International Bible Students Association. Publishers.

vol. V.                                  NEW YORK CITY.                                     No. ft

Religious and Scientific Gleanings

SHOULD SMITH GO TO CHURCH?

“The Provincial American” (Houghton Mifflin), by Meredith Nicholson, who has just declined to be Minister to Portugal, is a book that stirs up several live issues. One of the questions is, “Should Smith Go to Church?” Mr. Nicholson states the case thus:

“There is no sound reason ’ why the Church should not be required to give an account of its stewardship. If it no longer attracts men and women in our strenuous and impatient America, then it Is manifestly unjust to deny to outsiders the right of criticism.

“Smith now spends his Sunday mornings golfing, or pottering about his garden, or in his club or office; and after the midday meal he takes a nap and loads his family into a motor for a flight countryward.

“Smith is the best of fellows—an average twentieth century American, diligent in business, a kind husband and father, and in politics anxious to vote for what he believes to be the best interests of the country. Smith is far from being a fool, Ind if by his test of ‘What’s in it for me?’ he finds the church wanting, it is, as he would say, ‘up to the church’ to expend seme of its energy in proving that there is a good deal in it for him.

“Smith will not be won back to the church through appeals to theology, nor by stubborn reaffirmations of creeds and dogmas. I believe it may safely be said that the great body of ministers individually recognize this. Smith’s trouble is, if I understand him, not with faith after all, but with works. The church does not impress him as being an efficient machine that yields adequate return upon the investment.

“The economic waste represented in Church investment and administration does hot impress Smith favorably, nor does it awaken admiration in Jones or in me. Smith knows that two groceries on opposite sides of the street are usually one too many. We used to be told that denomi-hational rivalry aroused zeal, but this can-hot longer be more than an absurd pretense. The idea that competition is _s essential to the successful extension of Christianity continues to bring into being many Crippled and dying churches, as Smith well knows.

“And he has witnessed, too, a deterioration of the church’s power through its abandonment of philanthropic work to Secular agencies, while churches of the .familiar type, locked up tight all the week Save for a prayer meeting and choir practice,, have nothing to do. What strikes Smith is their utter wastefulness and futility.

“To him the church is an economic parasite, doing business on one day of the Week, immune from taxation, and the last of his neighbors to scrape the snow from her sidewalks!

“The fact that there are within fifteen minutes’ walk of his house half a dozen churches, all struggling to- maintain themselves and making no appreciable impression upon the community, is not lost upon Smith—the practical, unemotional, busy Smith.

“Smith shakes his head ruefully when you suggest it. It is to him a bad investment that ought to be turned over to a receiver for liquidation.”—N. Y. American.

nouncing that Nahum Sokolow, a member of the Central Executive, had been received in Washington by Secretary of State Bryan, who assured him of his cordial sympathy with the aspirations of the Zionist movement and promised his friendly offices with the American Government in endeavors for their fulfilment. —N. Y. Times.

MADE HEART BEAT AFTER DEATH.

Details of how, following the experiments of Dr. Alexis Carrel, he was able recently to revive the normal action of the human heart ten minutes after death, will be divulged in a paper to be read at the next meeting of the Academy of Medicine by Dr. Bouchon. The paper says:

“After a motor car accident I was called in, and immediately perceived that the victim had been killed instantaneously. Despite my assurance that there was no doubt as to his death, the friends of the victim insisted that a desperate attempt should be made at resuscitation, and about ten minutes after the last breath I decided upon a surgical operation, having diagnosed traumatic rupture of the heart;

“I opened the thorax, and in fifty seconds laid bare the heart. I immediately found about a pint of blood in the pericardium and a heart wound about two and one-half inches long on the inner surface of the left ventricle. After suture I proceeded to apply my method of reviving heart action.

“After filling all the cardiac cavities with a special organic liquid I made a rapid tracheotomy and introduced oxygen by the tracheal tube, while my assistant performed artificial respiration tractions. I then began alternate rhythmic auricular massage of the heart, and at the end of about a minute I clearly perceived that the heart had resumed its physiological tonicity, and, to my great surprise, it continued to contract by its own action. Radical pulsation then became perceptible, and after I had closed the thoracic flap the heart continued to 'contract for thirty-five minutes. At the end of this time the contractions suddenly ceased and all subsequent efforts to reestablish them were in vain.

“Had there been merely cardiac traumatism by a dagger thrust, followed by instantaneous death, I think my method of revival, applied under favorable conditions, might possibly have given an appreciable prolongation of life; but this is merely hypothesis.

“I consider that this case has given valuable information from a scientific standpoint, as it is not merely a desperate one, but a confirmed case of death.” —N. Y. Journal.

SUNDAY’S RECORD, 1912-1913.

Would $81,449 salary for nine months’ work interest you? President Wilson gets $75,000 straight salary and $25,000 for traveling expenses for a full year’s work.

When Billy Sunday closed his year’s work at South Bend, Ind., he had received a total of $81,449 for 57,893 converts in his five campaigns, commencing last September at East Liverpool, O., and including revivals at McKeesport, Pa., Columbus, O., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and South Bend. Columbus contributed $21,100, more than onefourth of the amount. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. topped Columbus by giving the evangelist $23,527—the highest amount he ever received for a single campaign. The year is by far the greatest in both money and converts in Sunday’s career.—Columbus (O.) Citizen.

FOB A JEWISH UNIVERSITY.

Zionists to Discuss Plan for Institution in Jerusalem.

At the meeting of the General Executive »f the international Zionist organization, held last week in Berlin, it was decided that one of the principal questions to be discussed at the forthcoming Zionist Congress in Vienna should be the advisability of erecting a Jewish university in Jerusalem.

