillment of the precious promises of kingdom, glory and
Thus, by claiming God's honors and worship, Papacy exalted
itself and opposed God. To illustrate the claims of Papar,v
honor. The narrow path was too steep and rough ; she coveted
let me quote a few of its "great swelling words."
the world's ease and abundance and the more bold element
formed the plan of so arranging church customs and laws, that
It was the boast of Gregory II that "all the kings of thP
west reverence the Pope as a God on earth." An oft accepted
the world's affections were captured, and instead of persecuttitle was "Our Lord God the Pope." At the Lateran council.
ing, the Roman Empire embraced the church, seated her in
the Pope was addressed thus : "Thou art another God o-n
power. Doubtless she thought to use the power and influence
earth."
of her new friend-Rome-to the honor of the Lord to whom
she was betrothed, but soon she began to "glorify herself
Pope Martin said : "The greatness of Priesthood began
in Melchisedec, was solemnized in Aaron, continued in the
and to live deliciously with the kings of the earth" and "her
children of Aaron, perfectionated in Christ, represented in
sins reached unto heaven." Rev. 1 8 : 5-7.
Peter, exalted in the universal jurisdiction and manifes ted in
B.-You speak of it as a woman ; if this is the same which
t he Pope.
So that through this pre-eminence o f my priestPaul wrote of, why did he term it "The Man of .in?"
hood-having all things subject to me, it may seem well
A.-It requires two to make one as Adam and Eve became
verified in me, that was spoken of Christ, 'Thou hast subdued
one and "God called their name Adam : " And as Jesus and
all things under his feet.' . . . . I am all in all and above
his bride are to become one and together be known as "The
all, so that God himself and I the 1'icar of God have both one
Christ"-the one seed in whom all the families of the earth
consistory [coequal, or on the same footing.l . . . . Wherefore.
shall be blessed, ( Gal. 3 : 29. ) , so in this case of Anti-Christ :
if those things that I do be said not to be done of man but
The would be virgin ( church ) of Christ, became united to
of God, WHAT CAN You MAKE OF ME BUT Goo ? Again. i f
the world in unholy love-they twain became one-"The Man
prelates of the church be called and counted of Constantine
o f Sin."
for Gods, I then being above all prelates seem by this reason
From little to much the hold of the church on the Roman
to be ABOVE ALL Gons. Wherefore no marvel if it be in mv
Empire inereased--or rather they blended-until Papacy ( the
power to change time and times, to alter and abrogate laws, to
name of the church kingdom system, ) -"The Man of Sin"
wielded the chief power and control of the world. It ( H e )
dispense with a l l things, yea, with the precep ts o f Christ . "
It is marvellous that any one can doubt, that the aboYe
claimed to be the kingdom of God over the kingdoms of the
world. They claim that when the kingdoms of earth accepted
was the blasphemous utterance of Anti-Christ.
Papacy's overruling authority the scripture ( Rev. 1 1 : 1 5, ) was
B.-It would appear that in olden tim es the Popes had
fulfilled which says : The kingdoms of this world are become
made great pretentions. I confess that I could not expe1t
the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ- ( The Lord's
to ever find a greater or more blasphemous system to call
anointed-tlw line of Popes ) .
the Man of Sin or Anti-Christ.
They claimed the various titles and honors due to the
A.-Yes ; and brother, though less outspoken, because they
true Christ. Surely that system--Papacy-being a usurper
have less power and the people have more knowledge, they
which sought and appropriated the titles and honors of the
make the same claims still. You will remember that the Iatl'
true anointed-the true Christ, i s emphatically His opponent
Pius IX. promulgated the dogma of his own lnfa ll1bilifJ!. .\n d
a s signified b y the name Anti-- ( against) Christ.
the present Pope, LEO XIII. claims to be "Th e Lion of t h e
B.-But, can we say that Papacy denies God or Christ ?
tribe of Judah." This, like other titles belonging to the t r u e
Are the words-"Who opposeth and exalteth himself above
Christ, is claimed by the Anti-Christ, a11 you will see by thi
all that is called God or that is worshipped"-applicable to
extract from the Pittsburgh Dispatch of June 1 4 , l Si !'I : 'A
Papacy ?
rich American, now residing at Rome, desiring to poes;: the
A.-Yes. as Paul said of some : "They profess that they
bust of Leo XIII., engaged the services o f the eelcbrated
know God but in works they deny him." Their words say
sculptor, Tadolini. The latter, not content with t h e simplt>
that they are the true and only kingdom of God ; but their
portrait of the Holy Father, went to the Vatican and n!:'kl'<l
works show that they have always been in opposition to the
permission of Leo XIII., to reproduce his features from tllt'
real kingdom, of which it is but a base though skillful
original. The Pope consented. When the work wa s fini;:ht>d.
counterfeit, by attracting attention to the false as the kingLeo congratulated the artist, who asked him to trace a word
dom already come. we refer to the Papal system, not to
on the still fresh clay. His Holiness took the bnnn irom
individJual Roman Catholics.
the sculptor, and wrote with a smile. 'Leo de tnhu ,Ttui a . ' ..
If you are not familiar with
[ "The Lion of the tribe of Judah ."]
W h a t hJ,t ,phemnn .
assumption !
THE CLAIMS OF PAPACY
you cannot see how it exalts itself and opposes God. It
B.-It does seem very clear when ,..o put t oget l t t> r : hut
how about the remainder of the ver;;p Y-'Who !dltt>th Ill t h P
claims that its representative the Pope is "King of Kings
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.' How could
and Lord of Lord's"-"The Prince of the Kings of the earth.''
Papacy fulfill thi s ? The temple at Jerusalem had been dt>
As Christ's vicegerent he is the Pa-pa-Pope or Father of
mankind, i. e. "The everlasting Father"-"The Prince of
stroyed hundreds of years before Papacy";; rule.
peace.''-"The Mighty God" ( or ruler ) . All these and every
A.-The temple of God is the dwelling- or a bode of G0d.
Once He dwelt in the Jewish temple, bnt at the death 0 i
other title announced by the prophets relative to The Christ
Jesus the vail of the temple was rent in twain and thP gl0ry
in glory during the Millennia! reign, are considered proper and
of the Lord departed, and from that time it rea$ed to be
applicable to the Pope whom they claim to be Christ's vicar
really the temple of God. For fi fty days there wa s no templt>
or instead of Christ.
on earth ; but, "When Pentecost was fully coml'," the Lord
Do the scriptures declare the reign of Christ over the
de cended by his spirit, and his glory and presence filled
nations for a thousand years, and that he must reign until
HM New Temple, the gospel ehurrh. "Know e not t h a t ye
he shall put all enemies under him T Papacy claims that
are the temple of, God ?" 1 Cor. iii : 1 6 : Eph. ii : 2 1 . 22. There
when exalted to power it did put down all enemies and that
for a thousand years it did reign over the kingdoms of earth.
has been no other temple since, and there never will be
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eretlasting habitation. Any build

ing which men may put up at Jerusalem might be called a
temple. but It would not be THE temple of God. The "Man
of S i n , "-P,lpney-did take his seat in God's church ( temple ) ,
and ll"t'd In a blasplwmous manner the titles and honors of
thE' " K ll1;r of K ings . '
P:nll t e l l s n s that the errors which led to this falling
a w t y fwm t he t ru t h . had begun to operate in the church even
m In d n .
( 2 Thes. 2 : 7 ) . It increased more rapidly when
the clmn h ' "candlestick" was removed,-when the special
"g1 fts of t h l' Spirit" in healing, discerning of spirits, etc.,
<'<'.l e,l
Thre let, or hindered the more rapid development
of error Ill the Apostolic days. Another hindrance was the
paga n rmpire, and not until its decline could Papacy be

anot her. for this one is an

'

exa l ted.

13.-It does seem to be a wonderful counterfeit of the

true Kingdom of God, and I see some force in the Spirit's
en ! l ing It ( ,s. 1 1 ) strong delusion that they should believe
a l iE'.
A -We find a clearly drawn

PICTURE OF THE COUNTERFEIT OF GOD' S lUNGDOM

IN REV. xu
B -This chapter is quite pe-culiar, and is generally thought
to be a picture of the establishment of the true kingdomsome claiming that the "manchild" mentioned is Jesus, others
that I t is the church at the time of translation. But the
first view mvolves an absurdity ; for then the woman must
The last view is inconsistent because
b eo the Jewish church :
of t he 1 260 years mentioned. I shall be glad of a clearer
undrrstanding of this symbolic picture.
A - For this reason it has been considered one of the
most difficult chapters of this difficult book. Let us examine
carefully : The picture begins prior to Papacy's development.
"The woman clothed with the Sun" represents the Gospel
church covered with the precious promises of God and the
"The moon under her feet," is the
glorious light of truth.
reoflectwn of the Sun's brightness ; so "The Law" was a
shadow of the reflection of the Gospel light.
It was light,
but not the real-only reflected light. The woman was "not
under the Law ( Moon ) but under Grace" ( Sunlight ) ; yet
she was supported by the teachings of The Law and rested
on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
The diadem of twelve stars, represents the twelve apos ties.
The great red dragon-represents the Pagan Roman E mpire [ The seven heads, representing Rome's successive and
distinct fo1ms of government, and the ten horns, the divisions of power-these being mentioned to identify it ( Rome )
as the same beast, or government described by Daniel, and
elsewhere in Revelation.
"In heaven," symbolizes the place of control or rulership.
Both woman and dragon are said to be in heaven-the woman,
or church in spiritual control-the dragon, or empire in political control of the world.
If we locate it aright, the woman is seen in this vision
about 308 A. D., and has been in the "Smyrna" stage as
descnbed in Rev. 2 : 8- 10. It has just been passing through
a long senes of persecutions from the "dragon" ( Roman E mpire ) . The continued persecutions cause some to relax their
ngi!anrc for the truth, and a spirit or desire to please and
get into favor with the persecuting "dragon" comes over
some of the bright ones in the church. So we read, the
tail of the dragon d1ew the one third of the stars ; they became h i s followers or servants which of course tended to
deograrle thPm. The long desired favor of Rome came at last
by the conversion of Constantine, A. D. 3 1 3, and there we
believe the labor pangs of tribulation ceased and Papacy
was born ; i. e., there the blending of church and state commenced. It was not yet the "Man of Sin," in the same sense
that a chil d i s not a man ; but it was the beginning, of what
resulted in Papacy-"The Man of Sin," the man-child was
born.
Roman favor was so sweet to the church after so many
years of persecution, that they were ready to make religion
any a n d everything to suit the views of their new half-pagan
fnend Constantine. With his favor, the open opposition of
otherq measurably ceased. Thousands, yes millions were
b r oug ht into the ehurch from Paganism. But the change
wa'l motly in name, for the pagan priests became christian
priet'l and the pagan holidays came to be called by christian name'!-Ch ri -;tmas being one of these holidays kept sacred
to the memory of a great Goddess-since called the celebration
o f ,Jesus' birth though actually nearly three months astray.
The ehurch knew that the promise of her Lord was, that