It was recognized that the realization ot such a project, in view of present conditions in Palestine, is somewhat premature, but it was declared that the obstacles placed in the way of Russian Jewish students desirous of entering the universities of their native country, or of Germany, were likely to make the adoption of such a plan a necessity before very long.

In the course of the proceedings a telegram was received from New York, an

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FREE LITERATURE!

Send postal-card request to the editor for free copies of this paper. Some of the interesting subjects you may have for asking are:

Calamities—Why Permitted ?

Creed Idols Smashed!

Spiritism is Demonism!

Where Are the Dead?

The Hope of Immortality.

Do You Believe in the Resurrection of the Dead?

Our Lord’s Return.

Which is the True Gospel?

The Battle of Armageddon.

The Handwriting on the Wall.

The Sabbath Question.

Parable of Sheep and Goats.

-J Divine Ordination.

Some Foreign Mission Facts.

What is the Soul?

WHAT IS BAPTISM ?

RIGHT AND WRONG VIEWS REHEARSED

"Are ye able to be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with?”—Matthew 20:22.

/CHRISTIAN people in general believe in baptism, recognize it as Scrip-turally enjoined, and hence as being important. With many the doctrine has such force that they fear the eternal torment of those not baptized; hence in the case of the death of an infant one of the first questions is, “Was it baptized?” While this is true of all denominations, it is especially so with Lutherans and Roman Catholics, the latter going so far as to insist that if it be necessary that the child’s life shall be sacrificed at the moment of birth, a baptism must be administered in utero.

Looking back we find that in the third century immersion was universally practiced, first of adults and later on of infants. In harmony with this nearly all the ancient church ruins show remains of large baptistries. The word baptism itself implies a complete covering with water, and it was not for some centuries that sprinkling was introduced and determined by the Roman Catholic authorities to be a proper and satisfactory form of baptism. Today, the majority of Christian people follow this custom of sprinkling, designating it baptism.

With others, we object to this usage, because the Greek word baptizo never signifies sprinkling, and secondly, we object that nothing in the Scriptures ever authorized the baptism of children anyway. In the Scriptures the ordinance of baptism is provided only for “believers”— “Believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized.” Realizing that children are not believers, Lutherans, Roman Catholics and Episcopalians follow the custom of having “believers” represent the children-—do the believing for them. These are designated godfathers and godmothers who solemnly obligate themselves, before God and man, that the child shall be a believer, that they will see to it that the necessary instructions are given so that it can, will, must believe. Some others, who follow the custom of sprinkling infants, take the matter more lightly and call it a christening, although there is a general sense of trepidation if an unchristened child die.

St. Augustine’s False Teachings.

Without questioning the candor of St. Augustine, we feel free to question many of his teachings, amongst others the one which led up to this matter of baptizing infants. Under the claim that everybody

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not a member of the Church of Christ would surely go to eternal torment, St. Augustine made proper the baptism of infants, holding that thus they were received into the church, became subjects of Divine grace, and might be esteemed as rescued from eternal torture, the fate of all unbaptized infants according to his theology.

We pass by these changes of the Divine program during the “dark ages,” with the suggestion that the few drops of water accompanying the words neither harm nor benefit the infant, and are in no sense of the word the baptism which the Scriptures enjoin. Hence from our standpoint such infants were never baptized at all. We proceed in our review of the subject to the consideration of the three different views entertained by those who practice immersion—all three of which we hold to be erroneous.

The Error of “Triune Immersionists.”

Some well-intentioned people, finding that in the past, about the third century, Triune immersion was practised, and that it is still practiced by some, conclude that this must be the original baptism-, rhis thought seems to them to be corroborated by our Lordh statement, “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We hold that these Christian friends are in error in that they have not gone back far enough in their search for the original mode of baptism. The Scriptures and not the theology of the third century should be our guide. Not a word in the New Testament writings suggests Triune immersion—three immersions in one—nor does our Lord’s command imply three immersions, but rather that the one immersion is done in the name of and by the authority of the Father as well as of the Son and the Holy Spirit. ,

The inconsistency of the general mode

of procedure may readily be noted, when it is recalled that everywhere in the Scriptures, baptism is a likeness or picture of burial. Indeed Triune immersionists especially emphasize this by baptizing face downward three times. When We ask, “Why face forward?” they answer that it is written in the Scriptures that Jesus “bowed his head” in death—that it is in imitation therefore of Jesus’ death that the immersion is performed face downward. We remind them, however, that the Apostle says we are buried in baptism, and that burials are not customary face downward, either in our time or ever; but especially we call their attention to the fact that when they baptize face forward three times it must signify not only that our Lord Jesus died but that the Father died and that the Holy Spirit died. Such a view of the matter is quite sufficient to show its unreasonableness, inconsistency, inappropriateness. Surely our Lord and the Apostles never established Triune immersion; it is, therefore, one of the errors that have come down to us from the “dark ages,” and should be abandoned.

The Error of the “Disciples,” or the “Christian Denomination,” on Baptism.

We are not seeking to find fault with fellow Christians, nor to embarrass them in their errors, but on the contrary are seeking enlightenment for our own minds and theirs, for our own profit and theirs— seeking to know the truth on the subject of baptism, believing that the truth makes free and brings a blessing which error cannot bring to us, the pure in heart.