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

he would end her persecutions by delivering her and that

she should be exalted to the control of all the kingdoms of
the world. And some were so rejoiced at the favors of Rome,
that no doubt they fancied that in this way God would give
them the kingdoms of the world promised.
Persecuted and reviled, she was pained to be delivered,
and longed for the completion of the promised "Seed of the
woman which should bruise the serpent's head." Her anx
iety and desire in this direction produced a pre-mature birth
-"The Man of Sin" ( the papal hierarchy ) being the off
spring. This "male child," at first a weak one ( A. D. 3 14 ) ,
was gradually "caught up unto God and to his throne," or
exalted to the position and titles, homage and praise of the
true "seed," so that "he as God sat in the temple ( church )
of God, showing himself that he is God." And within three
hundred years he did "Rule the nations with a rod of iron."
"And there was war in heaven j" there was a conflict or
controversy between the two elements-the church and the
empire--when this son of the church attempted to take the
ruling position. This conflict and casting down of the dragon or civil power, continued for several hundred years, or
until about A. D. 752, when "In the pontificate of Zachary,
the German court decided that no Metropolitan could enter
upon his functions without the approval of the Pontiff." "In
the same year, Pepin asked the sanction of the Pope to
ascend the throne of France."
"Michael and his an gels"-the Papacy and its supporters
-fought against the dragon-pagan rulers, etc.,-and the
great dragon was cast out of heaven. This conflict between
Papal and Pagan power resulted, as we have seen, in the
gradual overthrow of the latter.
B.-But does it not seem a forced construction to suppose
Michael to symbolize the "Man of Sin ?" Is not this the same
Michael referred to in Dan. xii ! If it is a symbol in one
case, is it not in the other ?
A.-No ; the account in Dan. xii. is a literal statement.
The resurrection and other matters there mentioned are
literal, but not so Rev. xii. The woman, dragon, tail, stars,
horns, etc., are all symbols, and it would be out of order
to have a real Michael fight a symbolic dragon. However,
it seemed puzzling at first to know why this name should
be given to Antichrist, but on turning to a dictionary we
find that the meaning of the word Michael is-" Who as
God." It is quite remarkable that the meaning should be
in such close accord with Paul's description-"He as God
When the
sitteth in the temple of God," ( 2 Thes. 2 : 4. )
dragon was cast out of heaven ( out of the ruling posi
tion ) it left this one ( "Who as God," ) in control, or in the
heavens, and from him issues the "loud voice" ( great procla
mation ) of verses 1 0 to 12. That is, Papacy claimed that
when it assumed control-"The kingdom of God and the power
of his anointed," had come to the world. They claimed that
they had overcome by the blood of the Lamb, their lives
and testimonies. They claim that their victory was the re
suit of the firm stand of the ( "Smyrna" ) church, which just
previously had suffered so much persecution. "Therefore,
rejoice ye heavens."
( Let Papacy and all connected there
with rejoice. )
"Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, etc."
As the church had once been persecuted when Paganism
reigned, so now when she reigns she makes the Pagans and
heretics suffer. This, Papacy claims as the Millennia} reign,
during which it broke in pieces the kingdoms with the rod
of iron.
B .-But it is the dragon that causes the woe, not the
church.
A.-Remember that the dragon represents Rome, and that
the same dragon has various heads. ( See Rev. xvii. ) Here
it had fully taken on its fifth head-Papacy. It was the
same Rome under a new rulership, or head, and the same
power which had previously persecuted the church,-the Em
pire and its army-under the new ruler it persecuted pagans
and heretics. Remember, thPrefore, that hereafter the drag
on represents the empire or military J? Ower under the control of its ecclesiastical head. This mxlitary power must be
made use of by its new head, and its force was directed
against the woman and against the remnant of her seed,
[ who joined not in the apostacy] , which keep the command
menta of God and have "the testimony of Jesus." [ "The tea
timony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."] Among those
of the church who did not join, were some, whose descendants
in after years were known as Waldenses, Huguenots, etc.
These doubtless know from the prophetic word, not only that
the "same Jesus" would come again "to be glorified in his
saints," but also that there would "first come a great falling away, and That Man of Sin be revealed-the son of

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perdition,"-before the day of the Lord. And they probably

recognized Papacy in its true light as Antichrist.
To the woman were given two wings of a great eagle,
that she might fly into the wilderness [lit., the place de
serted] -into her place. ( Verse 14. )
The Wilderness, symbolizes disrespect-outcast condition,
while "City" represents the reverse, viz : popularit;r, honor,
respect, dominion, kingdom. The Lord Jesus left his church
in the Wilderness condition, saying, "In the world ye shall
have tribulation"-"Marvel not if the world hate you," etc.,
but promised that in due time he would come again, take
her out of the ignoble condition, and exalt her to honor, re
spect, dominion in the kingdom with himself, i. e., he would
take the church out of the Wilderness into the City condi
tion. This City condition is beautifully represented by a
symbol of a glorious New Jerusalem City. ( Rev. 2 1 , 2. )
It was not wrong for tim church to long for the com
ing bliss of the New Jerusalem condition, but becoming im
patient she left the Wilderness and wandered off toward
the World's city and had joined with them. Thus leaving
"her ( our ) place." She succeeded in getting a footing . and
in partly remodeling the city, but she merely made It a
"Babylon" ( confusion-mixture of church and world ) city
and of course could not make it a "New Jerusalem" gov
ernment.
When the apostacy got under way some of the church
realized it as but a Babylon condition ; and to such the "two
wings" were given to help them back to their proper wilder
ness condition separate from the world and from Babylon
-"Without the camp" ( city ) .
The two wings we understand to be the same as the two
witnesses elsewhere mentioned, viz : The Word of God-Old
and New Testament Scriptures. The Scriptures showed them
that the present is the time to suffer with Him, if we would
( future ) reign with Him-the real Bridegroom and King of
nations.
She was nourished during the long reign of Papacy from
A. D. 538 to 1 798 to 1 260 years, [ three and a half times or
years-symbolic time] . The true church though so much
smaller-always a little flock-was scarcely worthy of the
historian's notice as compared with Papacy, yet God knew
all the true ones and fed them and they became so strong
as to be willing to seal their faith with their blood-thou
sands, yes millions being put to death by Papacy-so that
she is represented symbolically as being "drunk with the
blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus." ( Rev. 1 7 :6.)
"The dragon ( Empire, under its Papal head ) cast out
a flood of waters ( people--army ) after the woman to destroy
her, but the "earth ( the world in general ) helped the woman"
by absorbing the waters ( army ) . The army formerly used
m conquest was used in hunting down "dissenters" and ''here
tics" and had it not been that frequent troubles from other
sources, ( earth ) demanded attention, the army might have
exterminated the true church.
Now, Brother B., can you see the Man of Sin ?
B.-Yes, yes ! It seems very clea.r and plain now. But
what does Paul mean by saying "Then shall that wicked
( system ) be revealed" r ( 2 Thes. 2 : 8. )
A.-The Greek word here translated "revealed" is apo
calupto and signifies to uncover, to remove a disguise. Pa
pacy had deceived the whole world into the belief that it
was the kingdom of God ; and the counterfeit was so per
fect that only the few in the wilderness knew its rea ( Anti
Christ) character : But bye and bye the Lord raised up
Luther and ot,hers of his time, who pulled off the mask
uncovered-"revealt'd" Papacy in its true light as The Anti
Christ-the "Man of Sin" a base counterfmt of the real
kingdom and reign of the true Christ. This was the point
and edge of Luther's and in fact of all the preaching of the
Reformation times, and resulted in the "taking away of his
( Papacy's ) dominion to consume and to destroy it until the
end." ( Dan. 7 : 25-27. )
The most of the church, have again left the wilderness
condition since 1 798, and are mingling with the world and
therefore find less fault with Papacy than heretofore. Such
must get out of Babylon themselves into the separate or
wilderness condition before they can get a good view of
the harlot or her daughters. ( Rev. 17 : 3, 5 . )
B.-Now a s t o the final end o f this deceiving system
of Anti-Christ ; it will come to a sudden end, will it not ?
A.-No, Paul says : "Whom the Lord will consume with
the Spirit of His mouth." To consume is to waste grad
ually. The Spirit of His mouth is His Word-the truth.
This agency for the consuming of Papacy has progressed for