“Disciples” claim that they have no written creed. Nevertheless their religious papers and theological works serve them as a creed, and on the subject of baptism tell us that immersion in. water is the Divine formula necessary for the forgiveness of sins after faith in Christ has been exercised. We dispute this, and claim that God has attached no such important place to water baptism. Nevertheless, from the standpoint of our “Disciple” friends, ‘his matter is a very important one and deserves a great deal of consideration. For if their theory be true, it follows that Lutherans, Romanists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, etc., etc., as well as all the heathen, are yet in their sins—Renee not in fellowship nor relationship with God, but on the contrary liable for the penalty of sin upon themselves.

If, as nearly all of them believe, the penalty for sin is eternal torment, nearly all mankind—all except those who have been immersed—are en route to eternal torment. What an awful thought! One would think that a thorough conviction along tnis line would arouse our “Disciple” friends to an earnestness which would outdo the Salvation Army in an endeavor to hfve believers immersed for the remission of their sins, that thus they might be saved

It is but fair to our “Disciple” friends that we admit that they quote certain passages of Scripture which seem te give strength and color to their views until they are rightly interpreted. For instance, they quote us the words of the Apostle, “Repent, and be baptized (baptizo—immersed) every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38); and again, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:13.) There are- four texts of this general style upon which the “Disciple” friends rely as proofs, supports to their faith and practice on this subject. We acknowledge the texts and give them full weight, but call attention, to the fact that they were addressed to Jews and not to Gentiles.

The Jews were already baptized as a nation into Moses in the sea and in the cloud. (I Corinthians 10:1, 2.) They already had a standing with God under the Law Covenant, but many of them had transgressed that Covenant—indeed the entire nation came under a special curse on account of the death of Jesus, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” To these, water baptism was held out as. a symbol of their cleansing or putting away of these sins or transgressions of the Law, as indicating their return into fellowship with Moses and his Law, that thus they (Continued on 3d page, 1st column.)

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AnMIDCQ DAQTAD DI TCQI7I I      teachings of Mr. C. T. Russell. I felt

J|yi IIV ■      A XtLO 1 V-r*V IV vj OOJCtJLdLl       like writing you at that time but did not.

___ Recently I read the summary of your ar-pjjQp § ELLIS.                                tide in one of my religious papers and

„ ’                      ,         . have bad an increasing impression to write

I lift my pen, not m defense of any doctrine, creed or dogma, but in defense of _yoU-  j p_esjt_ate _{t0 do g0} because of the

a man, in defense of fairness, justice and righteousness. Pastor C. T. Russell, of regard I have always had for you Brooklyn, N. Y., stands out prominently as a target for the pulpits and religious press _{as one of my} teachers of twenty years of the country today. I believe there is no one more bitterly persecuted, harshly con- _{ag0; and also} because of the high esteem

•demned, woefully misrepresented and misunderstood than this fearless, conscientious _in which you are held in the company of

man of God.                                                                         Biblical expositors and Christian workers

No infidel writer, such as Hume, Voltaire or Ingersoll, ever suffered such ruthless ,-_{n epnpra}i v_Pt I feel also that in the inattacks as have been made upon Mr. Russell.                                            terest _of "_{truth and} fairness your article

Whether this persecution and misrepresentation is due to prejudice or ignorance should have some attention.

•of this man’s real character and writing, is not for me to say, but I believe both are j f_eei that this article from your pen is elements that play a part in the widespread criticism uttered both from the pulpit _rnworthy of a man like you. I cannot and the press.                                                                       understand why such a careful student

Naturally, men will resent any attack made upon the creed of their persuasion, for _ag yourself should make statements such they hold to their-’religious breed and affiliations with more tenacity than they realize, _{as you ma}k_e this article, when they suntil some strong mind, backed by Scripture proof, begins to uproot their doctrine by _{are so man}ifestly and greatly in error, showing their inconsistencies and errors.                                                  j_{n add}iti_On to reading five of the six

This is what Mr. Russell proceeds to do. The fact is, very few of us have taken y_Oi_umes of his “Studies” carefully, and the. pains to examine, critically, by the light of the Divine Word, the doctrine handed _the sixth volume in part, I have also’ read down to: .us by our fathers. This accounts for the fact that Methodist parents raise _many other pamphlets, magazine articles Methodist children and Baptists raise Baptist children, etc.                              and sermons of Pastor Russell’s, and also

I am amazed beyond measure to read so many fallacious statements published _every criticism I have found or heard of regarding the character and writings of this man. He has been called a “gray bearded opposition to his teachings. I was one egotist,” a “bigot,” a “haberdasher,” and many other uncomplimentary terms have _{of his cr}i_ti_cg f_Or about fifteen years, and I been applied to him, and statements made which I know to be without foundation, based my criticisms upon reading about and which strike, me as being not only very unkind, but very un-Christian. On the half of one chapter of one of his books, contrary, he manifests a very meek and humble spirit, and urges his readers not to be a f_{ew year}s ago it occurred to me that I ■content with his argument, but to go to the Scriptures which he points out, and read _mi_ght not understand his full thought, so

— .                    -                                   - .            ~             Jesus was on trial. They said, “We heard

anee unto all men—a hope of a resurrection, as He raised Christ from the dead.        him say: ‘I will destroy this temple that

• The resurrection is the thread of his discussion from the beginning of the first j_{s made} with hands, and within three days volume to the end of the sixth volume of his well-known works, STUDIES IN THE                                 ~     . ..

•SCRIPTURES.