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(7)

about three hundred years, or since God's Word began to be

published-A. D., 1526, and particularly since 1 80 1 , when it
( God's Word-the "two witnesses" ) was exalted to heaven
-the place of esteem or reverence ; about which time alo,
the "dominion" or temporal power began to be taken away.
Papacy has ever realized that "The Sword of the Spirit
which is the Word of God" would be its destroyer and ha'>
sought in every way to keep it from the people, and would
today, as in past ages, burn every Bible if it could.
Its civil power has long been wasting or consuming, but
ecclesiastically it still lives and must yet, with Prote&tant
ism and the kingdoms of earth, play an important part in
the opposing of the establishment of the real Kingdom of
God : But it shall be destroyed, and Paul tells us it will
be during the presence of the Lord-"Whom the Lord shall
* * * destroy by the Epiphania [light revealing] of the
parousia [ presence] of himself."
B.-Your view then is that Papacy will be destroyed by
the increase of light and truth during the presence of the
Lord-"the day of the Lord" in which we are now living.
A.-Yes ; Papacy has been losing its power gradually :
The Spanish Inquisition, the last of its kind, was abolished in
1 870. We understand from Scripture that the Lord is now
present gathering or separating from the nominal mass of
christians, the Bride-some from the sleeping and some from
the living generation of the church. These will soon all be
associated with him in kingdom work, the first part of which
will be the overthrow of all injustice, oppression, and error
and consequently the overthrow of all the systems and in
stitutions which uphold these.
The setting up of this kingdom will of cpurse, involve
the overthrow of all the kingdoms of earth, as they are all
-even the best of them-founded on injustice and unequal
rights and the oppression of many and favor of the few
as we read : "It shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms and it shall stand forever."
This will involve the various sectarian churches ( Baby
lon ) for all are bound and committed to the support of these
kingdoms upon which they lean ; and which they have claimed
to be--"Christian governments" and have recognized as of
divine appointment, instead of as Beastly governments, per
mitted of Goa only until Christ's time for taking his great
power and exercising the control of earth-the fifth universal
Empire. ( Dan. 7 : 17, 1 8, 2 3, 27. )
The marshaling of the Lord's army, i s even now ( in his
preBence) in progress. The light shining from his presence
is not only preparing the living of the "little flock" for
joint heirship in the kingdom, but it is awakening and gath
ering other classes totally different in character, hopes and
aims-the Lord's great army for the destruction of wrong
and oppression, viz : The Communists, Nihilists, etc., now
organizing for the overthrow of despotism. Light-knowl
edge--i s the agency used to enlist these, and it will con
tinue to shine out until every dark and wicked system is
shown in its true light. Thus will mankind be prepared
for the reign of righteousness when "a king ( Christ ) shall
reign in righteousness and Princes ( the Saints ) shall exe
cute judgment ( j ustice ) in the earth." ( !sa. 32 : 1 . )
B.-Thank God for His Word. How we should prize it.
It is the light which dispels error and scatters the power
of darkness. I have noticed of late that while the nominal
Christian professor becomes the more skeptical, the more
matured and most earnest children of God are searching as
they never did before.
Ours is indeed a glorious hope and it behooves us to "so
run that we may obtain" the prize of our high calling ;
overcoming the world ( "dragon" ) by the blood of the Lamb
and the Word of His testimony, that it may be ours to
share in the real kingdom of the real Christ, of which Pap
acy has been an abominable counterfeit-A.nti-Chrbt.
A.-Yes, and, brother, we h a n now two far IIWI <' -,uh
tie enemies than the "dragon" ( world ) to overcome ; they
are mentioned in the succeeding chapter, Rev. 1 3, viz : "The
Beast and His Image"-both, of course symbols. Should
you desire, we will sometime again examine that chapter o f
symbols together.
B.-Let us have that at our next meeting. I notice that
in Rev. 20 : 4, we are told that those who will han part
in the kingdom of Christ and its Millennia! reign "did Illl t
worship the Beast or his Image, or receive his mark or t he
number of his name."
We Rhould unden;tand the Beast and Imagp symbols t o
be able to appreciate this message.

[ 3 07 ]

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. Bro. R. Do the Scriptures teach that we shall have
perfect phys1eo l restitlttion, before the twinkling of an eye
change ?
A. No. We ha n never seen any Scripture which teaches
that those who become new creatures will ever be restored
to the perfection of the old or human nature. By nature
we are depraved human beings. Since Jesus has paid our
ransom price, he that believeth is justified--or imputed to
be perfect / i n this reckoned or imputed perfect condition, he
1s mYited to present his "body a living sacrifice" to God's
service and will, and is assured that it ( though actually
1m perfect ) will be "acceptable to God," who reckons us as
justified. N"ow if we accept this invitation and sacrifice the
h u m a n ( will and body ) what shall we have ? A perfect
h u m a n being restored to us ? Oh no ; something far better
1s promised, viz : In the resurrection such shall be like unto
the angels-Like unto Christ's glorious body.
Restitution is promised to the world, and we rejoice that
the time for their receiving it is even now at hand and that
they shall have so grand a blessing as to be made perfect
men, but to those who can walk by faith ( not by sight ) and
ca n during this Gospel Age realize their justification by the
precious blood of Chnst and who then consecrate and crucify
the h u man, ( with a ll its prospects here and hereafter ) to
such God has promised the divine nature and image, which
1s a prize so much greater, as not to be comparable.
Such as have started on the "narrow way" for the divine
are going in exactly the opposite direction to the perfecting
of the human. The divine can only be obtained by the death
of the human. But "few there be that find it." Alas, too
manv are striving for the perfecting of the flesh, hoping
therby to reach the divine nature ; but just as soon might
a man living in Utica, N. Y., expect to reach Albany by walk
mg toward Chicago-it is the opposite direction.
When we covenanted that we would suffer with Jesus
that we might reign with him-become dead with him that
we m1ght hve with him on the higher spiritual plane, we
started by reckoning the fl esh dead and the Spirit alive as
a new creature. This was right and must be fully carried
out until the death is no longer re(!koned by actual and until
the SPIRITUAL LIFE is perfected.
We that are in this ( earthly ) tabernacle do groan, not
that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon with OUF house
which is from heaven ( our spiritual body ) . But we don't
want and have no need of a perfect house of earth and none
is mentioned as being for us.
"Having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect
tn
t h e fleshf" ( Gal. 3 : 3. ) Having begun to reckon our
selves new creatures shall we change our hope and be per
fected as human beings ? God forbid.
To your second question, "What will be the power of
the perfect church and how exercised ?"-we answer, that
beinu begotten of the Spirit we shall if we follow on be
bon,"' of the Spirit. The spiritual seed will have "a spiritual
hodv," the natural seed "a natural ( human ) body"-"To
eve;v seed his own body." Speaking of the change coming
to those who have part in the ( first ) resurrection, Paul says,
It is sown mortal, in dishonor, and weakness, a natural body ;
1t io;; raised in the power of glory, honor, and immortality
-a spiritual body, ( I Cor. 15 : 38, 42-44 ) so giving us a faint
glimpse of the perfected spiritual church's power.

Their work as members of the spiritual "seed" is to

bless all the families of the earth. ( Gal. 3 : 29 . )
Q . Bro. R., I f your exposition in last number, o f the
passage-"We shall not all sleep"-is correct wherein con
SISts the mystery mentioned ? ( 1 Cor. 1 5 : 5 1 . )
A. I t i s s o great a mystery, that few seem able to realize,
that if a member of the body of Christ die now, instead of
sleeping even for a moment, he is changed to a spiritual
body in an instant-in the twinkling of an eye.
It is of these only, that the words "0 death, where is
thy sting ? 0 grave, where is thy victory ?" ( 1 Cor. 1 5 : 55 )
are fully applicable.
In the case of Jesus even, the grave had a victory for
nearly three days, and death had a sting which made our
dear Lord cry in agony-"My God, My God, why hast thou
forsaken me ?" And death has had a sting and the grave a
victory all down through the age until now. Now the grave
will get no victory over us, for into it will merely be dropped
the robe of flesh-the nsed-up "earthly housr>," while we
( as spiritual new creatures ) shall not sleep, but will be
"changed in a moment."
Thus also the sting of death is all removed ; for, of the
class mentioned, it will be true that''Death is the gate to endless joy."
0 death, where is thy sting ? 0 grave, where is thy victory
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from HENCE
FORTH."
The whole church and finally the world get "victory" over
the grave by a resurrection. And all will have the sting
of death withdrawn "through our Lord Jesus Christ." But
behold I show you a mystery--over us "who are alive and
remain" the grave will not have any victory, no not so long
as "a moment" or "twinkling of an eye."
Q. Dear Bro. Russell, I want to make an inquiry relative
to the thought advanced in last number of the paper, viz :
That all the members of the body of Christ must die physi
cally; and that the translation takes place in the "moment"
of death. [And I must say, that it seems reasonable, and
in general harmony with the Scriptures so far as I have
studied. ]
M y question is, Does not this application interfere with
the Elijah type, at which, for some time we have looked with
interest 1 Elijah did not die ; and if he is a type aud we
the antitype, it would seem to teach that we should not
die.
A. "Ye, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit ; " and if
Elijah is a type ( as we feel sure he is) his actions, trans
lation, story, etc., must be typical of us as spiritual-new
creatures ( and not of the old human creature ) .
Thus considered, you will find the type in perfect har
mony with our deductions. We as new creatures, are to be
"caught away" from earthly conditions, earthly body and all
-"changed" to perfect spiritual bodies, "in a moment."
Elijah was certainly not in any sense a type of the natural
man. We must not forget to count ourselves as God counts
us, viz : New creatures, partakers of the divine nature ( al
ready dead as human beings and already alive toward God
and only waiting to have our existence perfected as spiritual
beings by being clothed upon with our heavenly body.