----------- Now Jesus had said something like that—

Mr. Russell was further charged in the same article with denying the Atonement though essentially different. These critics

.. . .                          .                                   ~....... — .  -____________________________ are eternally tortured in this, but in this

forth the philosophy of the Ransom in such a clear, logical way as has never been i(.t_zed them. This seems very unfortunate he is not out of harmony with thousands done before by any other theologian, presenting such an array of Scriptures as would                    -    -          -          - ..            .. -

ECENTLY we received a copy of a letter sent to Rev. Moorehead. We have not learned if it received a reply. The spirit of the letter is kind and moderate, hence we publish it. It is in marked contrast with the various slanderous attacks made upon the Editor of THE WATCH TOWER. A number of religious papers of various denominations at

ferent is his attitude. He does indeed attack false doctrines unsparingly, but he never, in his sermons or any of his writings, descends to personalities. It is because the clashing creeds cannot be sustained by their devotees that the latter manifest their displeasure by attacking Pastor Russell.

The letter follows:

Rev. William G. Moorehead, D.D.

Dear Dr. Moorehead:

I read some time ago your article in the seventh volume of Fundamentals on the

I took time to inform myself on the subject I had been criticising, and when I obtained more information I became an admirer of his work, though I do not agree with him in all his conclusions. I have reached the conclusion concerning the authors of the criticisms that I have read, that they do not know any more about Pastor Russell’s teachings than I did in the days when I was so liberal with my condemnation. They all remind me of the testimony of the two witnesses who offered

I will build another made without hands.’

testimony before the Jewish council when ture teaches that there is no hell, and no ■ - -                     -    - punishment for the finally impenitent,

then he in this lecture flatly contradicts

seem to have read Pastor Russell’s works with the same methods and motives that

to the finally impenitent.

It is true that

Thomas Paine, Robert Ingersoll and others He sets _of their class read the Scriptures and crit-

since it has been done by men who have been eminent for Christian character and leaders of Christian thought.

Coming now to your article: I cannot take up all the mistakes you have made in this, but will confine myself to those lying on the surface. In the opening sentence you assure us that in the series there •are “six rather bulky volumes, comprising in all some two thousand pages.” On page 123, you speak of “a careful reading

have read them all carefully. (This is what you should have done before putting yourself on record in criticism of them.)

of these volumes,” so we conclude that you several translations that I have in my

I note that in your references to and quo- authority for putting it into that passage? tations from these books you confine your- I am a seeker after the full Truth, and if that word has any authority for being

in that passage I would like to know it, for it is important.

graph, giving only a partial presentation of the author’s thought, and then proceed to criticize it. This is a most unfair method. It reminds me of an article I read a few years ago in which the writer was opposing the doctrine of the total depravity of man, and as a proof text he quoted John 9:3, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents,” and said that Jesus here taught that here were at least three persons who had never sinned. Your

method with Pastor Russell is identical.

Under the heading, “Ninth Error,” in your article, you say: “One of these, the ninth error, essential and fundamental in Christianity, is the person and work of the Holy Spirit. There is a strange and ominous silence regarding this most important subject very apparent in the writings of Pastor Russell. A careful reading of those volumes, comprising more than one thousand pages, has discovered but one

church.” “Then, do you not perceive that the ‘door’ to your church is somehow or other ’ defective—when it lets in some who are not truly the Lord’s members and when it excludes some who are truly His ? Surely the door of water baptism, as you have recognized it, has not been in proper working order, else there would not be such. results.” He was perplexed, and urged that we explain our views of baptism.

The Scriptural Teaching on Baptism.

We explained to him that the baptism which the Bible sets forth, emphasizes, makes all important, is not the water baptism which our Baptist friends suggest. It is the baptism with which all the holy ones • <>f every denomination or outside of every denomination have been baptized. It is a baptism which knows no denominational boundaries or limits. True it is that the Lord and the Apostles enjoined a water baptism and practiced the same, and that all believers today ought to similarly enjoin and practice a water bap-t’sm. But we hold that it must not be t .low ed to have the place of the real baptism, else all would be confusion on this subject, as; it is today amongst Christians of all denominations. Water baptism is merely the symbol or picture—the outward evidence to others that the real baptism has already taken place in our hearts. The question then arises, What is the real baptism of which the water baptism is merely the symbol or picture?

Turning to Romans 6:3-6 we find that the Apostle is here enjoining baptism and laying great stress upon it, and yet never refers to water baptism. So great is the stress laid upon baptism that the Apostle declares, “If we have been planted together in the likeness of His death we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.” In other words, the Apostle’s intimation is that if we share with Christ in His true baptism we shall also share with Him in His resurrection.

Here the entire stress is laid upon baptism—everything else is ignored; baptism is made the sole condition of our attaining to the great prize of glory, honor and immortality as members of the Body of Christ. Surely the Apostle did not mean that a water baptism would accomplish SO' much as this ! Surely we will all agree that if we were dragged through oceans of water, or buried fathoms deep, it could by no means guarantee us a place in the First Resurrection. But the Apostle here shows a baptism which, if we participate in it, will absolutely guarantee us a share in the First Resurrection—a baptism which is, therefore, as different from water baptism as day is different from night,

A Baptism Unto Death.

The Apostle here specifically tells us that “So many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death.” Here baptism is twice mentioned, but no intimation of water baptism. Baptism into Christ is not baptism into water, baptism into Christ’s death is not baptism into water. We need to' be more critical in our study of the Divine Word. What is it to be baptized into Christ? We answer that it signifies, to be baptized into the Church of Christ, because the Church of Christ is figuratively spoken of as “members in particular of the Body of Christ,” of which Jesus is the Head.

AU called during this Gospel Age are to seek to attain membership in the Elect Church, the Elect Body of Christ, and the Apostle here tells us that they are immersed into that Body, are baptized into that Body. This agrees well with the Baptist view, only that they would say baptism by water into this Body, whereas the Apostle proceeds to say that we are baptized into this Body of Christ by being baptized into His death. For the time being the Apostle ignores water baptism altogether—he is explaining the true baptism and not the symbol. Let us follow his course.

What, then, is signified by this statement, “baptized into His death”? How was His death different from the death of others? The Scriptures set forth that we originally were dead in Adam, dead in trespasses and sins, and under Divine condemnation, but that we are justified, set free from that condemnation and death condition through faith in the Redeemer. It is these, justified by faith, reckoned free from the Adamic death sentence, who are invited to be immersed into the death of Christ. The difference between being dead with Adam and being dead with Christ is all the difference in the world: Adam died as a sinner because he was unworthy of life; Christ died as our Redeemer, sacrificing Himself, His life-rights, on behalf of mankind—He laid down His life, He poured out His soul unto death, a sacrifice for sins. The invitation to believers is to join with Christ in this work of selfsacrifice in the service of righteousness and truth, in the service of God and in opposition to evil.

Our Lord accomplished His death during the three and a half years from the time He was baptized by John at Jordan until He breathed His last upon the cross. During all that time he was dying—fulfilling His sacrifice. His sacrificing began at Jordan, in the sense that He there presented Himself to the Father, saying in the language of the Prophet, “Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God, Thy law is written in My heart.” (Psalm 40:7, 8; Hebrews 10:7) Our Lord made a covenant of death at that moment, which

“THE ROYAL DIADEM”

“Thou shalt be called by a new name; . . . thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.”—Isa. 62:2, 3.

IN one place the Prophet Jeremiah .declares, “This is the name , whereby He shall be called, Jehovah our Righteousness.” In another place he says, “She shall be called, Jehovah our Righteousness (or, the Righteousness of Jehovah).” And so the Apostle declares, “That we might be made the Righteousness of God in Him.”— Jer. 23:6; 33:16; .2 Cor. 5:21.

These statements rotor to Zion. The typical Zion is the Jen.sh nation; and the antitypical Zion vis the glorified Christ. Very properly, then, we may understand that the blessings which belong to the Church on the spirit plane will, on the earthly plane, belong to the Ancient Worthies, who will be in Divine faVor forever. /■

The two expressions, “a crown of glory” and ‘a royal diadem,” express practical!} the same thought, ,the repetition making the sentiment doubly impressive. A diadem is a crown. Crowns are generally used to add dignity and honor to the Individuals wearing them; but the Scriptural expression, “A crown of glory, ... a royal diadem in the hand of thy God,” does not include the thought of a diadem that is to be worn, as giving glory to God; but rather as representing a beautiful ornament in the Divine hand, as you take something’in your hand to look at the beauty and workmanship..

The jewels that will make this diadem beauti ful, when properly tested by the great Master-Workman, are the Church. The Lord will come to make up His jewels, to secure His jewels. “God hath set the members in the Body.” The text refers to the final setting in the future, in the Kingdom condition. As star differeth from star in glory, so shall these jewels differ in setting and position. This also applies to the present time. The present arrangement is subject to change in proportion as the individual will or will not be fully submissive to the Lord’s will. There has been a selection of a jewel class; and the experiences of this class during the Gospel Age have been the polishing processes; and there will be a setting in the end of this Age, when the Church is completed. This began when the First Resurrection began.

The first setting in this royal diadem was, undoubtedly, our Lord Jesus Himself. He is the first in this great diadem which Jehovah has in His hand. Next will come the members of the Body, as they shall be perfected in the First Resurrection—the Apostles and sleeping saints, each as he is granted his change, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” Each jewel will be placed in that particular setting for which Jehovah has seen that it is prepared.

When the mother of James and, John went .with them to Jesus and requested that her sons might sit, the dne on His right hand and the other on His left hand, He said that these places would be given to those for whom they are intended by the Father. Those positions will not be given through favor, but through justice. Any place will be glorious in this company. Only the Lord is competent to say who shall sit on the right hand and on the left. We shall be pleased to have His will done; and beyond the veil we shall have such a sense of justice that we shall be glad to have the matter as the Father has arranged.

The Lord is first; we think probably St. Paul is next. And we think St. Peter and St. John have prominent places. We shall all be perfectly content and pleased with Whatever the Father will, decide. We shall be glad of any place. And any one who would not be of that spirit, of that disposition, will thereby indicate that he is not of that class which the Lord would have there. Any who will be of that class will be glad to accept God’s decree and tO prefer it to anything they could have devised.

So the Church in the hand of God is the Church in the hand of Divine power. That power will use the Church and she will be a crown of glory and a thing of beauty, gloriously reflecting to all eternity the workmanship of our God. How glorious it will be! How beautiful! The Lord Jehovah will have tlie setting of these precious jewels, one reflecting upon another in that crown of glory and diadem of beauty, with the Lord Jesus in the chief place, for the Father will, not give to the Church any glory that He would not give to the Lord Himself. The Church is to be displayed before men as “a thing of beauty and a joy forever”—God’s handiwork.

He is selecting the jewels now, and is providentially dealing with them. When the process of polishing shall have been completed, He will use them in a very special sense for a thousand years. As a star blazes in glory, so the Lord will make use of each one or the Church. But the use of the Church which the Lord will make at that time will be only a part of the work which He intends to accomplish. The Apostle says, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”—Eph. 2:7.

All who are in Christ, all who are in, the “elect” Body of Christ—to these God will show His exceeding grace. His gra'-e and favor will be showered upon the Church. And the world will eventually see in the Church the culmination of all of God’s creative work. The glory of the Church will be manifested in the sight of angels and of men. And so the Lord indicates the blessings that are to be ours if we are faithful in making our “calling and election sure.”