RESTORING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE

Some time since, Abdul Aziz, the then ruler of the Turk
ish Empire, at the instance of Emperor Francis Joseph, of
Austria, began the work of restoring the ruins of "Solo
mon's Temple," in Palestine. The work moved but slowly
however, and was finally discontinued some five years ago,
probably from lack of funds.
The recent pilgrimage of the Austrian Archduke Ran
dolph to the Holy Land, has however, given the enterprise

a fresh impulse, and the present Sultan Abdul Hamid has

given the necessary orders for the resumption of the work.
In the great square fronting the Temple stands the
famous Mosque of Omar, which derives a revenue of about
$75,000 a year from Pilgrim contributions and various sources.
To insure the success of the Temple restoration, the Sul
tan has decided that this revenue shall henceforth be used
to defray the expenses of the work.

NOTICE THE WRAPPER

All persons who have not written to us for the last
eighteen months, requesting the continuance of ZION'S WATCH
Tow ER will find a red & besides their address, on the wrapper
of the1r paper this month. This signifies that their names
will be dropped from our list, unless heard from at . once.
Thi will include many of the poor list; but we desire to
}u,ar from all once a year, as we do not wish to send the
Town where not valued enough to ask for it.
Attend to
,

(8 )

Should an error occur please inform us im

tlus at once.
mediately.
We hope to issue the Tabernacle tract before January
1882. Be patient brethren.
From the fact that our contributors were not always "R egu
lar Contributors," and also because there exists no special nee
essity for such list, it is discontinued. Hereafter correspond
ents' names will appear in connection with their articles.

[308]

AN OPEN LETTER
DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL :
If an obscure yet deeply interested reader of the W. T.
may :find space in its columns, I would like to address a few
thoughts to other members of the little company, now waiting
for the happy moment of union with our Lord. As I write,
the thoughts seem to come with solemn force, that the time
draws very near. Are we ready-are we seeking in every way
possible to remove every little spot, and smooth every little
wrinkle out of our own and each other's robes f
How important this moment ! I have a word to the dear
brethren who labor among us and are over us in the Lord : We
esteem you very highly in love, for your work's sake, as Paul
says is fitting. We examine with close scrutiny your words
and communications, as they come through the TowER from
time to time, for we realize that God hath set you as watch
men upon the walls of Jerusalem, who should never hold
your peace day or night, until he make Jerusalem (the heavenly
and earthly) a praise in the whole earth. (Isa. 62 : 6, 7.)
And again the Prophet says, Hearken to the sound of the
Watchman's trumpet. (Jer. 6 : 17.) In accordance with the
command of the Prophet Joel, ( 2 : 1) you have been blowing
the trumpet in Zion, and sounding an alarm in God's holy
mountain (among the true church of Christ) and some have
heeded the call. Some have heeded in time to become members
of the Bride of Christ, but still the trumpet is to sound until a
company shall be developed, who will be the virgins, her com
panions that follow her. (Psa. 45 : 14. ) Dear Brethren, let
the trumpet give no uncertain sound, for in the words of Paul
( 1 Cor. 14 : 8. ) "If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who
shall prepare himself to the battle " We realize that there is a
danger in the pathway of the preaching brethren, which does
not beset other members of the body, and we have thought we
have noticed a little tendency on the part of some as they
have come amongst us, to be overcome in a measure by it
that is, the question that arose among some in the early church
as to which should be greatest. Yes, here is a little mote of
pride that renders uncertain to some, the otherwise clear
trumpet tones of truth. 0 how sad that a little pride should
crop out even here ! Even our earnest brother Paul must
have felt the power of this temptation, when he "feared lest
having preached to others, he himself might become a casta
way," and said, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall."
It does seem that certain scriptures teach, that if the desire to
sustain a human reputation were all sacrificed, and if the human
will were all dead, and the divine mind and will were the only
one alive, the watchmen here would all see eye to eye : For
the Prophet says, The watchmen lift up the voice, t o qe t her they
cry aloud, because eye to eye they see, in Jehovah's turning
back to Zion. ( Isa. 52 : 8 . ) We recognize the present as the
time of Jehovah's returning favor to Zion (the Jewish people ) .
Again we are told (John 16 : 13.) "The Spirit . . . . will
guide you (the Church) unto all truth (i. e. all truth due) and
he will show you things to come" as well as things now due.
Will he guide a part of the church into truth and a part
into error Y No, the promise is that all shall be guided into
truth. "Now (says Paul) I beseech you, brethren, by the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing,
and that there be no divisions among you ; but that ye be per
fectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judg
ment." ( 1 Cor. 1 : 10. ) Is such a thing possible f Why not
possible if the same spirit (the Spirit of God) dwell in us
richly-if the one mind enters and animates these bodies in
which the human mind and w11l are dead? If that were
true, how could we have any other than the same mind, the
same judgment.

Again he tells us ( chap. 3 : 3 ) that if there is division among

us, it is because we are carnal, and walk as men. (Read to vs.
10. ) Therefore, "there should be no schism in the body . . . .
and whether one member suffer all thE' members suffer with

it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice witt.