Let us never forget that we are a “peculiar people,” separate from the great body of nominal Christians, as well as from the world, having higher hopes, aims and ambitions and favored with a clearer insight into the deep things of God, having been called out of our former darkness into His marvelous light. And if thus separate from the world and from Christians who partake largely of the worldly spirit, what wonder if we find them all out of harmony with us, and either ignoring dr opposing us in the performance of the Master’s wilE

CHRISTIAN VERSUS ANTI CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM

'Godliness with contentment is great gain”—I Timothy 6:6.

T* HE only proper contentment is that * which is combined with godliness and which sees from the standpoint of God’s Word the Divine Power able to correct the difficulties which assail us and all mankind. The godly believer thus instructed, is able to appropriate to himself the Divine promises of providential care and thus to be content with conditions which are not satisfactory.

On the other band, those who either do not know of the Divine Power, or have lost their faith in Divine Wisdom, chafe more and more under present conditions. And the more discontented they become, the greater is their tendency toward ungodliness—doubt of Divine Love, Wisdom and Power. Self-dependence is a poor substi-

We answer that this is all very true, but that the difficulty lies in the fact that the Gospel Message is not properly presented to the people. The Message which our Lord and the Apostles presented is a consistent one, whereas the message from the majority of pulpits today is an inconsistent one. The people are told, by both Catholics and Protestants, that there is a Heaven for the saintly who before dying shall become firmly established in the graces of the Holy Spirit. As for the masses, they are told by Catholics that they must expect centuries of torment to be prepared for them. And by Protestants they are told that they will have an eternity of torment without hope of a release. And then both Catholics and Prot-

spoken of as the “member* of the Body-of Christ,” which is the Church of glory; and again, as His Joint-Heirs in His Kingdom. The Kingdom will not be estab

lished until this Elect class is completed. These must share in the sufferings of Christ and then the glory .....

will immediately fol

low.

The Desire of All

The Lord declares peoples shall come.

; Christianity must be ready to show the i workers of the world how to be rid of all ; those fetters of the soul which material emancipation will but render more apparent. But for Christianity, as too often now, to profess desire to free men of spir-

¹ itual bondage, while repudiating any call । or need to strike fearless blows at their material prison bars, is to lay itself open to justifiable charges of hypocrisy. This must yield to braver counsels, though the striving be even unto blood against the sin of slavery which still defies modern industrialism.

“With widest meaning, then—inclusive of all that the most ardent and uncompromising Socialist lover of liberty has demanded, and embracing besides all that

Nations Shall Come, that the desire of all

The people of the world in general would desire the coming of the Lord’s glorious Kingdom and would

rejoice in it, if they knew about it. The

Divine provision would satisfy their longings as nothing else could do. All ministers of God should hold up before them estants unite in telling the poor world S¹⁰¹^ Message of the Divine Word, that such an arrangement for the future ¹ A^S would bring them joy and peace and.

rest of heart, notwithstanding the inci-

is the provision of a just and loving God,         ...     .            ° J” “U

for which they should be deeply thankful, cental trials and difficulties and weakr and that the troubles of this present life

nesses of this present time of distress.

tuic anu, _aa uisappviuimeuLs come, i.ue — Christian means when he proclaims

combative find anger, .malice, hatred, envy the glory of spiritual freedom, Christian-

and strife surging through their minds, tty must now take up the challenge and Then they become rabid socialists and are cry with world-wide voice like the sound

in the way tO' eventually become rabid an- of many waters and a mighty thunder ■

■                                        ‘Amen! even so, unite, ye workers; you

tute and, as disappointments come, the

the

are partial penances for sin.

Tell the Truth—Shame Satan.

The Truth is so much more reasonable, so much more just, so much more wise and loving, that to every ear that hears it, there comes a satisfaction, a harmony,

archists.

Again, we have those who term them-

selves Christian Socialists, meaning souls perceive the

These wellsituation of

their brethren and say, Yes, the world should be socially transformed. Its riches should not flow, as at present, into the favored channels, but should be scattered everywhere, for the general refreshment and comfort of nuhikind as a whole. They philosophize on what God surely would and surely would not approve amongst men, and then declare that all Christians should at once set about to secure to the world of mankind a just division of God’s

bounties. Their love and principles we should and commend. But we cannot course, their hopes, their

zeal for right do admire and commend their preaching, by

which they seek to obtain the ends desired. Recognizing the principles of Divine Justice they seek to apply these, forgetful of the fact that they have not the Divine Wisdom necessary to a proper application.

They seem to forget also that justice

have but your chains to lose, and you have a world to gain!’ ”

Those who propose to get Labor out of the “slavery of modern industrialism” should be willing to concede that if now is the proper time for it, God is as much interested in that release as they or we or others could possibly be—yea, much more so. If, then, they have received some special commission authorizing them to preach a new Gospel or a new edition to the old Gospel they should produce the proofs of this authorization. Until we see the proofs we must doubt their existence.

On the contrary, the Scriptures declare that there is but the one hope set before us in the Gospel, even as there is but the one Lord, the one Faith and the one Baptism. These workers and their coadjutors have not succeeded and will not succeed in making the world more happy by preaching to them the Gospel of discontent. Labor today is a hundredfold better fed, better clothed and better housed than in the days of our grandfathers, and

which error could never produce. God’s Word tells us that our race is a convict race—condemned to death because of Father Adam’s disobedience—because, as his children, we have inherited a share in his death sentence—not an eternal torment sentence. The Bible tells that Satan, who misled our first parents by misrepresenting God and His Word, has since misrepresented Him to mankind and that he it is who is responsible for the “doctrines of devils” (I Timothy 4:1), respecting the

Socialism stirs up the minds of men to dissatisfaction and to worry and to fear and to strife, and leads them on and oh inter the great time of anarchistic trouble. The Gospel Message, on the contrary, would be helpful, comforting, sustaining.

True it is not all men who are able to

has been the same for several thousand ------— — —-       ~

years past, and that Divine Wisdom has it is safe to say that it is a hundredfold

*             - - - -   - more discontented. All of these preachers,

not yet seen fit to establish Divine Justice amongst men. ' If they think that this is a neglect on God’s part which they are wise enough to rectify, the thought is evidently an erroneous one. If they believe, on the contrary, that the time for the establishment of justice was not in the past, but has now come, they should be able to find and point us to a Divine revelation to this effect, practically authorizing them to take their stand now for socialism and explaining that the due time for the prosperity of justice has now come and how they shall proceed and what shall be the outcome. But do they offer us such evidences from the Bible? Do they offer us such proofs as these? Nay, verily. Like the other socialists they are merely discontented, and become more discontented seeking a remedy.

From the Bible standpoint the world is not properly ready for its own control under any form of government. It is a rebellious province in the Divine Empire—• one in which sin and selfishness and death constitute the ruling elements. The Bible declares that what the world needs is a monarchy—a strong, centralized government in which the masses must not be allowed to have a voice at all, because, in their fallen condition, they know not what is for their own highest good. The Bible tells us that present institutions, under the power of selfishness, driving the wealthy in one direction and the masses in the opposite direction, is about to bring a universal crash—anarchy. This and atheistic socialism and Christian socialism, and in a larger sense, general selfishness and discontent are urging on the two great combatants, both of whom will fall in the struggle, never to rise again. However,

with doubtless the very best and noblest of intentions, neglecting the Word of God, the “wisdom that cometh from above” (James 3:17), are really doing injury by their “gospel” of socialism. Our Lord was surrounded by conditions of sickness, sorrow, poverty, etc., so that He could properly declare, “The poor ye have always with you.” (Matthew 26:11.) The Apostles were similarly situated. Yet have we

tortures of the dead, whom the declare “know not anything.” astes 9:5.) The Bible tells us seeing that many of our race, cause of Adam’s transgression,

Scriptures (Ecclesi-that God,

receive the Gospel Message; but those who-cannot receive it, would be far better off without the distracting gospel of socialism, which merely arouses them to greater dissatisfaction. The Bible tells that in mercy God has hidden His Plan from the world, and intends that only the saintly believers in the Lord Jesus Christ shall understand the secrets of it. “The secret, of the Lord is with them that reverence. Him; and He will show them His Covenant.”— Psalm 25:14.

So, then, the work of the Christian ministers, as Divinely appointed, is to let the

dying be- world alone to be dealt with in God’s due would be time, and to comfort and sustain and in-

struct merely those whom they find to have-the hearing ear of faith: These are to Lnow the Truth and the Truth must make them free from errors and superstitionsand bring them to the place of full con-Adam and his entire race. He died, “the secration to God—sanctification. Such are Just for the unjust, that He might bring to be informed respecting the Kingdom of us back to God.”—I Peter 3:18.            which they are invited to become mem-

glad to return to fellowship with their Creator, and to be recovered from sin and death conditions, has made a provision for them. Our Lord Jesus by His death purchased the lives and liberties of

But why must we wait? Why must we bers, by becoming members of the Body pray, “Thy Kingdom .come”? Why the Christ through faith, consecration and delay? The Bible answers, again, that the obedience unto death. The world in due-Kingdom class must first be found—“the time will have the good blessing which Little Flock” to whom it is the Father’s God intends for it.

good pleasure to give the Kingdom. (Luke Socialism amongst men will be the Di-12:32.) This Kingdom class is to be com- vine arrangement following the Millennial posed of the saintly few who form positive Age—following the lifting up of the race characters for righteousness by faithfully to perfection by the Redeemer-King. Then following in the footsteps of their Redeem- socialism will be a grand success, because er; by being taught of Him in the School of the perfection of all mankind then liv-of Christ. These faithful few of present ing, the unworthy having all been cut off selection, or election, are symbolically in the Second Death.

WHAT SAY THE SCRIPTURES?

any evidence whatever that any of these attempted to break the chains of the “slav- ,

ery of Labor”? Most assuredly not. The Redeemer’s Example.

While our Lord went about doing good, and healing many of the sick, He by no means healed all of the sick nor comforted all the mourning ones. His favors were specialized, as in the case of the impotent man at Bethesda. “There were multitudes of impotent folks there.” (John 5:3.) But only the one was miraculously healed by our Lord’s Word. Many widows were bereft of their sons, but only the widow of Naim had her son restored to her by the all-powerful Word of our Savior. He came not into the world to heal the sick, but to die for the world as its Redeemer. He left the great work, the im-

portant work of healing all the sick—the mentally, morally and physically sick, and of awakening all the dead, until the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom.

We likewise may do good unto all men as we have opportunity and especially to the “household of faith.” But we likewise must wait for God’s time and manner for the general healing of the world’s sorrows and troubles. When in fulfilment of the prayer our Lord taught us, God’s Kingdom shall come and His will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven, then all

Let God’s inspired writers be heard in

opposition to heathenized church traditions, and let reason judge which is the

right view, and which the error. First note the Old Testament—the Divine revelation covering 4,000 years. The Prophets of the Old Testament do not mention a word about eternal torment; but they do repeatedly mention destruction as the sinner’s doom, and declare over and over again that the enemies of the Lord shall perish. The Law given to Israel through Moses never hinted at any other penalty than death, in case of its violation. The warning of Adam when placed on trial in Eden contained not the remotest suggestion of eternal torture in case of failure and disobedience; but, on the contrary, it clearly stated that the penalty would be death—“In the day that

thou eatest thereof, dying, die.”—Genesis 2:17, margin.