it." ( 1 Cor. 12 : 24, 25. ) Dearly beloved, "Think the same t h m :;,
having the same love, united m soul, minding the one thm g ;
doing nothing from party-spirit or vain glory ; lmt in hunn ! J t y
esteeming others as excelling yourselve:; ; uot e a 1 h one rc;.;arrlm;.;
his own interests, but each one also those of others. Let th1
disposition be in us which was also m .J esus Chrit." ( Phil.
2 : 2, 5, Diaglott. )
Do any inquire within themselve, Wlto , l t n l l hr !.! 1 ' a t -,t '
Jesus replies that none shall have part i n t he k m 1lorn, e xcq>t
the humble and that their rank and honor in the k t n .;o l o rn \\ I i i
b e proportionate t o their humility and service here c .:-.rat t .
l R : ::l a n d 2:1 : 1 1 ) . "NPither be v e ra i l e d 'Vl P. ters. l i n < > I I " 1 - , , l l r
Master, even Christ ; but he that is greatest amon g ) o u hall lw
your servant. And whosoever shall exalt him-.elf, shall l e
abased, and he that abaseth himself shall Le exalted."
Kow a word to the ftork : Let m e l l ' fJ II . t < '
J J , , ,\ n:arle-:
thou God's word, and the messages sent through the columns
of the W. T. from month to month to help you to 1h under
standing Do we look into the glass and go away a11 1 l forget
what manner of man we are Do we real God's wol'll care
lessly, or do we study it diligently, using the help provided 1
Our brethren spend thought, and time, and Uleans, Ill e nde avo r
ing to assist us to such an understanding of the truth as will
arm us against error. Do we spend an equal amonnt of time
and effort in the study of the truth presentetl ? ay-ilo we
spend as much time in the study of o1:e isue of the paper
as it must require to write one of the articles in it.
I fear sometimes that we do not half appreciate the value
of the untiring 2eal of these dear brethren in the Lord, in
calling our attention to the blessed doctrines of God's word.
and in the helping us to put on the whole armor of Gotl, that
we may be able to stand in this eVIl day. "!\'lan y are weak
and easily carried about with every wi n 1l of (1octrine and t h e
cunning devices of crafty men ( Eph 4 : 14) simply becan'-e
they have been negligent in the improvement of opp01 tnnitie:.
presented, for growth in knowledge and grace.
For myself I can say, the W . T. has been a means of m
calculable blessing to me. Reasoning as it does from the Scrip
ture, comparing the law aml the prophets with the statements
of Jesus and the Apostles, and unraveling the symbols of
Revelation. In studying its pages before an open Bible, my
faith has come to stand, not in the wisdom of 1:wn, but in th e
power of God. Is a new doctrine presented I hear t h e voire
of the Prophet-"To the law and to the testimony, if they
speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light
in them." But thank God, when I t nrn to the law and t o the
testimony, I :find them speaking according- to that word, anrl
walking in that light ; and their light-ou r light-shines more
and more. The old light is not extingnihe<l when new light
comes, but every added ray increases t h e glory.
We would find great advantage maay times, in critically
reading and re-reading many of the subjects t re a t e d in the
paper. We cannot make these suLjects ou r own w1th one rl' a o \
ing, "Therefore w e ought t o give the m ore earnet,t hce1 1 t o the
things which we have heard, lest at a m time " e :;honl<l kt them
slip"- (Heb. 2 : 1. ) remembering that God hath given prophets.
evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the perfeeting of the
saints, for the work of the m inistry, for the edifying of tla'
body of Christ, till we all come in the wttl li of the [a 1 th, and
of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a pcrfcd m a n . unto
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Chnst. l: ph -l :

11-13.)

May God bless and keep us all

minds stayerl on him.

in

perfect peace,

hasing

our

H r i P J ''

r words fitly spoken-they COilllllft!ld

respect.

Oll r

atte n t 1 011

a,1,[

Ell\TU\{

OUT OF BABYLON
The churches as organized and operated today are very
little aid to the true followers of Jesus-are they not really
the reverse, a hindrance ?
Along with precious truth, they mix so much error re
ceived through Papacy-they have so much human dross
and alloy mixed in with the Gold of God's word, that "the
fine gold is become dimmed." The spectacles through which
every consistent member must look at God's character and
plans, are so colored as to misrepresent him. Its creeds and
doctrines-like the iron shoes oi China, hinder the growth
and streng-th of those members confined.
Come out into full freedom from all such shackles-into

the liberty of conscience, liberty not on] to stutly. but to

believP G od's word though it o\erthrows all the creed s and
traditions of men-your right ful liberty a s son s of God
the "liberty wherewith Christ h a th made u;; free" an d be
not again entangled with any yoke of bo ndage.
We a n'
scarcely aware of the sla\ l'I ' into wh il'h long yta r s of ohetl
ien<'e to man's tra(h t i o n s h.1s brouht
Ut'.
S l . t n'rv hPth ,, f
'
thought and action. \Ye d c s i r<' to H'l' a l l free, iwt tn d,,
evil, nor to neglPrt G od ' s service a nd " orship. hut fn, t,>
engage in it m ore fu l ly, and a s he d 1 rcrts in I I 1 s \\'n 1 ti .
M an y a r f' th e l d t P r o; nn mg t o us tlnl'l t t n (!" t l1 1 s p o i n t
a nd :tbking how they should 1cit11draw-"takP a h' t l l'r . " o r

[ 3 09]

( ( )

(8)

Z I O N 'S

WA T C H

what ! We answer, Take no letter ; the desire to hold a name

in good and regular standing is the trouble of many. They
have some reputation at stake and they fear to lose it. They
want to carry before the world, the honor attaching to a
nonunal church membership, that they may be respected
lllstPad of despised and rejected of men. Yet they sing
lus t i ly : "Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God's command,
Honor to the faithful few !
All bail to Daniel's Band !
"Dare to be a Da.niel,
Dare to stand alone !
Dare to have a purpose firm,
Dare to make it known ! "
They talk and sing about freedom and many believe them
selves free, but like children used to an apron string, they
fear to stand alone ; they must have some sectarian yoke
of bondage--o r they would not feel comfortable. Poor crea
tures, many of us were born into the bondage of creeds and
cannot appreciate liberty.
"Search the Scriptures" said Jesus, come out, follow me
and ve shall not walk in darkness-nor lack for food. Ye
shan know the truth and the truth shall make you FREE.
( John 8 : 32. )
\Ye append a copy of a letter banded recently by a sister
of tlus city to the church with which she bad been for some
16 years connected. It is well enough worded to be used as
a model for others. It may assist some, hence we publish
it here.