Peter 3:8; 2:12.

Surely, if the penalty of and failure is everlasting life

thou shalt

Compare 2

disobedience in torment,

an inexcusable wrong was done to Adam, and to the patriarchs, and to the Jewish

elation a sealed book, which they do not and cannot understand, they have no right to interpret any portion of it literally, in violation of its stated symbolic character, and in direct opposition to the remainder of the Bible, including St. John’s plain non-symbolic epistles.

Since the Apostles do not so much as mention eternal torment, all truth-seekers, especially Christians, should be interested to search what they do teach concerning the penalty of sin—remembering that they, and not the apostate church of the darker ages, taught “the whole counsel of God.”

AN UNANSWERABLE ARGUMENT.

It will generally be admitted by Christians claiming to be orthodox that our Lord Jesus redeemed mankind by His death; that He endured willingly the penalty of man’s Sins, in order that man might be released from that penalty. “Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” “He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him; and by His stripes

people, when they were misinformed on we are healed.”—Isaiah 53:4, 5.

according to the Scriptures, they will be

succeeded by the Kingdom of God’s dear the blessing, all the helpfulness necessary to the full recovery of our race will be

the subject, and penalty. Surely the Jews, were selves in eternal

told that death was the Adam, the patriarchs or they ever to find them-torment, where the vari-

Son.

That strong Government, that Theocracy to which every knee must bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God, is the Kingdom that the world needs. Its rule of righteousness alone will bring to mankind the joy and peace and blessing which all crave, but which none of us are wise enough to know how to bring about -—not even our socialist friends. The part of faith and the part of wisdom is to look

brought into operation. And it is not possible for any man or set of men, Christians or otherwise, either to improve upon God’s great Plan of the Ages or to hasten His Plan.

Is it urged that the early Church at its beginning established a communistic society? We answer that this was not a worldly establishment, nor with those who recognized worldly principles. It was

ous sectarian creeds of Christendom assert that the vast majority will find themselves, would have sufficient ground for an appeal for JUSTICE. Such, no less than the heathen millions who died without knowledge, and hence surely without faith, would have just ground for cursing the injustice of such a penalty, as a most atrocious misuse of power—

unto the Lord from whom cometh our help, merely a social arrangement whereby the Nor should we look to Him to approve our Church at Jerusalem only sought to deal

first, in bringing them ject to such an awful penalty, without their ondly, for leaving the

into a trial sub-and unreasonable consent; and secone class wholly

methods, but rather to be informed respecting His methods and to approve them and to co-operate to the extent of our abilities

Church Congress of Boston.

At a church congress, held in Boston, a day was given to the discussion of Chris-tion Socialism. Both sides of the question were permitted to be presented. One minister was reported in the “Christian Socialist” as having made the following statement :

“Let us answer, ‘Hasten the day when Labor, united, shall shake off its chains!’ Our part as Christians is to help men out of every bondage! We are not perturbed that Socialism, in its eagerness to rid Labor of material bonds, has not yet realized the weight of bonds spiritual. That realization will come in good time, and

with each other as one family, successful. It did not persist.

have Apostolic commendation Churches. We may suppose,

It was not It did not to other therefore,

that the arrangement was Divinely permitted so as to show the Lord’s people throughout the Age the impracticability of such an arrangement at the present time.

Heavenly Hopes Not Desired.

Many people would probably tell us that Socialists are crying out that 'heavenly hopes are not satisfactory—that what they want is earthly riches and comforts and that these they intend to have; and that what the people want is what the pulpit must supply—otherwise the influence of religion will wane in the world and its ministers will become back numbers, whom no one will care to hear or heed.

ignorant of such a penalty, and for misleading the others by telling them that the penalty of sin would be death—to, perish. It must be admitted that the presumption to declare that death, destruction, perish, and similar terms, mean life in torment, belongs to word-twisting theologians since the days of the Apostles; for the Apostles taught nothing of the kind.

Look at the New Testament.

Look at the New Testament writings: St. Paul says he did not shun to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and yet he did not write a word about eternal torment. Neither did St. Peter nor St. James, nor St. Jude, nor St. John; though it is claimed that St. John did, in the symbolic figures of Revelation. But since those who make this claim consider the Book of Rev-

This being admitted, it becomes an easy matter to decide, to an absolute, unquestionable certainty, what the penalty of our sins was, if we know what our Lord Jesus did endure when “the chastisement for our peace” was inflicted upon His willing head. Is He suffering eternal torment for us? If so, that would thus be proven to be the penalty against our sins. But no one claims this, and the Scriptures teach to the contrary, that our Lord is now in glory, and not in torment ■which is incontrovertible proof that the wages of sin is not torment.

But what did our Lord do to secure the cancellation of our sins? What did He give when He paid our ransom price. —the price or penalty against sinners? . Let the Scriptures answer. They repeatedly and explicitly declare that Christ died for our sins; that He gave His life a ransom to secure life for the condemned sinners; that He bought us with His own precious blood; that for this purpose the. Son of God was manifested in flesh; that He might give His flesh for the life of the world; that as by man (Adam) came death, by man (“the man Christ Jesus”) might come the resurrection of the dead.—

Corinthians 15:3; Matthew 20:28; 1

Timothy 2:5, 6: Hosea 13:14 ; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 1 John 3:8; John 6:51; 1 Corinthians 15:21.

Is there room to question further the clear Bible doctrine that “the wages of sin is death?”—Romans 6:23.