TO WER

PITTSBURGH, PA.

BRETHREN :-Believing that we are in the harvest of the

Gospel Age as spoken of in Matt. 1 3 : 30, when the reapers
are separating the wheat from the tares, which the Lord has
permitted to grow together during the age, and also that the
nominal church of all denominations is represented by the
wheat and tares in the field-in which both have been grow
ing, and that its mixed condition of worldly-mindedness and
lukewarm christianity is displeasing in the sight of our
Lord, I have heeded the counsel of his Word ( Rev. 3 : 18. )
to buy of him "GOLD tried in the fire"-truth that will stand
the test of all opposition, and for it have concluded to sell
all that I once found dear-my reputation and my friends
if need be--my time, my talents, my means, my all.
This mixed condition of truth and error, worldliness and
lukewarmness, etc., I believe to be the Babylon described
in Rev. 18, in which are still some of the Lord's dear chil
dren. To all such he says, ( vs. 4. ) "Come out of her MY
PEOPLE that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues."
In obedience to this command, I ask to have my name
taken off the list of membership of the nominal church.
It is written in the Lamb's book of life and that is enough.
In withdrawing my name I do not withdraw my affec
tions from you, but would if I could have you all "as rip
ened wheat," gathered into the barn-condition of safety,
rather than bound with the bundles of tares for the burn
ing-with the "fire of God's jealousy."
Let me urge you each to a deeper consecration and a more
thorough searchmg of the Scriptures.
Though in this step I may be misunderstood, I am never
theless
Yours, happy in the Lord,

KNOWLEDGE IS LIBERTY
When Luther discovered how fully Papacy filled the pic
ture given by Paul, in 2 Thee. 2 : 3-8, and the symbols of
Rev. 1 7, he felt justified by that knowledge, in publicly de
nouncing that system. The knowledge gave him that liberty
to thunder the truth of God with all its power against the
Vatican. God gave the liberty by giving the knowledge and
Luther would have been unworthy the knowledge and the
honor of being the Lord's mouthpiece, had he been too cow
ardly to speak, though Papacy was the only system then
recognized and respected by the world.
Knowledge of the truth and Law was the ground of
Jesus' liberty in denouncing the doctors of divinity in his
day, as "blind guides," etc. 'Vhen Paul was before the coun
cil and High Priest on trial, (Acts 23 : 3. ) though he might
have known the title from the robes of office which all high
priests wore, yet he answers that he did not know that he
was God's high priest. And it is evident that he was right,
for when Jesus became the anti-typical High Priest ( Heb.
7 : 26, 28, ) the type must have ceased in God's estimation,
just as when the true Lamb of God became our Passover
( 1 Cor. 5 : 7, ) the typical lamb ceased to be so esteemed by
God or any of His children who recognized its fulfillment.
So too, it was Paul's knowledge of Christ's having made an
end of the Law, that gave him liberty to announce the end
of the necessity of cireumcision in the flesh, and that au
thorized him to say of the ,Jewish holy days and Sabbaths
that they were merely sluulows. ( Col. 2 : 17. )

And some wonder at our liberty in speaking of many

things similar to the above, viz : That as an organziation,
the nominal Gospel church is rejected of the Lord as was
her type the Jewish church ; that we speak so confidently
of the tribulation coming upon her and apply the words,
"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of
her sins and receive not of her plagues ; " that we apply some
of the symbols of Revelation without a question to her ; that
we so unhesitatingly and fully accept the exceeding great
and precious promises of Glory, Honor, Immortality and Di
vinity. They wonder that we brethren are not in darkness
as most are, relative to "the day of the Lord" in which we
live ( l Thes. 5 : 4 ) ; that we lay any claim to a knowledge
of "things to come" ( John 1 6 : 13. ) which Jesus told us would
be an evidence of our being sons, led by the Spirit of God.
But the liberty which we exercise is inspired by a knowl
edge of, and belief in the word of God. "Ye shall know the
truth and the truth shall make you FREE. " ( John 8 : 32. )
And as in Luther's and Paul's day, so now, those too indo
lent or too cowardly to express truth which they see, prove
both by word and act that they are unworthy of the knowl
edge and consequently they are left in darkness. Jesus says
"Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in
this adulterous and sinful generation ; of him also shall the
son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his
Father with the holy angels." ( Mark 8 : 38. )

PREACHERS CALLED BY THE WORLD

At an anniversary meeting recently held in Music Hall,
Boston, ,a very learned and popular minister addressing the
laity and speaking of the clergy, said :
"You created us by the power of your own aptitude for
religion ; we didn't make ourselves, we didn't call ourselves ;
the laity, the world, humanity called for priests and for
ministers, . . . . and will have them."
Paul says, "For there will be a time when they will not
endure wholesome teaching, but having itching ears, they will,
according to their own lusts, heap to themselves teachers ;
and from the truth indeed they will turn away their ears, and
be turned aside to fable;;; . " 2 Tim. 4 : 3, 4. ( MacKnight's translation. )
This prophecy <':\ presses exactly the same condition of
the Chri ...tian Church in the "last days" or closing of this
age as was expressed by this D. D., who truthfully represented
the present condition of the great body of all the professed

church. The gospel makes provision for a class of teachers

called the qualified of God to teach the people revealed truths,
and by this to mould their character and form their religious
tastes. But instead of this, the carnal and unregenerate, by
their fleshly lusts or "itching ears," rejected gospel truth
which condemns their self-indulgence and demand quieting
teaching. By the gospel rule the people will be led and their
characters moulded by inspired truth taught them by God's
true servants ; but in the latter case the unregenerate people
will control the teachers, so that none will be allowed to
teach religion only such as the people shall select, and they
will teach such things and only such as the people shall
approve.
In this case a man will be allowed to preach only what
the public sentiment approves, which will become the standard
by which the preacher will be accepted or rejected, instead
of his conformity to the Word of God and a holy life.

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